Dakota Crossing has colder winter nights than 95% of Canadian towns
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 25.8°C. The gap between a January night and a July afternoon is 47°C. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 72% of Canadian towns. The furnace earns its keep from October to April, the months that average under 10°C.
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals at its Winnipeg Richardson (Airport) station, 16 km north-west.
A year in Dakota Crossing at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Dakota Crossing’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in Manitoba beside it.
What a year in Dakota Crossing feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals.
About 193 frosts and 110 warm days a year
The frost season runs September to May, and January freezes nearly every night. 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
519 mm of precipitation in a typical year
The most falls in July, the least in February. About 80 days a year bring 1 mm or more.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
126 cm of snow in a typical year
From October to May snow is likely; December is the peak, at about 27 cm.
Snowfall by month
Centimetres
Snow on the ground by month
Centimetres at month’s end
Heating a home in Dakota Crossing
91% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: October to April.
Think of it as a year’s worth of daily shortfalls below 18°C, added up. A house here needs more heating than 89% of Canadian towns.
Living with Dakota Crossing’s climate
What the normals mean for a garden, a day outside and the depth of winter.
About 122 days a year pass without frost, from an average last frost of 23 May to a first of 22 September.
The outdoor season by the averages is Jun, Jul and Aug, with highs of 17–27°C and lows of 8°C or more.
Parks & trails →On some 86 days a year the wind chill drops past −20; mitts and a scarf earn their place.
Summer brings about 37 days when the humidex passes 30.
Severe weather is a separate story from the averages: see Dakota Crossing’s hazards page.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: Winnipeg Richardson (Airport)
Behind the 1991–2020 normals for Winnipeg Richardson (Airport) are 4 stations, which ECCC combines into one record.
| Distance from the town | 16 km north-west |
| Station altitude | 239 m |
| Completeness | meets the WMO “3 and 5” rule |
| WMO standard normals | No |
| Coldest reading, 1991–2020 | −41.8°C |
| Hottest reading, 1991–2020 | 37.8°C |
| Average wind | 17.5 km/h on average, most often from the south |
| Next-nearest location | Pinawa, 84 km |
How Dakota Crossing 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
Places around Dakota Crossing whose figures come from another normals location. Distances here run 42–50 km: that is how far the nearest places with figures are from Dakota Crossing.
| Town | July high | January low | Rain & snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dakota Crossing Winnipeg Richardson (Airport) | 25.8°C | −21.2°C | 519 mm |
| St-Pierre-Jolys 42 km · Emerson | 26.0°C about the same | −20.4°C 0.8°C milder | 543 mm |
| Brokenhead 43 km · Pinawa | 25.2°C 0.6°C cooler | −21.7°C 0.5°C colder | 571 mm |
Dakota Crossing weather by month
Each month’s normals, 1991–2020: high, low, mean, precipitation and snowfall.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain & snow | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −11.4°C | −21.2°C | −16.3°C | 18 mm | 25 cm |
| February | −8.8°C | −19.3°C | −14.1°C | 13 mm | 12 cm |
| March | −0.9°C | −11.2°C | −6.1°C | 26 mm | 19 cm |
| April | 10.0°C | −2.5°C | 3.8°C | 33 mm | 14 cm |
| May | 18.1°C | 4.2°C | 11.1°C | 70 mm | 4 cm |
| June | 23.3°C | 10.9°C | 17.1°C | 74 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 25.8°C | 13.2°C | 19.5°C | 77 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 25.4°C | 11.9°C | 18.7°C | 74 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 19.6°C | 6.9°C | 13.3°C | 53 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 10.4°C | −0.2°C | 5.1°C | 38 mm | 4 cm |
| November | 0.1°C | −8.8°C | −4.4°C | 25 mm | 21 cm |
| December | −8.2°C | −17.3°C | −12.7°C | 19 mm | 27 cm |
| Year | 8.6°C | −2.8°C | 2.9°C | 519 mm | 126 cm |
March has run from −37.4°C to 23.7°C in thirty years
From one year to the next, December’s average typically shifts by 4.1°C around its normal of −12.7°C, the widest of any month, while July’s shifts by 1.4°C.
Where Dakota Crossing’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: ECCC’s normals for Winnipeg Richardson (Airport), 1991–2020, chosen as the nearest location with a full temperature record.
- Comparisons: Canada’s towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500+ (no city totals, no reserves), each through its own nearest location.
- Not on this page: sunshine, which none of ECCC’s 450 locations publishes for 1991–2020, and the town’s own height above sea level, so no figure is adjusted for altitude.
Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence. Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada
Questions about Dakota Crossing’s climate
How warm does Dakota Crossing get in summer?
Expect highs near 25.8°C in July, the hottest month on average.
How cold does Dakota Crossing get in winter?
Overnight lows average −21.2°C in January, the coldest month.
How much rain and snow does Dakota Crossing get?
Measured as water, a year brings 519 mm: 77 mm in July, the wettest month, and 13 mm in February, the driest.
Are these figures for Dakota Crossing itself?
They are the normals for Winnipeg Richardson (Airport), measured just outside Dakota Crossing itself.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Dakota Crossing →
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).