Photo: TravelingOtter from Houston, Texas, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0Yellowknife sits near the bottom of Canadian towns for winter warmth
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 21.5°C. Rain and snow together come to less here than on almost every Canadian town. Precipitation follows the seasons: August brings about 4.0 times as much as February. The furnace earns its keep from September to May, the months that average under 10°C.
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals, measured at Yellowknife (Airport), 3.1 km north-west.
A year in Yellowknife at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Yellowknife’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in the Northwest Territories beside it.
What a year in Yellowknife feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals.
About 222 frosts and 45 warm days a year
Frost comes from September to May; in January almost every night freezes. Deep cold, under −20°C, comes on about 103 nights a year.
Frost days by month
Average days at 0°C or below
Days above 20°C by month
Average days
About 294 mm of rain and snow a year
2nd wettest of 3 towns of 2,500+ in the Northwest Territories. On about 66 days a year, 1 mm or more falls.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
155 cm of snow in a typical year
The snow season runs September to May; November brings the most, about 37 cm.
Snowfall by month
Centimetres
Snow on the ground by month
Centimetres at month’s end
Heating a home in Yellowknife
87% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: September to May.
Behind the figure: the degrees each day’s mean falls under 18°C, summed for the year. By this count, homes here need more heating than almost every Canadian town.
Living with Yellowknife’s climate
Gardening, time outside, winter cold and summer heat, from the 1991–2020 normals.
About 119 days a year pass without frost, from an average last frost of 24 May to a first of 21 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 →Winter brings about 140 days with a wind chill below −20.
Plan shade and water for about 1 days a year above 30 on the humidex.
Extremes don’t show in averages: floods, wildfire smoke and ice storms are on Yellowknife’s hazards page.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: Yellowknife (Airport)
Yellowknife (Airport) is a composite: ECCC joins 2 stations’ readings to make its 1991–2020 normals.
| Distance from the town | 3.1 km north-west |
| Station altitude | 206 m |
| Completeness | at least 25 years |
| WMO standard normals | No |
| Coldest reading, 1991–2020 | −45.8°C |
| Hottest reading, 1991–2020 | 31.9°C |
| Average wind | 12.7 km/h on average, most often from the east |
| Next-nearest location | Whati, 164 km |
How Yellowknife compares
Compared with 2,611 towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more across Canada; the dots mark the other normals locations in the Northwest Territories.
Nearby towns’ climate
Places around Yellowknife whose figures come from another normals location. The one place listed is 95 km from Yellowknife, the nearest with figures.
| Town | July high | January low | Rain & snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellowknife Yellowknife (Airport) | 21.5°C | −29.4°C | 294 mm |
| Behchokò 95 km · Whati | 22.4°C 0.9°C warmer | −29.4°C about the same | 294 mm |
Yellowknife 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 | −21.6°C | −29.4°C | −25.5°C | 15 mm | 22 cm |
| February | −18.0°C | −27.4°C | −22.7°C | 11 mm | 16 cm |
| March | −10.6°C | −22.5°C | −16.6°C | 14 mm | 19 cm |
| April | 0.3°C | −11.3°C | −5.5°C | 12 mm | 10 cm |
| May | 10.4°C | 0.1°C | 5.3°C | 16 mm | 5 cm |
| June | 18.6°C | 9.0°C | 13.8°C | 29 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 21.5°C | 12.6°C | 17.1°C | 40 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 18.4°C | 10.5°C | 14.5°C | 44 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 10.9°C | 4.2°C | 7.6°C | 43 mm | 3 cm |
| October | 1.5°C | −3.6°C | −1.0°C | 29 mm | 20 cm |
| November | −9.0°C | −16.2°C | −12.6°C | 26 mm | 37 cm |
| December | −18.0°C | −25.6°C | −21.8°C | 15 mm | 24 cm |
| Year | 0.4°C | −8.3°C | −4.0°C | 294 mm | 155 cm |
From −36.7°C to 20.4°C: April’s coldest and warmest days since 1991
Year to year, December varies most (a standard deviation of 4.6°C around −21.8°C) and June least (1.2°C).
Where Yellowknife’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: the 1991–2020 Canadian Climate Normals at Yellowknife (Airport), the closest ECCC location with twelve months of temperature normals.
- 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 Yellowknife’s climate
How warm does Yellowknife get in summer?
Expect highs near 21.5°C in July, the hottest month on average.
How cold does Yellowknife get in winter?
Midwinter means January, when a typical night reaches −29.4°C.
How much rain and snow does Yellowknife get?
Rain and snow add up to about 294 mm of water a year; August brings the most (44 mm), February the least (11 mm).
Are these figures for Yellowknife itself?
Yes. Yellowknife (Airport), where ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals were measured, lies within Yellowknife.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Yellowknife →
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).