Editing Alberta (section)

=== Climate ===
[[File:Alberta Köppen.svg|thumb|300px|[[Köppen climate classification|Köppen climate types]] in Alberta]]
Alberta extends for over {{cvt|1200|km}} from north to south; its climate, therefore, varies considerably. Average high temperatures in January range from {{cvt|0|C}} in the southwest to {{cvt|-24|C}} in the far north. The presence of the Rocky Mountains also influences the climate to the southwest, which disrupts the flow of the [[Westerlies|prevailing westerly winds]] and causes them to drop most of their moisture on the western slopes of the mountain ranges before reaching the province, casting a [[rain shadow]] over much of Alberta. The northerly location and isolation from the weather systems of the Pacific Ocean cause Alberta to have a dry climate with little moderation from the ocean. Annual precipitation ranges from {{cvt|300|mm}} in the southeast to {{cvt|450|mm}} in the north, except in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains where total precipitation including snowfall can reach {{cvt|600|mm}} annually.<ref name="aboutab"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Alberta Weather and Climate Data |publisher=Government of Alberta, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development |year=2012 |url=http://agriculture.alberta.ca/acis |access-date=May 15, 2016 |archive-date=May 19, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160519122523/http://agriculture.alberta.ca/acis/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:Red rock coulee at sunset.jpg|thumb|Southeastern Alberta features a [[semi-arid climate|semi-arid]] [[steppe]] climate.]]
Northern Alberta is mostly covered by boreal forest and has a [[subarctic climate]]. The agricultural area of [[southern Alberta]] has a semi-arid steppe climate because the annual precipitation is less than the water that [[evapotranspiration|evaporates or is used by plants]]. The southeastern corner of Alberta, part of the [[Palliser's Triangle|Palliser Triangle]], experiences greater summer heat and lower rainfall than the rest of the province, and as a result, suffers frequent [[crop yield]] problems and occasional severe droughts. Western Alberta is protected by the mountains and enjoys the mild temperatures brought by winter Chinook winds. Central and parts of northwestern Alberta in the Peace River region are largely aspen parkland, a [[biome]] transitional between prairie to the south and boreal forest to the north.

Alberta has a [[humid continental climate]] with warm summers and cold winters. The province is open to cold Arctic weather systems from the north, which often produce cold winter conditions. As the [[Weather front|fronts]] between the [[air mass]]es shift north and south across Alberta, the temperature can change rapidly. [[Arctic front|Arctic air masses]] in the winter produce extreme minimum temperatures varying from {{cvt|-54|C}} in northern Alberta to {{cvt|-46|C}} in southern Alberta, although temperatures at these extremes are rare.

In the summer, continental air masses have produced record maximum temperatures from {{cvt|32|C}} in the mountains to over {{cvt|40|C}} in southeastern Alberta.<ref name="climatlas">{{cite web |title=Climate of Alberta |work=Agroclimatic Atlas of Alberta |publisher=Government of Alberta |year=2003 |url=http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/sag6299 |access-date=October 1, 2008 |archive-date=August 28, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110828144440/http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/sag6299 |url-status=live }}</ref> Alberta is a sunny province. Annual bright sunshine totals range between 1,900 up to just under 2,600 hours per year. Northern Alberta gets about 18 hours of daylight in the summer.<ref name="climatlas"/> The average daytime temperatures range from around {{cvt|21|C}} in the [[Rocky Mountains|Rocky Mountain valleys]] and far north, up to around {{cvt|28|C}} in the dry prairie of the southeast. The northern and western parts of the province experience higher rainfall and lower evaporation rates caused by cooler summer temperatures. The south and east-central portions are prone to drought-like conditions sometimes persisting for several years, although even these areas can receive heavy precipitation, sometimes resulting in flooding.

In the winter, the [[Alberta clipper]], a type of intense, fast-moving winter storm that generally forms over or near the province and, pushed with great speed by the continental polar [[Jet stream|jetstream]], descends over the rest of southern Canada and the northern tier of the United States.<ref name="Alberta Clipper">{{cite web |title=Alberta Clipper |url=http://www.weathernotebook.org/transcripts/2000/02/15.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150219182706/http://www.weathernotebook.org/transcripts/2000/02/15.html |archive-date=February 19, 2015 |publisher=The Weather Notebook |access-date=October 1, 2012 }}</ref> In southwestern Alberta, the cold winters are frequently interrupted by warm, dry [[Chinook wind]]s blowing from the mountains, which can propel temperatures upward from frigid conditions to well above the freezing point in a very short period. During one Chinook recorded at [[Pincher Creek]], temperatures soared from {{cvt|-19|to|22|C}} in just one hour.<ref name="aboutab"/> The region around Lethbridge has the most Chinooks, averaging 30 to 35 Chinook days per year. Calgary has a 56% chance of a [[white Christmas (weather)|white Christmas]], while Edmonton has an 86% chance.<ref name=Canadawhitechristmas>{{cite web |title=Chance of White Christmas |url=http://www.ec.gc.ca/meteo-weather/default.asp?lang=En&n=642F4B39-1 |publisher=Environment Canada |access-date=December 6, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130301190705/http://www.ec.gc.ca/meteo-weather/default.asp?lang=En |archive-date=March 1, 2013 }}</ref>

