Alberta
Alberta is home to some of the best Canadian winter weather, and thanks to its resorts at Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper in the southern Rocky Mountains, it is one of the most popular Canadian winter tourism destinations. At over 661,000 square kilometres (255,000 square miles), and stretching some 1200 kilometres (745 miles) from the 49th parallel to its border with the Northwest Territories at 60° North, Alberta features vast tracts of hinterland in the north, beautiful, partly wooded parkland in its middle, treeless prairies in the south, and the glorious Rocky Mountains in the southwest. With its varied topography, Alberta also features a great variety of winter weather. Winters are generally cold, crisp and clear — especially in the north (it has the most sunny-days in winter annually of all provinces). Alberta winters are not particularly snowy except for the mountainous areas, where winter temperatures are generally milder too. In fact, the province has the lowest annual snowfall in Canada. The provincial capital and second largest city, Edmonton, is located in central Alberta and generally has cold, dry winters. It is known as the “Gateway to the North.” Southern Alberta, home to the province’s largest city, Calgary, has milder winters. An unusual weather phenomenon known as a Chinook sometimes brings warm air that can raise temperatures by as much as 10 degrees in a matter of minutes and has been known to open some Calgary-area golf courses in January.