Photo: OhanaUnited Talk page · CC BY-SA 4.0Few Canadian towns have colder winter nights than Rankin Inlet
The warmest part of a July day comes in at 15.2°C on average. Rain or snow is most frequent in August and least in February. In July, afternoons here are cooler than in almost every Canadian town. Wet days, with 1 mm of rain or snow or more, come about 64 times a year.
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals, measured at Rankin Inlet, 1.8 km north-west.
A year in Rankin Inlet at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Rankin Inlet’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in Nunavut beside it.
What a year in Rankin Inlet feels like
Seasons and months as ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals give them: a typical day’s high and low.
About 260 frosts and 8 warm days a year
From September to June frost is routine, and in January it comes on almost every night. On about 145 nights a year the air falls below −20°C.
Frost days by month
Average days at 0°C or below
Days above 20°C by month
Average days
316 mm of precipitation in a typical year
3rd wettest of 3 towns of 2,500+ in Nunavut.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
About 135 cm of snow a year
From September to June snow is likely; October is the peak, at about 25 cm. 2nd snowiest of 3 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 Rankin Inlet
80% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: September to June.
A day averaging 10 degrees under 18°C adds 10 to the total; warm days add nothing. By this count, homes here need more heating than almost every Canadian town.
Living with Rankin Inlet’s climate
Gardening, time outside, winter cold and summer heat, from the 1991–2020 normals.
The frost-free stretch runs from about 17 June to about 16 September, some 89 days in a normal year.
Summer nights stay cool here: no month pairs 17–27°C afternoons with 8°C nights.
Parks & trails →Expect around 186 days a year when the wind chill sinks below −20.
What averages leave out, the floods and ice storms, is on Rankin Inlet’s hazards page.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: Rankin Inlet
ECCC builds the Rankin Inlet normals from 2 stations’ records over 1991–2020, joined where one replaced another.
| Distance from the town | 1.8 km north-west |
| Station altitude | 32 m |
| Completeness | at least 20 years |
| WMO standard normals | No |
| Coldest reading, 1991–2020 | −47.2°C |
| Hottest reading, 1991–2020 | 30.5°C |
| Average wind | 23.1 km/h on average, most often from the north |
| Next-nearest location | Whale Cove, 68 km |
How Rankin Inlet compares
Compared with 2,611 towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more across Canada; the dots mark the other normals locations in Nunavut.
Rankin Inlet weather by month
Each month’s normals, 1991–2020: high, low, mean, precipitation and snowfall.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain & snow | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −26.6°C | −33.6°C | −30.1°C | 10 mm | 10 cm |
| February | −25.8°C | −33.2°C | −29.5°C | 9 mm | 9 cm |
| March | −20.3°C | −28.8°C | −24.5°C | 12 mm | 12 cm |
| April | −11.1°C | −19.9°C | −15.5°C | 21 mm | 20 cm |
| May | −2.2°C | −8.7°C | −5.5°C | 21 mm | 14 cm |
| June | 8.4°C | 0.8°C | 4.6°C | 22 mm | 2 cm |
| July | 15.2°C | 6.6°C | 10.9°C | 44 mm | under 1 cm |
| August | 13.5°C | 6.7°C | 10.1°C | 52 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 6.7°C | 1.6°C | 4.2°C | 47 mm | 3 cm |
| October | −1.4°C | −6.6°C | −4.0°C | 40 mm | 25 cm |
| November | −12.5°C | −20.3°C | −16.4°C | 23 mm | 23 cm |
| December | −20.7°C | −28.2°C | −24.4°C | 16 mm | 17 cm |
| Year | −6.4°C | −13.6°C | −10.0°C | 316 mm | 135 cm |
The most changeable month: January, give or take 3.7°C; the steadiest, August
Bars run from each month’s record low to its record high since 1991. December spans the most, from −43.6°C (1996) to 0.9°C (2010).
Where Rankin Inlet’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: the closest ECCC location with twelve months of temperature normals, Rankin Inlet, 1991–2020.
- Comparisons: all Canadian places of 2,500 or more except city totals and reserves, each read the same way.
- 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 Rankin Inlet’s climate
How warm does Rankin Inlet get in summer?
The year’s warmest days come in July, with highs averaging 15.2°C.
How cold does Rankin Inlet get in winter?
Expect nights around −33.6°C in January; no month is colder.
How much rain and snow does Rankin Inlet get?
The year adds up to 316 mm. August is the peak month (52 mm) and February the low one (9 mm).
How long does snow stay on the ground?
Snow covers the ground, 1 cm or more, on about 235 days a year.
Are these figures for Rankin Inlet itself?
Yes: ECCC’s normals station is inside Rankin Inlet itself.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Rankin Inlet →
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).