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Elevations of prominent points and towns
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Location
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Altitude (meter)
|
Altitude (feet)
|
|
Golden
|
785
|
2574
|
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Rogers Pass
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1,327
|
4,340
|
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Kicking Horse Pass
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1,650
|
5,340
|
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Lake Louise (Village)
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1,540
|
5,052
|
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Lake Louise (Lake)
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1,731
|
5,680
|
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Banff
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1,384
|
4,540
|
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Bow Summit **
|
2,067
|
6.780
|
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Jasper
|
1,061
|
3,478
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Calgary
|
1,077
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3,531
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** highest point on the icefield parkway between Banff and Jasper
General Weather Overview (Banff)
The Autumn season (Sept/Oct) sees a diminishing of the daylight hours and warm days with cooling evening winds. The first snows beings to fall on the Canadian Rockies sometime in November (though it can and does snow whenever nature dictates - we have had majour blizzards leave several feet of snow in mid-summer). The snow is usually staying for the winter by Nov. with the first of several winter storms coming in from the Pacific providing the Rockies with its blanketing of snow and the arrival of ski season. Sometime during the month of December/January the Rockies usually experience a brief two week cold snap with temperatures plummeting into the low -30 degree C/F range but the average temperature during the winter months is around -12º C (6º F).
Luckily throughout the winter months, Banff and areas west and south regularly receive a welcome weather phenomenon, Chinooks, which can produce spring like temperatures in a matter of hours.
The UV rating for Banff and surrounding area is usually high to extremely high throughout the year. Because of our altitude and the suns angle of incidence in our section of the world, people tend to burn much faster than usual -- bring along sunscreen, a shade hat and a pair of sunglasses.
General Weather Overview (Jasper)
With the onset of a warmer, drier climate following their last major advance, the retreating glaciers left exposed a barren and raw landscape. Soon plants and animals began to take advantage of these newly-exposed expanses, infiltrating the mountain valleys from ice-free areas. Some of these organisms invaded from regions to the south that had remained unglaciated. Other organisms arrived from their unglaciated mountain peak refuges, islands of rock that the glaciers had failed to cover.
The climatic conditions of areas adjacent to melting glaciers were far from ideal for survival, but the constant glacial winds kept nearby valley bottoms mostly snow-free and the melting ice provided an abundance of water. Grasses and other hardy, cold-resistant species of vegetation soon took root in glacial silt and colonized the open spaces. Once this food source was established, large mammals such as bison, elk, deer, bighorn sheep and mountain goats gained a foothold.
As time passed, the climate continued to moderate. The glaciers dwindled and disappeared from all but the higher areas near the continental divide. As the annual cycle of growth and decay in the grasslands broke down the rock rubble and built up nutrient-rich soils, trees took root and spread through the valleys. During the warmest periods, between about 7000 and 3500 years ago, it is likely that grasslands and drier forests dominated, at least at lower altitudes. This combination of climate and habitat encouraged the growth of bison, elk and mountain-sheep herds.
More recently, during the Little Ice Age (from about A.D. 1200 to 1850), the onset of cooler temperatures and higher snowfall initiated a minor advance of the glaciers from their mountain strongholds. These colder conditions pushed treelines lower and permitted cold-tolerant spruce and fir forests to dominate the mountain slopes, much as they do today. Caribou, moose and bison, all species adapted to travel in deeper snow, frequented much of the area, while elk and deer were confined to the grasslands still covering the bottom lands of the lower Athabasca Valley and the slopes of the drier front ranges.
During the past 150 years the climate has continued to fluctuate. Vegetation patterns have responded to its changes. Occasional severe winters, drought and periodic fire have played their part in shaping the ecology of the mountain regions. Numbers of animals, not to mention numbers of humans, have all been affected by the prevailing climate.
Although the Pacific Ocean lies several mountain ranges to the west, ocean winds influence much of Jasper's weather and contribute to the forces of change in the mountains. The winds rush up and over the main ranges. Moisture-laden clouds dump metres of snow and water in highlands such as the Columbia Icefield. Drier winds flow northeast down the Athabasca Valley, lifting sand and silt and sweeping slopes bare in their wake.
When the dominant west wind falters, Arctic fronts sweep in from the north and east and the temperature plummets. The park's northerly location and distance from the ocean make the climate of Jasper National Park 'continental', with long, cold winters and short, warm summers.
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Elevation:
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1062 m
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|
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Climate:
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Spring comes to the valley bottoms in mid-April and reaches the high country by mid-June. Summer days are long, but the summer season is short. July is the warmest month with a mean daily maximum temperature of 22.5 degrees Celsius. September and October bring fall colours, clear skies and cooler temperatures. The long winter season is varied with periods of cold stormy weather that can quickly change to a mild chinook wind. January is the coldest month with a mean maximum temperature of -7.8 degrees Celsius.
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Environment Canada Climate Data for Jasper townsite
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Month
|
Jan
|
Feb
|
Mar
|
Apr
|
May
|
Jun
|
Jul
|
Aug
|
Sept
|
Oct
|
Nov
|
Dec
|
|
Mean Daily Max Temp ºC
|
-7.8
|
-0.6
|
3.2
|
9.6
|
15.6
|
19.2
|
22.5
|
21.4
|
16.4
|
10.3
|
0.7
|
-4.9
|
|
Mean Daily Min Temp ºC
|
-17.8
|
-12.2
|
-8.6
|
-2.9
|
1.7
|
5.6
|
7.6
|
7.0
|
3.2
|
-1.0
|
-8.5
|
-13.6
|
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Mean Snowfall in Centimetres
|
38.1
|
21.7
|
14.7
|
10.9
|
3.1
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trace
|
----
|
0.1
|
1.1
|
5.4
|
24.6
|
32.7
|
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Mean Rainfall in Millimetres
|
2.4
|
2.2
|
3.2
|
12.7
|
30.3
|
54.8
|
49.7
|
48.4
|
36.8
|
24.2
|
8.6
|
5.4
|
|
|
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Principal Mountain heights in Alberta region (in Meters)
Rocky Mountains
Mount Columbia (highest point on Alta.–B.C. boundary) 3,747
North Twin 3,733
Mount Alberta 3,620
Mount Assiniboine (on Alta.–B.C. boundary) 3,618
Mount Forbes 3,612
South Twin 3,581
Mount Temple 3,547
Mount Brazeau 3,525
Snow Dome (on Alta.–B.C. boundary) 3,520
Mount Lyell (on Alta.–B.C. boundary) 3,504
Hungabee Mountain (on Alta.– B.C. boundary) 3,492
Mount Athabasca 3,491
Mount King Edward (on Alta.–B.C. boundary) 3,490
Mount Kitchener 3,490
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