Photo: Leonora Enking · CC BY-SA 2.0Precipitation in Kingston tops that of 92% of Canadian towns: 1,271 mm a year
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 23.0°C. In July, afternoons here are cooler than in 90% of Canadian towns. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 36°C apart. Expect about 170 frosty starts a year, days when the air falls to freezing.
ECCC publishes no normals for Kingston itself; the figures are those of Saint John, 22 km south-east.
A year in Kingston at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Kingston’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in New Brunswick beside it.
What a year in Kingston feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals.
170 frost days and 80 days above 20°C a year
The frost season runs September to May, and January freezes nearly every night. On about 13 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
About 1,271 mm of rain and snow a year
The most falls in November, the least in August. The wettest of 60 towns of 2,500+ in New Brunswick. Some 120 days a year see 1 mm of rain or snow or more.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
215 cm of snow in a typical year
From November to April snow is likely; January is the peak, at about 60 cm. 51st snowiest of 60 towns of 2,500+ in New Brunswick.
Snowfall by month
Centimetres
Snow on the ground by month
Centimetres at month’s end
Heating a home in Kingston
87% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: October to May.
The count adds up, day by day, how far the mean temperature falls short of 18°C.
Living with Kingston’s climate
What the normals mean for a garden, a day outside and the depth of winter.
Count on about 128 frost-free days: the last frost averages 21 May, the first 27 September.
Mild days and mild nights together (17–27°C by day, 8°C or more at night) belong to Jun, Jul and Aug.
Parks & trails →Expect around 37 days a year when the wind chill sinks below −20.
On some 12 days a year the humidex climbs past 30.
Thirty-year normals hide the storms and the extremes: the hazards page has Kingston’s risks.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: Saint John
ECCC builds the Saint John normals from 2 stations’ records over 1991–2020, joined where one replaced another.
| Distance from the town | 22 km south-east |
| Station altitude | 109 m |
| Completeness | at least 20 years |
| WMO standard normals | No |
| Coldest reading, 1991–2020 | −33.2°C |
| Hottest reading, 1991–2020 | 33.7°C |
| Average wind | 15.3 km/h on average, most often from the north |
| Next-nearest location | Sussex/Four Corners, 47 km |
How Kingston compares
Against the 2,611 Canadian towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more, each read from its own normals location; the dots are the other locations those towns use in New Brunswick.
Nearby towns’ climate
The nearest places on a normals location of their own: those that share Kingston’s would only repeat its figures. No closer places have figures: these lie 22–48 km from Kingston.
Kingston weather by month
Average daily high and low, mean temperature, rain and snow (as water) and snowfall by month, 1991–2020.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain & snow | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −2.5°C | −13.2°C | −7.9°C | 116 mm | 60 cm |
| February | −1.6°C | −12.6°C | −7.1°C | 92 mm | 46 cm |
| March | 2.6°C | −7.7°C | −2.6°C | 107 mm | 37 cm |
| April | 8.8°C | −1.6°C | 3.7°C | 100 mm | 16 cm |
| May | 15.3°C | 3.5°C | 9.4°C | 94 mm | 1 cm |
| June | 20.0°C | 8.1°C | 14.1°C | 87 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 23.0°C | 11.6°C | 17.3°C | 90 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 23.0°C | 11.2°C | 17.1°C | 73 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 18.8°C | 7.4°C | 13.1°C | 109 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 13.0°C | 2.6°C | 7.9°C | 138 mm | 1 cm |
| November | 6.9°C | −2.0°C | 2.4°C | 138 mm | 13 cm |
| December | 1.3°C | −8.3°C | −3.5°C | 128 mm | 42 cm |
| Year | 10.7°C | −0.1°C | 5.3°C | 1,271 mm | 215 cm |
The most changeable month: January, give or take 2.5°C; the steadiest, August
Each bar spans a month’s coldest and warmest readings over thirty years; March’s run from −28.4°C in 2014 to 25.4°C in 2012.
Where Kingston’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: the 1991–2020 Canadian Climate Normals at Saint John, the closest ECCC location with twelve months of temperature normals.
- Comparisons: the 2,500-plus towns and neighbourhoods of Canada, each read from its closest normals location; whole cities and reserves aren’t counted.
- Not on this page: sunshine, not in ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals, and the effect of the town’s height, for which there is no figure.
Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence. Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada
Questions about Kingston’s climate
How warm does Kingston get in summer?
Afternoons average 23.0°C in July, the warmest time of year.
How cold does Kingston get in winter?
In January, the coldest month, the typical low is −13.2°C.
How much rain and snow does Kingston get?
About 1,271 mm a year, rain and melted snow together. November is the wettest month (138 mm) and August the driest (73 mm).
Are these figures for Kingston itself?
Only indirectly: the readings are made at Saint John, outside Kingston.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Kingston →
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).