Photo: Gordon Leggett · CC BY-SA 4.0Gjoa Haven sits near the bottom of Canadian towns for winter warmth
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 12.3°C. Counting rain and snow together, it is drier than almost every Canadian town. Rain or snow is most frequent in August and least in February. Frost comes on about 287 days a year, so leave time to clear the car.
Figures: ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals at Gjoa Haven (1.5 km north-east).
A year in Gjoa Haven at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Gjoa Haven’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in Nunavut beside it.
What a year in Gjoa Haven feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals.
About 287 frosts and 1 warm days a year
Some 169 nights a year drop under −20°C.
Frost days by month
Average days at 0°C or below
About 190 mm of rain and snow a year
4th wettest of 4 towns of 2,500+ in Nunavut. Some 47 days a year see 1 mm of rain or snow or more.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
About 148 cm of snow a year
The snow season runs September to June; October brings the most, about 33 cm. 2nd 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 Gjoa Haven
78% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s mean temperature falls below 18°C over a year. A house here needs more heating than almost every Canadian town.
Living with Gjoa Haven’s climate
The averages read for the garden, the outdoors and the coldest and hottest days.
No month here brings highs of 17–27°C together with nights of 8°C or more.
Parks & trails →On some 203 days a year the wind chill drops past −20; mitts and a scarf earn their place.
Averages smooth over blizzards, ice storms, floods and heat waves; Gjoa Haven’s hazards page covers the risks.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: Gjoa Haven
ECCC builds the Gjoa Haven normals from 3 stations’ records over 1991–2020, joined where one replaced another.
| Distance from the town | 1.5 km north-east |
| Station altitude | 47 m |
| Completeness | meets the WMO “3 and 5” rule |
| WMO standard normals | No |
| Coldest reading, 1991–2020 | −48.3°C |
| Hottest reading, 1991–2020 | 24.4°C |
| Average wind | 20.0 km/h on average, most often from the north |
| Next-nearest location | Shepherd Bay, 101 km |
How Gjoa Haven 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.
Nearby towns’ climate
Places around Gjoa Haven whose figures come from another normals location. The nearest place to Gjoa Haven with figures is 137 km away.
| Town | July high | January low | Rain & snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gjoa Haven | 12.3°C | −36.0°C | 190 mm |
| Taloyoak 137 km · Taloyoak | 13.0°C 0.7°C warmer | −36.6°C 0.6°C colder | 197 mm |
Gjoa Haven weather by month
Average daily high and low, mean temperature, rain and snow (as water) and snowfall by month, 1991–2020.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain & snow | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −29.5°C | −36.0°C | −32.8°C | 8 mm | 11 cm |
| February | −30.1°C | −36.3°C | −33.4°C | 7 mm | 10 cm |
| March | −25.3°C | −32.9°C | −29.1°C | 13 mm | 20 cm |
| April | −15.9°C | −24.4°C | −20.2°C | 14 mm | 17 cm |
| May | −5.6°C | −12.3°C | −9.0°C | 12 mm | 15 cm |
| June | 4.6°C | −1.1°C | 1.7°C | 16 mm | 5 cm |
| July | 12.3°C | 4.2°C | 8.3°C | 21 mm | 1 cm |
| August | 9.7°C | 3.3°C | 6.5°C | 31 mm | 1 cm |
| September | 2.5°C | −1.7°C | 0.4°C | 24 mm | 10 cm |
| October | −5.7°C | −11.1°C | −8.4°C | 26 mm | 33 cm |
| November | −17.2°C | −24.2°C | −20.7°C | 11 mm | 14 cm |
| December | −24.7°C | −31.4°C | −28.1°C | 9 mm | 12 cm |
| Year | −10.4°C | −17.0°C | −13.7°C | 190 mm | 148 cm |
January has run from −48.3°C to −4.4°C in thirty years
The month to count on least is December: one year in three its average strays more than 3.2°C from −28.1°C. August moves least, typically by 1.4°C.
Where Gjoa Haven’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: the 1991–2020 normals from ECCC for Gjoa Haven, its nearest location with complete temperatures.
- 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: 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 Gjoa Haven’s climate
How warm does Gjoa Haven get in summer?
At its warmest, in July, the normal high is 12.3°C.
How cold does Gjoa Haven get in winter?
Midwinter means February, when a typical night reaches −36.3°C.
How much rain and snow does Gjoa Haven get?
Rain and snow add up to about 190 mm of water a year; August brings the most (31 mm), February the least (7 mm).
Are these figures for Gjoa Haven itself?
Yes. They were measured in Gjoa Haven, at ECCC’s own station there.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Gjoa Haven →
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).