Few Canadian towns have colder winter nights than Cambridge Bay
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 13.3°C. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on almost every Canadian town. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 49°C apart. An umbrella or a shovel earns its place on about 41 days a year with 1 mm or more.
Figures: ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals at Cambridge Bay (3.2 km west).
A year in Cambridge Bay at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Cambridge Bay’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in Nunavut beside it.
What a year in Cambridge Bay feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals.
About 277 frosts and 3 warm days a year
The frost season runs August to June, and January freezes nearly every night. Deep cold, under −20°C, comes on about 175 nights a year.
Frost days by month
Average days at 0°C or below
Days above 20°C by month
Average days
Rain and melted snow: about 150 mm a year
July is the wettest month and January the driest. 4th wettest of 4 towns of 2,500+ in Nunavut.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
Snowfall: about 79 cm in a normal year
Snow falls from August to June, most of all in October (about 17 cm). 4th snowiest of 4 towns of 2,500+ in Nunavut.
Snowfall by month
Centimetres
Snow on the ground by month
Centimetres at month’s end
Heating a home in Cambridge Bay
79% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April.
The count adds up, day by day, how far the mean temperature falls short of 18°C. By this count, homes here need more heating than almost every Canadian town.
Living with Cambridge Bay’s climate
What the normals mean for a garden, a day outside and the depth of winter.
From about 23 June to 1 September the garden is usually clear of frost, some 69 days.
Summer nights stay cool here: no month pairs 17–27°C afternoons with 8°C nights.
Parks & trails →Plan for about 210 days a year with a wind chill below −20.
Storms, floods and heat waves sit outside these normals; Cambridge Bay’s hazards page covers them.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: Cambridge Bay
Cambridge Bay is a composite: ECCC joins 3 stations’ readings to make its 1991–2020 normals.
| Distance from the town | 3.2 km west |
| Station altitude | 31 m |
| Completeness | meets the WMO “3 and 5” rule |
| WMO standard normals | Yes |
| Coldest reading, 1991–2020 | −48.1°C |
| Hottest reading, 1991–2020 | 26.1°C |
| Average wind | 19.3 km/h on average, most often from the north-west |
| Next-nearest location | Hat Island, 219 km |
How Cambridge Bay compares
Compared with 2,611 towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more across Canada; the dots mark the other normals locations in Nunavut.
Cambridge Bay weather by month
Each month’s normals, 1991–2020: high, low, mean, precipitation and snowfall.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain & snow | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −27.7°C | −34.6°C | −31.2°C | 6 mm | 6 cm |
| February | −28.6°C | −35.6°C | −32.1°C | 6 mm | 6 cm |
| March | −24.9°C | −32.7°C | −28.8°C | 9 mm | 8 cm |
| April | −16.2°C | −25.1°C | −20.7°C | 7 mm | 8 cm |
| May | −5.2°C | −12.6°C | −8.9°C | 7 mm | 6 cm |
| June | 6.0°C | 0.0°C | 3.0°C | 16 mm | 3 cm |
| July | 13.3°C | 5.4°C | 9.4°C | 28 mm | under 1 cm |
| August | 10.3°C | 4.3°C | 7.4°C | 24 mm | 2 cm |
| September | 2.6°C | −1.7°C | 0.5°C | 18 mm | 5 cm |
| October | −6.6°C | −12.3°C | −9.5°C | 15 mm | 17 cm |
| November | −17.5°C | −24.7°C | −21.1°C | 9 mm | 11 cm |
| December | −24.3°C | −31.3°C | −27.8°C | 6 mm | 7 cm |
| Year | −9.9°C | −16.7°C | −13.3°C | 150 mm | 79 cm |
The most changeable month: March, give or take 2.8°C; the steadiest, August
Records from 1991 to 2020: no month spans more than April, between −42.4°C (2008) and 1.6°C (1995).
Where Cambridge Bay’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: the closest ECCC location with twelve months of temperature normals, Cambridge Bay, 1991–2020.
- Comparisons: every place of 2,500+ in Canada but the city hubs and the reserves, each on its nearest ECCC location.
- Not on this page: a sunshine figure (ECCC published none for 1991–2020) and any lapse-rate correction for height, as the town has no elevation here.
Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence. Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada
Questions about Cambridge Bay’s climate
How warm does Cambridge Bay get in summer?
A normal July afternoon tops out at about 13.3°C, the year’s high point.
How cold does Cambridge Bay get in winter?
Winter bottoms out in February, with lows near −35.6°C.
How much rain and snow does Cambridge Bay get?
Count on roughly 150 mm a year, heaviest in July (28 mm) and lightest in January (6 mm).
How long does snow stay on the ground?
Snow covers the ground, 1 cm or more, on about 262 days a year.
Are these figures for Cambridge Bay itself?
Yes: ECCC’s normals station is inside Cambridge Bay itself.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Cambridge 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).