Few Canadian towns have cooler summers than Shelburne
January mornings start at about −7.2°C. Rain and snow together come to more here than on 93% of Canadian towns. A year here swings 28°C from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. The outdoor season runs from June to September, with highs of 17–21°C.
Shelburne has no ECCC normals station nearby: the figures come from Western Head, 55 km north-east, so read them as the wider area’s climate.
A year in Shelburne at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Shelburne’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in Nova Scotia beside it.
What a year in Shelburne feels like
Each season’s and each month’s usual high and low, 1991–2020.
127 frost days and 52 days above 20°C a year
From October to April frost is routine, and in January it comes on almost every night.
Frost days by month
Average days at 0°C or below
Days above 20°C by month
Average days
Rain and melted snow: about 1,290 mm a year
November is the wettest month and July the driest. On about 125 days a year, 1 mm or more falls.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
Precipitation and snowfall: Yarmouth, 66 km away (Western Head records no complete year of either).
About 205 cm of snow a year
Snow falls from November to April, most of all in January (about 64 cm).
Snowfall by month
Centimetres
Heating a home in Shelburne
83% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: November to May.
Degree days add up how far each day’s mean temperature falls below 18°C over a year. In heating terms, homes need less heating than 71% of Canadian towns.
Living with Shelburne’s climate
The averages read for the garden, the outdoors and the coldest and hottest days.
Warm afternoons without cold nights, 17–27°C and 8°C or more, mark Jun, Jul, Aug and Sep.
Parks & trails →Wind chill falls below −20 on about 11 days a year: cover skin and dress in layers.
Humid heat, a humidex over 30, comes on about 8 days a year.
Thirty years of averages say little about one bad storm; Shelburne’s hazards page does.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: Western Head
Western Head is one of the 450 places where ECCC publishes 1991–2020 normals.
| Distance from the town | 55 km north-east |
| Station altitude | 10 m |
| Completeness | at least 20 years |
| WMO standard normals | No |
| Precipitation from | Yarmouth, 66 km |
| Coldest reading, 1991–2020 | −25.3°C |
| Hottest reading, 1991–2020 | 35.7°C |
| Average wind | 15.3 km/h on average, most often from the south-west |
| Next-nearest location | Yarmouth, 66 km |
How Shelburne 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 Nova Scotia.
Nearby towns’ climate
The nearest places on a normals location of their own: those that share Shelburne’s would only repeat its figures. No closer place has figures: this one lies 41 km from Shelburne.
| Town | July high | January low | Rain & snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shelburne Western Head | 19.9°C | −7.2°C | 1,290 mm |
| Barrington 41 km · Yarmouth | 21.4°C 1.5°C warmer | −6.4°C 0.8°C milder | 1,290 mm |
Shelburne weather by month
Each month’s normals, 1991–2020: high, low, mean, precipitation and snowfall.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain & snow | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1.4°C | −7.2°C | −3.0°C | 124 mm | 64 cm |
| February | 1.6°C | −6.7°C | −2.6°C | 103 mm | 47 cm |
| March | 4.4°C | −3.8°C | 0.3°C | 111 mm | 31 cm |
| April | 8.7°C | 0.6°C | 4.7°C | 101 mm | 10 cm |
| May | 12.8°C | 4.7°C | 8.8°C | 99 mm | under 1 cm |
| June | 17.2°C | 8.8°C | 13.1°C | 89 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 19.9°C | 11.6°C | 15.8°C | 78 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 20.9°C | 12.4°C | 16.6°C | 88 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 19.3°C | 10.4°C | 14.9°C | 96 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 14.8°C | 5.8°C | 10.3°C | 119 mm | under 1 cm |
| November | 9.3°C | 1.4°C | 5.4°C | 143 mm | 10 cm |
| December | 4.6°C | −3.5°C | 0.5°C | 139 mm | 44 cm |
| Year | 11.2°C | 2.9°C | 7.1°C | 1,290 mm | 205 cm |
Two years in three, January’s average lands within 1.9°C of normal, against the steadier April
Records from 1991 to 2020: no month spans more than March, between −18.0°C (2007) and 29.2°C (2012).
Where Shelburne’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: ECCC’s 1991–2020 Canadian Climate Normals for Western Head, the nearest location with a full year of temperatures.
- Other locations: precipitation and snowfall come from the nearest location that publishes all twelve months of them, as named above.
- 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: 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 Shelburne’s climate
How warm does Shelburne get in summer?
Peak warmth comes in August, at about 20.9°C by mid-afternoon.
How cold does Shelburne get in winter?
Overnight lows average −7.2°C in January, the coldest month.
How much rain and snow does Shelburne get?
A normal year brings 1,290 mm, snow included as water: November is wettest at 143 mm, July driest at 78 mm.
Are these figures for Shelburne itself?
No. The nearest normals are those of Western Head, a long way from Shelburne.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Shelburne →
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).