Elbow Valley, Alberta
Elbow Valley is the trademarked name of a 'country residential' community in southern Alberta, in Rocky View County at the west edge of the city of Calgary along Highway 8. The community is bordered by Range Rd. 25 to the east and Range Rd. 31 to the west (excluding the bordering communities of Braemar Estates, Mackenas Estates, Elbow Valley West, Stonepine, Swift Creek Villas, and Lott Creek Grove). Elbow Valley is also the name used to designate a specific recreational zone located immediately southwest of the Hamlet of Bragg Creek within the Kananaskis Country park system.
History
Elbow Valley gets its name from the Elbow River, a river in the region that flows into the Bow River at Fort Calgary. The name for Elbow River is descriptive and refers to the point at which it abruptly turn northward and enters the Bow River (elbow-like curve). David Thompson referred to it as "Hokaikshi" in 1814, and Arrowsmith's map of 1859 labels it "Hokaikshi" or "Moose River". The Cree called it "o-too-kwa-na" and according to Tyrell, the Stoney referred to it as "mn-no-tho-ap-ta". Until 1880, it was often called "Swift Creek", after the speed of its watercourse.
Climate
| Climate data for Elbow Valley, Alberta | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 18.5 (65.3) |
21.0 (69.8) |
21.5 (70.7) |
26.0 (78.8) |
29.3 (84.7) |
30.8 (87.4) |
35.0 (95.0) |
33.1 (91.6) |
31.2 (88.2) |
27.2 (81.0) |
20.0 (68.0) |
16.0 (60.8) |
35.0 (95.0) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 0.3 (32.5) |
2.0 (35.6) |
4.3 (39.7) |
9.8 (49.6) |
14.2 (57.6) |
18.3 (64.9) |
21.6 (70.9) |
21.7 (71.1) |
16.8 (62.2) |
11.4 (52.5) |
3.3 (37.9) |
0.0 (32.0) |
10.3 (50.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −7.9 (17.8) |
−6.1 (21.0) |
−3.3 (26.1) |
2.3 (36.1) |
6.7 (44.1) |
10.6 (51.1) |
13.2 (55.8) |
12.9 (55.2) |
8.3 (46.9) |
3.2 (37.8) |
−4.4 (24.1) |
−7.9 (17.8) |
2.3 (36.1) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −16.1 (3.0) |
−14.1 (6.6) |
−10.9 (12.4) |
−5.2 (22.6) |
−0.9 (30.4) |
2.8 (37.0) |
4.7 (40.5) |
4.1 (39.4) |
−0.2 (31.6) |
−4.9 (23.2) |
−12.0 (10.4) |
−15.8 (3.6) |
−5.7 (21.7) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −44.4 (−47.9) |
−43.0 (−45.4) |
−39.5 (−39.1) |
−28.9 (−20.0) |
−15.6 (3.9) |
−7.5 (18.5) |
−3.0 (26.6) |
−9.0 (15.8) |
−18.5 (−1.3) |
−32.0 (−25.6) |
−42.0 (−43.6) |
−45.6 (−50.1) |
−45.6 (−50.1) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 23.3 (0.92) |
21.9 (0.86) |
41.6 (1.64) |
49.2 (1.94) |
101.1 (3.98) |
124.6 (4.91) |
66.9 (2.63) |
76.9 (3.03) |
66.9 (2.63) |
41.4 (1.63) |
32.4 (1.28) |
19.9 (0.78) |
665.4 (26.20) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 0.3 (0.01) |
0.3 (0.01) |
1.7 (0.07) |
20.2 (0.80) |
78.0 (3.07) |
123.1 (4.85) |
66.9 (2.63) |
76.4 (3.01) |
56.0 (2.20) |
14.8 (0.58) |
2.0 (0.08) |
0.5 (0.02) |
440.0 (17.32) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 25.5 (10.0) |
23.7 (9.3) |
44.8 (17.6) |
30.6 (12.0) |
21.2 (8.3) |
1.4 (0.6) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.5 (0.2) |
10.3 (4.1) |
28.7 (11.3) |
32.8 (12.9) |
20.9 (8.2) |
240.4 (94.6) |
| Source: Environment Canada[1] | |||||||||||||
References
- "Elbow Valley, Alberta". Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010 (in English and French). Environment Canada. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
Karamitsanis, Aphrodite (1992). Place Names of Alberta – Volume II, Southern Alberta, University of Calgary Press, Calgary, Alberta. Read, Tracey (1983). Acres and Empires – A History of the Municipal District of Rocky View, Calgary, Alberta.