During the recession of the early and mid-eighties, Calgary used the time wisely to develop some much needed cultural and leisure facilities. This culminated in 1988 when Calgary hosted one of the most successful Winter Olympic Games ever. This event seemed to mark Calgary's coming of age and entry onto the world stage. Summers are generally warm and sunny especially from mid-July to the end of August. May, June and early July are often very pleasant but there tends to be more rain at this time.
Falls are usually clear and crisp and Indian summers occur frequently.
In winter it can get very cold but this does not happen very often. This is when warm winds blow east off the Rockies and this has a dramatic effect on the temperature in the Calgary region. Within a few hours the temperature can go up by 20 to 30 degrees Celsius, and the snow on the ground melts. All this can happen in the middle of January. By March the spring slowly starts to arrive, it can snow in the spring as well, but it seldom lasts for very long.