Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Gander has some of the coolest summers among Canadian towns
The coldest hours of a January night bottom out at −10.4°C on average. Winter and summer sit 33°C apart. Its yearly rain and snow top those of 92% of Canadian towns. For walks and days out, July and August bring highs of 21–22°C.
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals, measured at Gander, 3.0 km south-east.
A year in Gander at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Gander’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in Newfoundland and Labrador beside it.
What a year in Gander feels like
Each season’s and each month’s usual high and low, 1991–2020.
178 frost days and 63 days above 20°C a year
The frost season runs October to June, and January freezes nearly every night.
Frost days by month
Average days at 0°C or below
Days above 20°C by month
Average days
1,247 mm of precipitation in a typical year
December brings the most rain and snow; June, the least. About 162 days a year bring 1 mm or more.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
443 cm of snow in a typical year
The snow season runs October to June; January brings the most, about 97 cm. 2nd snowiest of 31 towns of 2,500+ in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Snowfall by month
Centimetres
Snow on the ground by month
Centimetres at month’s end
Heating a home in Gander
83% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: October to May.
Heating degree days total each day’s gap between its mean temperature and 18°C. A house here needs more heating than 71% of Canadian towns.
Living with Gander’s climate
The averages read for the garden, the outdoors and the coldest and hottest days.
Tender plants are usually safe from around 31 May until frost returns near 20 October: about 141 days.
Highs of 17–27°C with nights of 8°C or more come in Jul and Aug.
Parks & trails →About 37 days a year bring a wind chill under −20, when bare skin chills fast.
The air feels heavier than 30 on the humidex for about 12 days a year.
Thirty-year normals hide the storms and the extremes: the hazards page has Gander’s risks.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: Gander
Gander is a composite: ECCC joins 3 stations’ readings to make its 1991–2020 normals.
| Distance from the town | 3.0 km south-east |
| Station altitude | 151 m |
| Completeness | meets the WMO “3 and 5” rule |
| WMO standard normals | No |
| Coldest reading, 1991–2020 | −27.6°C |
| Hottest reading, 1991–2020 | 31.7°C |
| Average wind | 19.5 km/h on average, most often from the west |
| Next-nearest location | Twillingate, 81 km |
How Gander compares
Compared with 2,611 towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more across Canada; the dots mark the other normals locations in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Nearby towns’ climate
The nearest places on a normals location of their own: those that share Gander’s would only repeat its figures. The nearest places to Gander with figures are 46–68 km away.
| Town | July high | January low | Rain & snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gander | 21.8°C | −10.4°C | 1,247 mm |
| Division No. 8, Subdivision L 46 km · Twillingate | 19.9°C 1.9°C cooler | −7.7°C 2.7°C milder | 1,247 mm |
| Glovertown 51 km · Lethbridge | 22.6°C 0.8°C warmer | −10.1°C about the same | 1,260 mm |
| Botwood 57 km · Badger | 24.1°C 2.3°C warmer | −13.9°C 3.5°C colder | 1,247 mm |
Gander weather by month
Each month’s normals, 1991–2020: high, low, mean, precipitation and snowfall.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain & snow | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −2.8°C | −10.4°C | −6.6°C | 103 mm | 97 cm |
| February | −2.7°C | −10.9°C | −6.8°C | 91 mm | 81 cm |
| March | 0.3°C | −7.7°C | −3.8°C | 105 mm | 86 cm |
| April | 5.4°C | −2.7°C | 1.4°C | 92 mm | 46 cm |
| May | 11.7°C | 1.6°C | 6.7°C | 94 mm | 11 cm |
| June | 17.0°C | 6.2°C | 11.6°C | 89 mm | 2 cm |
| July | 21.8°C | 11.3°C | 16.6°C | 105 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 21.4°C | 11.7°C | 16.6°C | 102 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 16.9°C | 7.7°C | 12.3°C | 115 mm | under 1 cm |
| October | 10.4°C | 2.9°C | 6.7°C | 120 mm | 12 cm |
| November | 5.1°C | −1.5°C | 1.8°C | 110 mm | 30 cm |
| December | 0.1°C | −6.3°C | −3.1°C | 121 mm | 80 cm |
| Year | 8.7°C | 0.2°C | 4.5°C | 1,247 mm | 443 cm |
The month with the widest range: February, −27.6°C to 13.4°C
February is the least predictable month: about two years in three its average lands within 2.3°C of the normal, −6.8°C. August is the steadiest, within 1.2°C.
Where Gander’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: the 1991–2020 normals from ECCC for Gander, its nearest location with complete temperatures.
- 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: hours of sunshine, missing from the 1991–2020 normals, and a height correction: the town has no elevation on file.
Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence. Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada
Questions about Gander’s climate
How warm does Gander get in summer?
The year’s warmest days come in July, with highs averaging 21.8°C.
How cold does Gander get in winter?
Expect nights around −10.9°C in February; no month is colder.
How much rain and snow does Gander get?
About 1,247 mm a year, rain and melted snow together. December is the wettest month (121 mm) and June the driest (89 mm).
How long does snow stay on the ground?
Expect snow on the ground, at least 1 cm, for about 149 days a year.
Are these figures for Gander itself?
Yes: ECCC’s normals station is inside Gander itself.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Gander →
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).