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Climate in Kugaaruk · ECCC 1991–2020 normals

Kugaaruk sits near the bottom of Canadian towns for winter warmth

July afternoons average 14.4°C. Its yearly rain and snow fall short of almost every Canadian town. Precipitation peaks in August and eases off in February. Ice scrapers and block heaters earn their keep on roughly 283 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

1991–2020 normals from ECCC’s Kugaaruk station, 1.4 km north-east.

July high

14.4°C

Typical Canadian town 25.5°C

January low

−35.5°C

Typical Canadian town −13.5°C

Rain & snow a year

240 mm

Typical Canadian town 883 mm

Snowfall a year

146 cm

Typical Canadian town 141 cm

Frost days

283

a year at 0°C or below

A year in Kugaaruk at a glance

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

Jan−28°C−36°C

Feb−29°C−37°CColdest nights

Mar−24°C−33°C

Apr−15°C−24°C

May−4°C−11°C

Jun6°C0°C

Jul14°C5°CWarmest

Aug11°C3°CWettest

Sep3°C−2°C

Oct−5°C−11°CSnowiest

Nov now−16°C−24°C

Dec−23°C−31°C

What stands out about Kugaaruk’s climate

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

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 240 mm of rain and melted snow a year; August is the wettest month and February the driest. 4th wettest of 4 towns of 2,500+ in Nunavut.Cooler than almost every Canadian townJuly afternoons average 14.4°C, the warmest of the year. 3rd warmest of 4 towns of 2,500+ in Nunavut.

A normal year

What a year in Kugaaruk feels like

Each season’s and each month’s usual high and low, 1991–2020.

Winter

−27°C / −34°C

28 mm, with 32 cm of snow

Spring

−14°C / −23°C

43 mm, with 50 cm of snow

Summer

11°C / 3°C

105 mm of rain and snow, the wettest season

Autumn

−6°C / −12°C

64 mm, with 58 cm of snow

−50°

−40°

−30°

−20°

−10°

0°

10°

20°

−28°C−36°C

−29°C−37°C

−24°C−33°C

−15°C−24°C

−4°C−11°C

6°C0°C

14°C5°C

11°C3°C

3°C−2°C

−5°C−11°C

−16°C−24°C

−23°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

About 283 frosts and 6 warm days a year

Frost comes from August to June; in January almost every night freezes. Deep cold, under −20°C, comes on about 166 nights a year.

283

Frost days a year (0°C or below)

More frosts than almost every Canadian town

245

Days that stay below 0°C

166

Nights a year below −20°C

Days a year above 20°C

Frost days by month

Average days at 0°C or below

JFMAMJJASOND

Days above 20°C by month

Average days

4.0

JFMAMJJASOND

Rain & snow

Rain and melted snow: about 240 mm a year

4th wettest of 4 towns of 2,500+ in Nunavut. On about 67 days a year, 1 mm or more falls.

240 mm

Rain and snow a year

Drier than almost every Canadian town

126 mm

Of it as rain alone (52%)

44 mm

August, the wettest month

7 mm

February, the driest month

Rain and snow by month

Millimetres

44 mm

JFMAMJJASOND

Rain alone by month

Millimetres

46 mm

JFMAMJJASOND

Snow

About 146 cm of snow a year

From August to June snow is likely; October is the peak, at about 27 cm. 2nd snowiest of 4 towns of 2,500+ in Nunavut.

146 cm

Snowfall a year

Snowier than 52% of Canadian towns

Days a year with 0.2 cm of snow or more

50 cm

Snow on the ground at the end of April, the deepest month

Snowfall by month

Centimetres

27 cm

JFMAMJJASOND

Snow on the ground by month

Centimetres at month’s end

50 cm

JFMAMJJASOND

Heating

Heating a home in Kugaaruk

79% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April.

11,237 heating degree days (below 18°C)a year, 1991–2020

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

Every day colder than 18°C on average adds its gap in degrees to the year’s heating total. Homes here need more heating than almost every Canadian town.

Living here

Living with Kugaaruk’s climate

Gardening, time outside, winter cold and summer heat, from the 1991–2020 normals.

Get outside

No month here brings highs of 17–27°C together with nights of 8°C or more.

Parks & trails →

Storms and extremes

Bad-weather days, from blizzards to floods, get their own page for Kugaaruk: the hazards page.

Flood & hazards →

Weather station

ECCC’s normals location: Kugaaruk

Behind the 1991–2020 normals for Kugaaruk are 3 stations, which ECCC combines into one record.

Distance from the town	1.4 km north-east
Station altitude	16 m
Completeness	meets the WMO “3 and 5” rule
WMO standard normals	No
Coldest reading, 1991–2020	−51.8°C
Hottest reading, 1991–2020	29.0°C
Next-nearest location	Shepherd Bay, 149 km

Compared with other towns

How Kugaaruk 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 afternoons14.4°C

KugaarukMedian Canadian town

12°C16°C20°C24°C

Cooler than almost every Canadian town3rd warmest of 4 towns of 2,500+ in Nunavut

January nights−35.5°C

KugaarukMedian 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 year240 mm

KugaarukMedian Canadian town

05001,0001,500

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

Snowfall a year146 cm

KugaarukMedian Canadian town

0100200300

Snowier than 52% of Canadian towns2nd snowiest of 4 towns of 2,500+ in Nunavut

Month by month

Kugaaruk 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	−28.1°C	−35.5°C	−31.8°C	8 mm	9 cm
February	−29.1°C	−36.5°C	−32.8°C	7 mm	8 cm
March	−24.2°C	−33.1°C	−28.7°C	14 mm	17 cm
April	−14.5°C	−24.1°C	−19.4°C	17 mm	18 cm
May	−4.0°C	−11.3°C	−7.7°C	12 mm	15 cm
June	6.4°C	−0.1°C	3.1°C	23 mm	4 cm
July	14.4°C	5.2°C	9.8°C	38 mm	0 cm
August	10.9°C	3.3°C	7.1°C	44 mm	1 cm
September	3.1°C	−1.7°C	0.7°C	28 mm	14 cm
October	−5.0°C	−10.8°C	−8.0°C	24 mm	27 cm
November	−16.1°C	−23.5°C	−19.8°C	13 mm	18 cm
December	−23.3°C	−30.9°C	−27.1°C	13 mm	15 cm
Year	−9.1°C	−16.6°C	−12.9°C	240 mm	146 cm

Year to year

January strays furthest from its normal year to year, by 3.2°C; August the least

January has the widest record range, −49.5°C in 2004 to −2.0°C in 2011; the tick on each bar is the month’s normal.

−60°

−50°

−40°

−30°

−20°

−10°

0°

10°

20°

30°

40°

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Record low to record high, 1991–2020Normal

Sources

Where Kugaaruk’s numbers come from

Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.

Normals: the closest ECCC location with twelve months of temperature normals, Kugaaruk, 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, not in ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals, and the effect of the town’s height, for which there is no figure.

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

Questions about Kugaaruk’s climate

How warm does Kugaaruk get in summer?

Highs reach 14.4°C on an average July day; no month is warmer.

How cold does Kugaaruk get in winter?

February nights average −36.5°C, the coldest of the year.

How much rain and snow does Kugaaruk get?

August is the wettest month at 44 mm and February the driest at 7 mm, for 240 mm over the year.

Are these figures for Kugaaruk itself?

Yes, from ECCC’s station within Kugaaruk’s boundary.

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

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).