After Saskatchewan, Alberta experiences the most [[tornado]]es in Canada with an average of 15 verified per year.<ref name=tornados>{{cite web |last=Vettese |first=Dayna |title=Tornadoes in Canada: Everything you need to know |url=http://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/articles/tornadoes-in-canada-everything-you-need-to-know/25876/0 |publisher=[[The Weather Network]] |date=September 4, 2014 |access-date=January 8, 2015 |archive-date=December 21, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141221032409/http://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/articles/tornadoes-in-canada-everything-you-need-to-know/25876/0 |url-status=live }}</ref> Thunderstorms, some of them severe, are frequent in the summer, especially in central and southern Alberta. The region surrounding the Calgary–Edmonton Corridor is notable for having the highest frequency of [[hail]] in Canada, which is caused by [[orographic lift]]ing from the nearby Rocky Mountains, enhancing the updraft/downdraft cycle necessary for the formation of hail.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin:1em auto; width:60%;"
|+Climate averages for communities in Alberta<ref name="Cities Climate">{{cite web |title=Canadian Climate Normals |date=October 31, 2011 |url=http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_normals/index_e.html#1971 |publisher=Environment Canada |access-date=February 17, 2014 |archive-date=February 27, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140227145147/http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_normals/index_e.html#1971 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
!Community
!Region
!July daily<br/>maximum<ref name="Cities Climate"/>
!data-sort-type=number|January daily<br/>maximum<ref name="Cities Climate"/>
!Annual<br/>precipitation<ref name="Cities Climate"/>
!Plant<br/>hardiness<br/>zone<ref name="NRC-PHZ">{{cite web |title=Plant Hardiness Zone by Municipality |url=http://www.planthardiness.gc.ca/?m=22&lang=en&prov=Alberta&val=A |department=[[Natural Resources Canada]] |publisher=Government of Canada |access-date=July 27, 2016 |archive-date=March 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305181823/http://www.planthardiness.gc.ca/?m=22&lang=en&prov=Alberta&val=A |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|[[Medicine Hat]] || [[Southern Alberta]] || {{cvt|28|C}} || {{cvt|-3|C}} || {{cvt|323|mm}} || 4b
|-
|[[Brooks, Alberta|Brooks]] || Southern Alberta || {{cvt|28|C}} || {{cvt|-4|C}} || {{cvt|301|mm}} || 4a
|-
|[[Lethbridge]] || Southern Alberta || {{cvt|26|C}} || {{cvt|0|C}} || {{cvt|380|mm}} || 4b
|-
|[[Fort McMurray]] || [[Northern Alberta]] || {{cvt|24|C}} || {{cvt|-12|C}} || {{cvt|419|mm}} || 3a
|-
|[[Wetaskiwin]] || [[Central Alberta]] || {{cvt|24|C}} || {{cvt|-5|C}} || {{cvt|497|mm}} || 3b
|-
|[[Edmonton]] || [[Edmonton Metropolitan Region]] || {{cvt|23|C}} || {{cvt|-6|C}} || {{cvt|456|mm}} || 4a
|-
|[[Cold Lake, Alberta|Cold Lake]] || Northern Alberta || {{cvt|23|C}} || {{cvt|-10|C}} || {{cvt|421|mm}} || 3a
|-
|[[Camrose, Alberta|Camrose]] || Central Alberta || {{cvt|23|C}} || {{cvt|-6|C}} || {{cvt|438|mm}} || 3b
|-
|[[Fort Saskatchewan]] || Edmonton Metropolitan Region || {{cvt|23|C}} || {{cvt|-7|C}} || {{cvt|455|mm}} || 3b
|-
|[[Lloydminster]] || Central Alberta || {{cvt|23|C}} || {{cvt|-10|C}} || {{cvt|409|mm}} || 3a
|-
|[[Red Deer, Alberta|Red Deer]] || Central Alberta || {{cvt|23|C}} || {{cvt|-5|C}} || {{cvt|486|mm}} || 4a
|-
|[[Grande Prairie]] || Northern Alberta || {{cvt|23|C}} || {{cvt|-8|C}} || {{cvt|445|mm}} || 3b
|-
|[[Leduc, Alberta|Leduc]] || Edmonton Metropolitan Region || {{cvt|23|C}} || {{cvt|-6|C}} || {{cvt|446|mm}} || 3b
|-
|[[Calgary]] || [[Calgary Metropolitan Region]] || {{cvt|23|C}} || {{cvt|-1|C}} || {{cvt|419|mm}} || 4a
|-
|[[Chestermere]] || Calgary Metropolitan Region || {{cvt|23|C}} || {{cvt|-3|C}} || {{cvt|412|mm}} || 3b
|-
|[[St. Albert, Alberta|St. Albert]] || Edmonton Metropolitan Region || {{cvt|22|C}} || {{cvt|-6|C}} || {{cvt|466|mm}} || 4a
|-
|[[Lacombe, Alberta|Lacombe]] || Central Alberta || {{cvt|22|C}} || {{cvt|-5|C}} || {{cvt|446|mm}} || 3b
|}