Tumbler Ridge has some of the coolest summers among Canadian towns
Deep winter brings January lows near −19.4°C. Frosty nights outnumber those of 95% of Canadian towns. July is the wettest month, April the driest. Windshields need scraping on about 204 mornings a year, the days the air reaches 0°C or below.
Far-off figures: ECCC’s closest normals for Tumbler Ridge come from Dawson Creek, 85 km north-east, so take them as the area’s climate.
A year in Tumbler Ridge at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Tumbler Ridge’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in British Columbia beside it.
What a year in Tumbler Ridge feels like
Seasons and months as ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals give them: a typical day’s high and low.
About 204 frosts and 77 warm days a year
Frost comes from August to May; in January almost every night freezes. On about 45 nights a year the air falls below −20°C.
Frost days by month
Average days at 0°C or below
Days above 20°C by month
Average days
421 mm of precipitation in a typical year
About 80 days a year bring 1 mm or more.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
177 cm of snow in a typical year
The snow season runs September to May; January brings the most, about 34 cm.
Snowfall by month
Centimetres
Heating a home in Tumbler Ridge
86% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: October to May.
Each day the mean sits under 18°C adds its shortfall; a year’s total is its heating degree days. A house here needs more heating than 97% of Canadian towns.
Living with Tumbler Ridge’s climate
What the normals mean for a garden, a day outside and the depth of winter.
On average the last spring frost comes around 5 June and the first autumn frost around 29 August: about 84 frost-free days between.
Plan time outside for Jul: highs of 17–27°C and nights no colder than 8°C.
Parks & trails →Averages smooth over blizzards, ice storms, floods and heat waves; Tumbler Ridge’s hazards page covers the risks.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: Dawson Creek
Behind the 1991–2020 normals for Dawson Creek are 2 stations, which ECCC combines into one record.
| Distance from the town | 85 km north-east |
| Station altitude | 655 m |
| Completeness | meets the WMO “3 and 5” rule |
| WMO standard normals | No |
| Coldest reading, 1991–2020 | −49.2°C |
| Hottest reading, 1991–2020 | 35.0°C |
| Next-nearest location | Fort St. John, 125 km |
How Tumbler Ridge compares
Compared with 2,611 towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more across Canada; the dots mark the other normals locations in British Columbia.
Nearby towns’ climate
The nearest places on a normals location of their own: those that share Tumbler Ridge’s would only repeat its figures. No closer places have figures: these lie 67–118 km from Tumbler Ridge.
| Town | July high | January low | Rain & snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tumbler Ridge Dawson Creek | 22.5°C | −19.4°C | 421 mm |
| Electoral Area E, Peace River 67 km · Fort St. John | 21.7°C 0.8°C cooler | −16.7°C 2.7°C milder | 464 mm |
| Beaverlodge 101 km · Grande Prairie | 22.7°C about the same | −19.4°C about the same | 435 mm |
Tumbler Ridge weather by month
Each month’s normals, 1991–2020: high, low, mean, precipitation and snowfall.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain & snow | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −7.6°C | −19.4°C | −13.5°C | 28 mm | 34 cm |
| February | −3.6°C | −15.8°C | −9.7°C | 19 mm | 23 cm |
| March | 0.3°C | −11.4°C | −5.6°C | 22 mm | 28 cm |
| April | 9.6°C | −3.2°C | 3.2°C | 19 mm | 13 cm |
| May | 16.6°C | 2.2°C | 9.4°C | 32 mm | 4 cm |
| June | 20.3°C | 7.2°C | 13.8°C | 57 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 22.5°C | 9.2°C | 15.9°C | 80 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 21.7°C | 7.3°C | 14.5°C | 49 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 16.7°C | 3.6°C | 10.1°C | 38 mm | 3 cm |
| October | 9.2°C | −2.2°C | 3.5°C | 27 mm | 15 cm |
| November | −0.4°C | −11.2°C | −5.8°C | 29 mm | 29 cm |
| December | −5.2°C | −16.3°C | −10.8°C | 22 mm | 27 cm |
| Year | 8.3°C | −4.2°C | 2.1°C | 421 mm | 177 cm |
From −48.0°C to 16.6°C: January’s coldest and warmest days since 1991
Year to year, January varies most (a standard deviation of 5.1°C around −13.5°C) and June least (0.9°C).
Where Tumbler Ridge’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: the 1991–2020 Canadian Climate Normals at Dawson Creek, the closest ECCC location with twelve months of temperature normals.
- Comparisons: a pool of Canadian towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more, read alike; whole cities and reserves stay out of it.
- Not on this page: a sunshine figure (ECCC published none for 1991–2020) and any lapse-rate correction for height, as the town has no elevation here.
Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence. Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada
Questions about Tumbler Ridge’s climate
How warm does Tumbler Ridge get in summer?
Summer peaks in July: a typical afternoon reaches 22.5°C.
How cold does Tumbler Ridge get in winter?
A typical January night falls to −19.4°C, the year’s low point.
How much rain and snow does Tumbler Ridge get?
The year adds up to 421 mm. July is the peak month (80 mm) and April the low one (19 mm).
Are these figures for Tumbler Ridge itself?
They are the figures for Dawson Creek, which read better as the region’s climate than Tumbler Ridge’s own.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Tumbler Ridge →
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).