Climate in Arctic Bay · ECCC 1991–2020 normals

Hardly any Canadian towns see fresher July days than Arctic Bay

Midwinter brings lows of about −35.5°C. From frozen January to warm July, readings climb 48°C. In January, nights here are colder than in almost every Canadian town. Ice scrapers and block heaters earn their keep on roughly 288 days a year at 0°C or below.

July afternoons: cooler than almost every Canadian town

January nights: colder than almost every Canadian town

Rain and snow a year: drier than almost every Canadian town

Arctic Bay has no ECCC normals station nearby: the figures come from Pond Inlet, 239 km east, so read them as the wider area’s climate.

July high

11.1°C

Typical Canadian town 25.5°C

January low

−35.5°C

Typical Canadian town −13.5°C

Rain & snow a year

195 mm

Typical Canadian town 883 mm

Frost days

288

a year at 0°C or below

Frost-free days

30 Jun to 9 Aug

A year in Arctic Bay at a glance

Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.

Jan−29°C−36°C

Feb−30°C−37°CColdest nights

Mar−26°C−33°C

Apr−17°C−25°C

May−4°C−12°C

Jun6°C0°CLast frost ~30 Jun

Jul11°C3°CWarmest

Aug9°C2°CWettestFirst frost ~9 Aug

Sep2°C−3°C

Oct−6°C−12°C

Nov now−17°C−24°C

Dec−24°C−31°C

What stands out about Arctic Bay’s climate

Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in Nunavut beside it.

Cooler than almost every Canadian townJuly afternoons average 11.1°C, the warmest of the year. 4th warmest of 4 towns of 2,500+ in Nunavut.Colder than almost every Canadian townJanuary nights average −35.5°C; February is colder still. 4th mildest of 4 towns of 2,500+ in Nunavut.Drier than almost every Canadian townAbout 195 mm of rain and melted snow a year; August is the wettest month and January the driest. 4th wettest of 4 towns of 2,500+ in Nunavut.

A normal year

What a year in Arctic Bay feels like

Seasons and months as ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals give them: a typical day’s high and low.

Winter

−27°C / −34°C

21 mm of rain and snow

Spring

−16°C / −23°C

34 mm of rain and snow

Summer

9°C / 2°C

87 mm of rain and snow, the wettest season

Autumn

−7°C / −13°C

53 mm of rain and snow

−50°

−40°

−30°

−20°

−10°

0°

10°

20°

−29°C−36°C

−30°C−37°C

−26°C−33°C

−17°C−25°C

−4°C−12°C

6°C0°C

11°C3°C

9°C2°C

2°C−3°C

−6°C−12°C

−17°C−24°C

−24°C−31°C

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Best months to be outsideNo month has highs of 17°C or more with nights of 8°C or more: summers here are cool.

Frost & warm days

288 frost days and under 1 days above 20°C a year

On about 169 nights a year the air falls below −20°C.

38 frost-free days · average dates, 1991–2020

30 Jun 9 Aug

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

288

Frost days a year (0°C or below)

More frosts than almost every Canadian town

243

Days that stay below 0°C

169

Nights a year below −20°C

under 1

Days a year above 20°C

Frost days by month

Average days at 0°C or below

JFMAMJJASOND

Rain & snow

About 195 mm of rain and snow a year

August brings the most rain and snow; January, the least. 4th wettest of 4 towns of 2,500+ in Nunavut. Some 49 days a year see 1 mm of rain or snow or more.

195 mm

Rain and snow a year

Drier than almost every Canadian town

75 mm

Of it as rain alone (38%)

40 mm

August, the wettest month

5 mm

January, the driest month

Rain and snow by month

Millimetres

40 mm

JFMAMJJASOND

Rain alone by month

Millimetres

32 mm

JFMAMJJASOND

Heating

Heating a home in Arctic Bay

78% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April.

11,543 heating degree days (below 18°C)a year, 1991–2020

138 growing degree days (above 5°C)a year, 1991–2020

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 here

Living with Arctic Bay’s climate

What the normals mean for a garden, a day outside and the depth of winter.

