Photo: Ymblanter · CC BY-SA 4.0Hay River has some of the coldest winter nights among Canadian towns
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 21.7°C. The gap between a January night and a July afternoon is 48°C. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on almost every Canadian town. An umbrella or a shovel earns its place on about 66 days a year with 1 mm or more.
Measured at Hay River, 4.1 km north: ECCC’s normals for 1991–2020.
A year in Hay River at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Hay River’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in the Northwest Territories beside it.
What a year in Hay River feels like
Each season’s and each month’s usual high and low, 1991–2020.
About 221 frosts and 55 warm days a year
Frost comes from September to June; in January almost every night freezes. On about 87 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
Rain and melted snow: about 320 mm a year
August is the wettest month and April the driest. The wettest of 3 towns of 2,500+ in the Northwest Territories.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
About 146 cm of snow a year
The snow season runs September to May; November brings the most, about 34 cm.
Snowfall by month
Centimetres
Snow on the ground by month
Centimetres at month’s end
Heating a home in Hay River
87% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: September to May.
Think of it as a year’s worth of daily shortfalls below 18°C, added up. By this count, homes here need more heating than almost every Canadian town.
Living with Hay River’s climate
Gardening, time outside, winter cold and summer heat, from the 1991–2020 normals.
From about 4 June to 16 September the garden is usually clear of frost, some 103 days.
Highs of 17–27°C with nights of 8°C or more come in Jul and Aug.
Parks & trails →Roughly 122 days a year feel colder than −20 in the wind.
Expect around 5 sticky days a year with the humidex above 30.
Ice storms, floods and heat waves are risks, not averages: they are on Hay River’s hazards page.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: Hay River
Hay River is a composite: ECCC joins 3 stations’ readings to make its 1991–2020 normals.
| Distance from the town | 4.1 km north |
| Station altitude | 165 m |
| Completeness | meets the WMO “3 and 5” rule |
| WMO standard normals | Yes |
| Coldest reading, 1991–2020 | −43.8°C |
| Hottest reading, 1991–2020 | 35.1°C |
| Average wind | 11.5 km/h on average, most often from the east |
| Next-nearest location | Fort Providence, 113 km |
How Hay River 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 the Northwest Territories.
Hay River weather by month
Month by month, 1991–2020: the usual high, low and mean, the rain and snow, and the snowfall.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain & snow | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −16.9°C | −25.8°C | −21.4°C | 17 mm | 22 cm |
| February | −13.7°C | −24.3°C | −19.1°C | 14 mm | 17 cm |
| March | −7.7°C | −19.6°C | −13.7°C | 15 mm | 17 cm |
| April | 2.4°C | −8.6°C | −3.1°C | 11 mm | 9 cm |
| May | 11.4°C | 0.3°C | 5.9°C | 21 mm | 4 cm |
| June | 18.4°C | 7.4°C | 12.9°C | 25 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 21.7°C | 11.5°C | 16.6°C | 42 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 19.9°C | 9.8°C | 14.9°C | 60 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 13.8°C | 4.5°C | 9.2°C | 42 mm | 1 cm |
| October | 4.3°C | −2.7°C | 0.8°C | 33 mm | 19 cm |
| November | −7.0°C | −14.4°C | −10.7°C | 24 mm | 34 cm |
| December | −14.2°C | −22.6°C | −18.4°C | 16 mm | 22 cm |
| Year | 2.7°C | −7.0°C | −2.2°C | 320 mm | 146 cm |
The most changeable month: December, give or take 4.1°C; the steadiest, August
Over 1991–2020, April saw both −35.6°C (1995) and 26.0°C (2010), the widest span of any month.
Where Hay River’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: the closest ECCC location with twelve months of temperature normals, Hay River, 1991–2020.
- 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: sunshine (no 1991–2020 normals exist for it) and any altitude adjustment, since there is no elevation for the town itself.
Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence. Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada
Questions about Hay River’s climate
How warm does Hay River get in summer?
On a normal day in July the thermometer climbs to 21.7°C, the warmest of the year.
How cold does Hay River get in winter?
January nights average −25.8°C, the coldest of the year.
How much rain and snow does Hay River get?
Some 320 mm falls in a year. Most of it comes in August (60 mm), the least in April (11 mm).
How long does snow stay on the ground?
Snow lies on the ground for about 186 days in a normal year.
Are these figures for Hay River itself?
Yes: ECCC’s normals station is inside Hay River itself.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Hay River →
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).