How the 2022 dump of snow in Edmonton stacks up to previous years

Edmonton got its first big dump of snow on Wednesday, and it got us wondering how it stacks up to when the city usually receives the fluffy stuff in previous years.

Since late last night, the Edmonton International Airport (EIA) has seen approximately 9 cm of snow, with more expected to fall throughout the day.

There has been approximately 9 cm of snow since Tue 19:00 at “Edmonton Int’l Airport”

— WX Edmonton Airport (@wc_edmonton_a) November 2, 2022

That got us wondering how 2022 has stacked up for Edmonton when it comes to the first significant snowfall event of the season.

Well, we reached out to the experts at Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) last month and they combed through the past 10 years of data, and some of the facts may surprise you.

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You might even remember some of the years when YEG got a wickedly early dump of snow or the years when it arrived blissfully later than usual.

How much snow must fall to make it count?

Around 2 cm of snow is the official first significant snowfall event, according to ECCC.

So, let’s take a look at when the first significant snow event was recorded at the Edmonton International Airport over the past 10 years.

2011: November 17, when 13.6 centimetres fell
2012: October 10, when 3.4 centimetres fell
2013: November 2, when 7.8 centimetres fell
2014: September 8, when 4.4 centimetres fell
2015: November 23, when 6.2 centimetres fell
2016: October 7, when 2.8 centimetres fell
2017: September 19, when 4.8 centimetres fell
2018: September 12, when 5 centimetres fell
2019: November 5, when 3 centimetres fell
2020: October 16, when 2.2 centimetres fell
2021: November 15, when 4 centimetres fell

Oh, and the latest time of measurable snow to ever fall in Edmonton? That happened in 2008 when the white stuff didn’t show up until December 2.

So, there you have it. In 2022, Edmonton beat out six of the previous 10 years when it comes to the first significant snowfall event and ended up being almost identical to 2013 when 7.8 centimetres of snow fell on November 2.

By the looks of The Weather Network’s early winter forecast, Edmonton might be in store for an interesting winter, to say the least. Bundle up, folks!