The garden window

The frost-free stretch runs from about 30 June to about 9 August, some 38 days in a normal year.

Get outside

Even midsummer nights fall below 8°C on average, so no month meets the mild-day rule of 17–27°C by day.

Parks & trails →

Wind chill

Expect around 196 days a year when the wind chill sinks below −20.

Storms and extremes

Ice storms, floods and heat waves are risks, not averages: they are on Arctic Bay’s hazards page.

Flood & hazards →

Weather station

ECCC’s normals location: Pond Inlet

Behind the 1991–2020 normals for Pond Inlet are 4 stations, which ECCC combines into one record.

Distance from the town	239 km east
Station altitude	62 m
Completeness	meets the WMO “3 and 5” rule
WMO standard normals	No
Snowfall from	No location within 100 km
Coldest reading, 1991–2020	−48.0°C
Hottest reading, 1991–2020	22.3°C
Average wind	9.4 km/h on average, most often from the south
Next-nearest location	Resolute Bay, 355 km

Compared with other towns

How Arctic Bay 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 Nunavut.

July afternoons11.1°C

Arctic BayMedian Canadian town

10°C14°C18°C22°C26°C

Cooler than almost every Canadian town4th warmest of 4 towns of 2,500+ in Nunavut

January nights−35.5°C

Arctic BayMedian Canadian town

−40°C−35°C−30°C−25°C−20°C−15°C−10°C

Colder than almost every Canadian town4th mildest of 4 towns of 2,500+ in Nunavut

Rain and snow a year195 mm

Arctic BayMedian Canadian town

05001,0001,500

Drier than almost every Canadian town4th wettest of 4 towns of 2,500+ in Nunavut

Month by month

Arctic Bay weather by month

Average daily high and low, mean temperature and precipitation by month, 1991–2020.

Month	High	Low	Mean	Rain & snow
January	−28.9°C	−35.5°C	−32.2°C	5 mm
February	−29.7°C	−36.5°C	−33.1°C	6 mm
March	−25.7°C	−33.4°C	−29.4°C	13 mm
April	−16.6°C	−25.1°C	−20.9°C	12 mm
May	−4.3°C	−11.9°C	−8.1°C	10 mm
June	5.9°C	0.0°C	3.0°C	16 mm
July	11.1°C	3.2°C	7.2°C	31 mm
August	8.7°C	2.3°C	5.6°C	40 mm
September	1.8°C	−3.3°C	−0.7°C	18 mm
October	−5.5°C	−11.5°C	−8.5°C	24 mm
November	−16.6°C	−23.8°C	−20.3°C	11 mm
December	−23.6°C	−30.5°C	−27.2°C	10 mm
Year	−10.3°C	−17.2°C	−13.7°C	195 mm

Year to year

A March here can run from −48.0°C to 0.7°C

Two years in three, November’s average falls within 3.5°C of its normal of −20.3°C; June keeps to within 1.2°C.

−50°

−40°

−30°

−20°

−10°

0°

10°

20°

30°

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Record low to record high, 1991–2020Normal

Sources

Where Arctic Bay’s numbers come from

Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.

Normals: ECCC’s normals for Pond Inlet, 1991–2020, chosen as the nearest location with a full temperature record.
Comparisons: all Canadian places of 2,500 or more except city totals and reserves, each read the same way.
Not on this page: snowfall (no location within 100 km publishes a full year of it), sunshine (none for 1991–2020) and an altitude correction.

Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence. Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada

Questions about Arctic Bay’s climate

How warm does Arctic Bay get in summer?

Of all twelve months, July has the warmest afternoons, about 11.1°C.

How cold does Arctic Bay get in winter?

Deep winter means February, when nights average −36.5°C.

How much rain and snow does Arctic Bay get?

About 195 mm a year, rain and melted snow together. August is the wettest month (40 mm) and January the driest (5 mm).

Are these figures for Arctic Bay itself?

Not really: Pond Inlet, the closest location with normals, lies well away from Arctic Bay.

Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Arctic Bay →

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).