Photo: Svhartje · CC BY-SA 3.0Winter nights in Swan River are colder than in 95% of Canadian towns
Midsummer highs settle at about 24.8°C. Some 46°C separates winter nights from summer afternoons. Of the 189 towns of 2,500+ in Manitoba, it is the wettest. Garden chairs stay out from June to August, the months with highs of 21–25°C.
Every figure here comes from Mafeking, 64 km north; ECCC has no normals closer to Swan River, so they describe the wider area.
A year in Swan River at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Swan River’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in Manitoba beside it.
What a year in Swan River feels like
Seasons and months as ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals give them: a typical day’s high and low.
Frost on 203 days, 20°C on 92
Frost comes from September to May; in January almost every night freezes. Deep cold, under −20°C, comes on about 52 nights a year.
Frost days by month
Average days at 0°C or below
Days above 20°C by month
Average days
Rain and melted snow: about 658 mm a year
June brings the most rain and snow; February, the least. The wettest of 189 towns of 2,500+ in Manitoba. On about 98 days a year, 1 mm or more falls.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
About 177 cm of snow a year
Expect snow from September to May, with about 36 cm in November, the snowiest month. 4th snowiest of 187 towns of 2,500+ in Manitoba.
Snowfall by month
Centimetres
Snow on the ground by month
Centimetres at month’s end
Heating a home in Swan River
90% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: October to May.
The total grows by a degree for every degree a day’s mean sits under 18°C. In heating terms, homes need more heating than 98% of Canadian towns.
Living with Swan River’s climate
Gardening, time outside, winter cold and summer heat, from the 1991–2020 normals.
For long days outdoors, Jun, Jul and Aug bring highs of 17–27°C and lows of 8°C or more.
Parks & trails →Extremes don’t show in averages: floods, wildfire smoke and ice storms are on Swan River’s hazards page.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: Mafeking
Mafeking is one of the 450 places where ECCC publishes 1991–2020 normals.
| Distance from the town | 64 km north |
| Station altitude | 325 m |
| Completeness | at least 20 years |
| WMO standard normals | No |
| Coldest reading, 1991–2020 | −41.0°C |
| Hottest reading, 1991–2020 | 39.0°C |
| Next-nearest location | Roblin, 103 km |
How Swan River compares
Compared with 2,611 towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more across Canada; the dots mark the other normals locations in Manitoba.
Nearby towns’ climate
The nearest places on a normals location of their own: those that share Swan River’s would only repeat its figures. Swan River has few close neighbours with figures, so the list reaches 74–98 km out.
Swan River weather by month
Each month’s normals, 1991–2020: high, low, mean, precipitation and snowfall.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain & snow | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −11.0°C | −21.2°C | −16.1°C | 27 mm | 27 cm |
| February | −7.5°C | −18.7°C | −13.1°C | 18 mm | 18 cm |
| March | −0.4°C | −12.2°C | −6.4°C | 22 mm | 19 cm |
| April | 8.8°C | −3.8°C | 2.4°C | 41 mm | 27 cm |
| May | 16.3°C | 3.3°C | 9.8°C | 65 mm | 5 cm |
| June | 21.4°C | 9.4°C | 15.4°C | 106 mm | under 1 cm |
| July | 24.8°C | 12.5°C | 18.7°C | 103 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 23.3°C | 11.3°C | 17.3°C | 93 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 17.6°C | 6.2°C | 12.0°C | 71 mm | 2 cm |
| October | 8.5°C | −0.8°C | 3.8°C | 47 mm | 18 cm |
| November | −1.6°C | −10.2°C | −5.9°C | 39 mm | 36 cm |
| December | −8.6°C | −18.0°C | −13.4°C | 26 mm | 26 cm |
| Year | 7.6°C | −3.5°C | 2.0°C | 658 mm | 177 cm |
From year to year, December moves by 4.2°C, more than any month, and June least
The thirty-year records stretch furthest in March: a low of −37.0°C in 2003 and a high of 18.0°C in 2007.
Where Swan River’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: the 1991–2020 Canadian Climate Normals at Mafeking, the closest ECCC location with twelve months of temperature normals.
- Comparisons: the towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500+ across Canada, each on its nearest normals location, without the city totals or the reserves.
- 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 Swan River’s climate
How warm does Swan River get in summer?
Summer peaks in July: a typical afternoon reaches 24.8°C.
How cold does Swan River get in winter?
Overnight lows average −21.2°C in January, the coldest month.
How much rain and snow does Swan River get?
The yearly total is about 658 mm. June gets 106 mm, the most of any month; February gets 18 mm, the least.
How long does snow stay on the ground?
The ground is white, with 1 cm or more, on some 165 days a year.
Are these figures for Swan River itself?
Not really: Mafeking, the closest location with normals, lies well away from Swan River.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Swan River →
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).