Has it rained enough in Calgary?
Rain soaked properly in 5 days ago, and the ground is still holding some of it.
Calgary has had 22.3mm of rain in the last 30 days. A normal August here brings 60.2mm, so that is about 37% of what the ground usually gets — and the driest August in 30 years was 19.3mm.
Rain reaching the roots · 14 days
2 SeptToday
Rain in Calgary through a normal year
Across a normal year Calgary gets about 484.4mm of rain, most of it in June (104mm) and least in January (12.5mm).
That makes Calgary one of the drier places this site covers in Canada in August — 10th of 11, against Quebec City at the wet end (117.5mm) and Victoria at the dry end (20.4mm).
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Average rainfall by month, 1995–2024
What that means for what you grow
- Pots and hanging basketsWorst hit, and first to suffer. Very little soil, fully exposed, and nothing to fall back on — in this weather they can empty in a day.
- Salad and leafy vegShallow-rooted and quick to bolt once they run dry. First priority of anything in the ground.
- Beds and bordersA long soak that reaches the roots is worth more than a daily sprinkle, which only wets the surface and is gone by lunchtime.
- Established shrubs and treesFine as they are. They draw from far deeper than a dry spell reaches.
Your own garden, not the town average
This page is worked out for Calgary as a whole. Your garden has its own soil, its own shade and its own planting, and the front page will use your exact location instead.
Check my garden