Photo: Chaughten · CC BY-SA 3.0Few Canadian towns have cooler summers than Nain
In January the night’s low is typically −21.1°C. By frosts alone, it ranks colder than almost every Canadian town. The gap between a January night and a July afternoon is 38°C. Expect about 226 frosty starts a year, days when the air falls to freezing.
1991–2020 normals from ECCC’s Nain location, 2.9 km east.
A year in Nain at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Nain’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in Newfoundland and Labrador beside it.
What a year in Nain feels like
Each season’s and each month’s usual high and low, 1991–2020.
About 226 frosts and 17 warm days a year
The frost season runs September to June, and January freezes nearly every night. Some 59 nights a year drop under −20°C.
Frost days by month
Average days at 0°C or below
Days above 20°C by month
Average days
Rain and melted snow: about 871 mm a year
The most falls in July, the least in May. 32nd wettest of 33 towns of 2,500+ in Newfoundland and Labrador. 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
421 cm of snow in a typical year
Snow falls from September to June, most of all in March (about 71 cm). 9th snowiest of 32 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 Nain
78% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: September to June.
A day averaging 10 degrees under 18°C adds 10 to the total; warm days add nothing. A house here needs more heating than almost every Canadian town.
Living with Nain’s climate
The averages read for the garden, the outdoors and the coldest and hottest days.
Wait until about 15 June to plant out; frost tends to come back around 23 September, about 99 days later.
Summer nights stay cool here: no month pairs 17–27°C afternoons with 8°C nights.
Parks & trails →Expect around 1 sticky days a year with the humidex above 30.
The normals describe a typical year, not its worst days; the hazards page covers Nain’s.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: Nain
Behind the 1991–2020 normals for Nain are 4 stations, which ECCC combines into one record.
| Distance from the town | 2.9 km east |
| Station altitude | 8 m |
| Completeness | meets the WMO “3 and 5” rule |
| WMO standard normals | No |
| Coldest reading, 1991–2020 | −37.0°C |
| Hottest reading, 1991–2020 | 33.3°C |
| Average wind | 19.1 km/h on average, most often from the west |
| Next-nearest location | Hopedale, 154 km |
How Nain compares
Placed among 2,611 Canadian towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500+, each on its nearest normals location; each dot is another location used in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Nain 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 | −13.1°C | −21.1°C | −17.1°C | 71 mm | 68 cm |
| February | −13.2°C | −22.0°C | −17.6°C | 62 mm | 57 cm |
| March | −7.1°C | −16.8°C | −11.9°C | 74 mm | 71 cm |
| April | −0.3°C | −9.5°C | −4.9°C | 69 mm | 54 cm |
| May | 5.5°C | −2.4°C | 1.6°C | 56 mm | 28 cm |
| June | 11.2°C | 2.0°C | 6.6°C | 75 mm | 10 cm |
| July | 14.8°C | 5.6°C | 10.2°C | 105 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 15.8°C | 6.5°C | 11.1°C | 80 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 11.9°C | 3.7°C | 7.8°C | 78 mm | 2 cm |
| October | 5.6°C | −0.4°C | 2.6°C | 72 mm | 21 cm |
| November | −1.0°C | −7.0°C | −4.0°C | 62 mm | 44 cm |
| December | −7.7°C | −14.6°C | −11.2°C | 68 mm | 64 cm |
| Year | 1.9°C | −6.3°C | −2.2°C | 871 mm | 421 cm |
March: −37.0°C at its coldest, 12.1°C at its warmest
Year to year, February varies most (a standard deviation of 3.7°C around −17.6°C) and September least (1.1°C).
Where Nain’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: the closest ECCC location with twelve months of temperature normals, Nain, 1991–2020.
- Comparisons: every Canadian town and neighbourhood of 2,500 or more, each read from its own nearest location; city totals and reserves are left out.
- 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 Nain’s climate
How warm does Nain get in summer?
Midsummer means August, with afternoons near 15.8°C on a typical day.
How cold does Nain get in winter?
Overnight lows average −22.0°C in February, the coldest month.
How much rain and snow does Nain get?
The yearly total is about 871 mm. July gets 105 mm, the most of any month; May gets 56 mm, the least.
How long does snow stay on the ground?
About 206 days a year count as snow-covered, with 1 cm or more.
Are these figures for Nain itself?
Close to it: they are ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals for Nain, just outside Nain’s boundary.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Nain →
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).