Winter
Edmonton is the most northerly large city in Canada and the winter is its defining season. It is also, handled properly, the most interesting time to visit — provided you know what you're walking into.
The numbers
January averages sit around minus twelve in the day and minus twenty-two overnight. Two or three times a winter it drops below minus thirty, and once in a while below minus forty with the wind. At that point exposed skin is a genuine hazard rather than a discomfort, and the city goes quiet.
Daylight in late December runs about seven and a half hours. Sunrise after half past eight, dark before half past four.
What actually keeps you warm
- A proper parka rated to minus thirty. A wool coat is decoration here.
- Boots with a felt liner and real tread. Ice is the more common injury, not cold.
- Mitts rather than gloves, and a second pair in a pocket.
- Something over your face for the walk between car and door. A scarf is enough.
Getting about
The LRT and buses run through everything. Cars need a block heater plugged in overnight below about minus twenty-five, which is why you'll see cords hanging out of grilles. Rental companies don't always mention this. If you're renting in January, ask.
The downtown pedway system links much of the core above and below street level — not as extensive as Calgary's, but enough to cross the middle of downtown without going outside.
What's good about it
The valley under snow, with the trails packed and the river steaming. The ice castle and light festivals in January. Skating on a frozen pond in a city park with nobody else there. And the particular quality of a clear minus-twenty afternoon, which is bright in a way no warm day is.
If your trip is fixed for January and you're not sure, come. If it's fixed for late November, lower your expectations — that's the grey, dark, nothing-on stretch, and even residents find it long.