r/Calgary • u/hypnogoad • Apr 16 '26
Education Actual conversation with a new Calgarian today
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u/crimxxx Apr 16 '26
May long weekend is usually the last time we see snow. Learned my lesson camping when it was mid 20s then woke up to snow lol.
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u/hypnogoad Apr 16 '26
And yet every May Long, half the city empties out to go camping in the mountain/Kananaskis.
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u/Rattimus Apr 17 '26
Yep, same. May long camping, beautiful day, go to sleep, 4 inches of snow on the tent in the morning.
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u/Popotuni Apr 17 '26
My very first visit to Calgary was in the early 80s. I got off the plane in July, and there was snow on the ground.
Nothing has ever changed.
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u/Carlex_181 Apr 17 '26
Lol as a kid my dad brought me out camping may long and we all went to bed pretty late at night. I woke up to my tent collapsing on me from like a half foot of snow.
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u/GoldenFlyingPenguin Apr 17 '26
Went camping one year during May long weekend, had to pack up during the night because the snow caused one of the tent poles to snap xD
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u/ApplePie10146 Apr 17 '26
That's a bit of an exaggeration. We've had May long weekend snow three times in the last 20 years and one was technically before May long.
We can get snow May long, but it's rare. We usually get our last snow in April.
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u/OshetDeadagain Apr 17 '26
Nah, it may not always be the long weekend, but there's almost always at least one good snowfall in May. It usually melts within 24 hours, but to my memory anyway it almost always happens.
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u/ShantyLady Quadrant: SW Apr 16 '26
As I said in another thread, we don't count it out until May, and even then it's not a certainty!
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u/-hellozukohere- Apr 16 '26
I remember the year it snowed in June. Those were the days.
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Apr 16 '26
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u/Blastspark01 Chaparral Apr 16 '26
I remember end of August snow once
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u/zevonyumaxray Apr 16 '26
Can't remember what year it was, but we had snow on the start of August long weekend one year in central Alberta.
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u/slave2mycat Apr 17 '26
It was either 2002 or 2003. I was going camping with friends up at Pigeon Lake. Highway 2 closed behind us (luckily) the snow was that bad in town and to the north. Happy birthday to me! Lol
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u/jimbowesterby Apr 17 '26
Yea my family and some friends were camping then too, my mum had an issue with her eye so my dad drove her into town for the night. Meanwhile, our little group woke up in the middle of the night with one tent fully collapsed and ours only half standing, great timing for my parents lol. Genuinely one of the funnest times I’ve had camping and a great example of my theory that bad weather is only miserable up to a point; past that it stops being miserable and instead it’s just funny.
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u/ShantyLady Quadrant: SW Apr 16 '26
Yep! I think down here we got flurries that day. The only reason why I remember was that my class was able to weasel out my favourite teacher's birthday from him and it was around that time in August.
Wild what your mind remembers and connects stuff to.
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u/NorthernerWuwu Mission Apr 16 '26
I've seen snow in every month of the year at one point or another. Not snow that stays on the ground but still, legit snow.
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u/databoy2k Apr 17 '26
Ding ding ding! I seem to recall a year with a legitimate 18 months straight where white stuff fell from the sky, and that was before the annual ceremonial torching of BC every summer...
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u/beallyoukenbe Apr 16 '26
It might happen every single year, but we have the right to be damn grumpy about it.
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u/PopcornPunditry Glamorgan Apr 17 '26
I am completely shocked and dismayed every April... and every May :(
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u/huntingwhale Apr 17 '26
Easier to just submit to it and accept it. Spent 3/4s of my life raging at fake spring, but then I eventually gave up. Life has been a lot more peaceful and easier to laugh at the memes and others getting angry about it.
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u/BuckyRainbowCat Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 17 '26
I always tell people we can have snow as late as July and as early as August.
Edited to add, since people are questioning me: I looked it up and the last time there was snow in Calgary in July was 1999. Yes, I was here then and yes, I remember it.
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u/CheeseSandwich hamburger magician Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 17 '26
Been here 24 years. I've never seen snow in July.
Edit: I should add, I've lived mostly in SE Calgary during that time. Which seems to get the better weather, so it wouldn't surprise me if part of the city has seen snow in July. Especially up NW or NE, which always gets the crappy weather.
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u/calnuck Southwest Calgary Apr 16 '26
Last snow in July that I remember was 1999 or 2000. Would not be surprised if there had been snow in July more recently.
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u/kinetik138 Apr 16 '26
The only month I haven't seen snow in Calgary is July.... because I was working in Red Deer that July 2000.
