Why this April feels colder than recent memory

A snowy drone shot of Edmonton's skyline in April 2026. (Sean McClune/CTV News Edmonton)

It’s been a chilly start to April in Edmonton with more shivers than showers through the first two weeks.

The average high of 6 C is the coolest first half of April since 2022 (when it was also 6 C).

That’s two degrees cooler than the long-term “normal.”

However, it’s not even close to the chill that settled in through the first two weeks of April 2020 and 2018.

The average high those years was just zero (and both years had significantly more snow still on the ground than we have out there now).

One of the main reasons it may seem unusually chilly this spring is that the last two years have had exceptionally warm starts to April.

Both 2025 and 2024 had an average high of 12 C from April 1 to 15.

We also haven’t had many double-digit days this month. Just three days with a high of 10 C or warmer is the fewest since 2020. That April didn’t have any in the first two weeks of the month.

By contrast, 2025 had 11 double-digit days in the first of April and 2024 had 12.