Albertans are debating the weather in YEG and YYC after recent snowfall

Calgary got blasted by some hefty snowfall over the weekend and one Reddit post has Albertans debating if YEG or YYC has harsher winters.

“Every year Calgary has snow earlier than Edmonton. But somehow every Calgarian is convinced Edmonton’s winters are so extreme, it is a frozen arctic wasteland in comparison to Calgary,” the post stated.

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The post has garnered hundreds of upvotes and nearly 150 comments, with many people pointing out that many people presume Edmonton gets a blast of snow before Calgary does.

“Contrary to popular belief, Calgary being further south doesn’t give them a warmer climate, and this is because of elevation differences. Calgary sits about 400 meters higher above sea level than Edmonton does, which is why Calgary gets frost and snow earlier in the autumn and later in the spring than Edmonton does despite being further south. Four hundred metres of elevation makes a way bigger difference than two degrees of latitude,” wrote one user.

“In the Calgary area, I have not been successful growing tomatoes, whereas in Edmonton no problem. Growing season is an extra month in Edmonton,” said another.

“Lived in Calgary for 10 years, Edmonton for 4. The Chinook helps and Edmonton was the only place where I got to experience -42°C (with windchill),” said one user, with another chiming in that when they moved to Calgary from Toronto they got to experience bone-chilling -40°C there.

A lot of users said that Calgary’s chinooks surely help the winter season seem less harsh, while Edmonton lacks that, however, some disagreed.

“Edmonton winters are harsh. Calgary winters are harsh. The phenomenon of Calgarians portraying Edmonton’s winters as unlivable as if they live in a chinook tropical oasis is such a fascinating mass delusion,” the original poster stated.

If you are curious, we talked to an expert at Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) and they combed through the past 10 years of data for when the first significant snowfall in Edmonton and Calgary occurred. Take a look!