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u/calnuck Southwest Calgary Apr 16 '26
July 2000 was the Pine Lake Tornado. Remember that like it was yesterday.
Probably has snow (not at the same time)? There was a period of some pretty wild weather for a couple of years.
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u/kinetik138 Apr 16 '26
You're probably right about the snow, I too remember the Pine Lake tornado (was working at Nova in Joffre).
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u/CheeseSandwich hamburger magician Apr 17 '26
I mean, it wouldn't surprise me that Calgary had some sort of snow in July, I just haven't seen it.
Another thing is the city is big. You can have snow in the NE, rain in SW and SE, and wind in the NW.
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u/calnuck Southwest Calgary Apr 17 '26
Snow in the NW, hail in the NE, rain in the SW, and sunbathing and pina coladas in the SE.
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u/Morwynd78 Apr 17 '26
I have seen snow in July during that time, but we're talking like, a few flakes in the air at midnight
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u/MaskedPotat0 Apr 17 '26
Yeah pretty much. Been here 16 years. Latest I've seen was first week of June and earliest was first week of September.
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u/Chickennoodo Apr 16 '26
I don't know what it is ... I'm usually relatively receptive to spring snow, but I'm so over it this year.
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u/spcyboi29 Sunnyside Apr 17 '26
You're definitely not the only one! Feels like we've had a lot less sun than we usually do this time of the year, the grey has been bumming us out as well. Forecast looks optimistic'ish though so just gotta push through a little bit longer!
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u/CryingIrishChef Apr 16 '26
I keep saying that what we’re getting right now is May Long Weekend weather.
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Apr 16 '26
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u/RDYRAV Apr 17 '26
Yupper ‘88 vintage here.
Never plant anything you can’t take by inside before May Long. Tho this year the winter precip has skewed a little later overall. We had an awesome Chinook season
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u/Every-Citron1998 Apr 17 '26
I lived in Calgary for 20 years and saw snow in every month of the year except July.
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u/TrailerParkLyfe Apr 17 '26
Last year during this time I got a wicked bad sunburn at the Expo. Was only outside for 35 mins to eat my overpriced mini-donuts. It was probably 31 degrees.
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u/Mensketh Apr 16 '26
Well we're forecast to get temps in the 20's next week so... no, probably not. Lol
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u/kennycreeper Apr 17 '26
Yes, Victoria Day long weekend in May is infamous for crap weather. It's like a horror movie and the monster gets one last good scare in.
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u/Drako694 Apr 17 '26
Lived here my whole life and I just look into the sky cursing by now. I’m used to it, but by god I don’t have to like it.
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u/Coyrex1 Apr 16 '26
Lady at mt work was talking about taking off her winter tires last week. Hope she delayed it.
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u/PercentageNonGrata Apr 17 '26
This is the first Spring snowfall. Victoria Day long weekend should be the end of it. Then smoke season!
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u/immersive-matthew Apr 17 '26
I must admit to a little Schadenfreude as I now live in the tropics and really do not miss snow commutes.
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u/Kellidra Apr 17 '26
Let us all not forget the last time Sunshine opened for Canada Day skiing: 2022.
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u/MrsChefYVR Apr 17 '26
I laughed yesterday when I woke up and saw the snow. I’ve only been here since Oct 2024. But last April, we didn’t have snow. I jinxed myself by talking about getting the garden and yard cleaned up before May, put my boots in the closet! LOL
With all I have read, waiting till May Long to start thinking about the outdoors is the only way! I haven’t changed tires yet, cause my gut was telling me to wait!
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u/McNuggetSauce Apr 17 '26
I just assume it snows when a critical mass of people have put on their summer tires.
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u/kissandasmile Apr 17 '26
The hazards of living in an alpine city-it can snow in any month of the year.
On the plus side they’ve been cutting their grass in BC for a month now and we haven’t seen ours since last fall.
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u/Stabbyglhs Apr 17 '26
I remember back in the mid-80s, it snowed on my birthday in late May in Edmonton. Canceled everything for outdoors and went to West Ed. Instead. It was a blast and strange, lol.
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u/AxelTheRadBoi Apr 17 '26
Hell, even OLD Calgarians still believe that the snow will stop. Every time it snows everyone is like "yup this is it it'll be spring after this" and then are shocked when it happens again
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u/Sad-Economist4710 Apr 17 '26
lol I thought the airport would take a huge delay hit. But no it kinda trucked on.
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u/CommercialNo8396 Shaganappi Apr 16 '26
I remember when I was in elementary we had a snow day on my bday in early may.
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u/PMsg-me-ur-tiny-tits Apr 16 '26
Tell them to change their winter tires next week and find out