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| Lethbridge is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada, and the largest city in southern Alberta. It is Alberta's fourth-largest city by population after Calgary, Edmonton, and Red Deer and the third-largest by area after Calgary and Edmonton. The nearby Canadian Rockies contribute to the city's cool summers, mild winters, and windy climate. Lethbridge lies southeast of Calgary on the Oldman River.
Lethbridge is the commercial, financial, transportation and industrial centre of southern Alberta. The city's economy developed from drift mining for coal in the late 19th century and agriculture in the early 20th century. Half of the workforce is employed in the health, education, retail and hospitality sectors, and the top five employers are government-based. The only university in Alberta south of Calgary is in Lethbridge, and two of the three colleges in southern Alberta have campuses in the city. Cultural venues in the city include performing art theatres, museums and sports centres.
Lethbridge has a moderate continental climate with an average maximum temperature of 12.3 °C (54.1 °F) and an average minimum temperature of -1.0 °C (30.2 °F). With an average precipitation of 386.3 millimetres (15.21 in) and 264 dry days on average, Lethbridge is the second driest city in Canada. On average, Lethbridge has 116 days with wind speed of 40 km/h (25 mph) or higher, ranking it as the second city in Canada for such weather.
Its high elevation of 929 metres (3,048 ft) and close proximity to the Rocky Mountains provides Lethbridge with cooler summers than other locations in the Canadian prairies. These factors protect the city from strong northwest and southwest winds and contribute to frequent chinook winds during the winter. Lethbridge winters have the highest temperatures in the prairies, reducing the severity and duration of winter cold periods and resulting in fewer days with snow cover.Amount of winter precipitation is similar to that of Calgary, which has a 59 percent chance of a "white Christmas" (more than two centimetres of snow) and 4 percent chance of a "perfect Christmas" (snow in the air and at least two centimetres of snow on the ground).
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