Photo: P199 · CC BY-SA 3.0Bonfield is among the snowiest of Canadian towns: about 312 cm a year
On a normal January night the air cools to about −17.3°C. Its January nights bite harder than in 81% of Canadian towns. Winter and summer sit 42°C apart. The furnace earns its keep from October to April, the months that average under 10°C.
No ECCC station in Bonfield has 1991–2020 normals; the page reads North Bay, 25 km north-west, instead.
A year in Bonfield at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Bonfield’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in Ontario beside it.
What a year in Bonfield feels like
Seasons and months as ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals give them: a typical day’s high and low.
About 176 frosts and 96 warm days a year
From September to May frost is routine, and in January it comes on almost every night. Some 28 nights a year drop under −20°C.
Frost days by month
Average days at 0°C or below
Days above 20°C by month
Average days
Rain and melted snow: about 1,020 mm a year
September brings the most rain and snow; February, the least. On about 133 days a year, 1 mm or more falls.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
312 cm of snow in a typical year
Snow falls from October to May, most of all in December (about 71 cm).
Snowfall by month
Centimetres
Snow on the ground by month
Centimetres at month’s end
Heating a home in Bonfield
90% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: October to April.
Think of it as a year’s worth of daily shortfalls below 18°C, added up. Homes here need more heating than 72% of Canadian towns.
Living with Bonfield’s climate
What the normals mean for a garden, a day outside and the depth of winter.
On average the last spring frost comes around 15 May and the first autumn frost around 29 September: about 135 frost-free days between.
For long days outdoors, Jun, Jul, Aug and Sep bring highs of 17–27°C and lows of 8°C or more.
Parks & trails →About 61 days a year bring a wind chill under −20, when bare skin chills fast.
About 25 days a year turn sultry, with the humidex past 30.
For the weather that does damage, from ice storms to floods, see Bonfield’s hazards page.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: North Bay
North Bay is a composite: ECCC joins 3 stations’ readings to make its 1991–2020 normals.
| Distance from the town | 25 km north-west |
| Station altitude | 370 m |
| Completeness | meets the WMO “3 and 5” rule |
| WMO standard normals | No |
| Coldest reading, 1991–2020 | −39.3°C |
| Hottest reading, 1991–2020 | 35.3°C |
| Average wind | 14.0 km/h on average, most often from the south-west |
| Next-nearest location | Barrage Témiscamingue, 53 km |
How Bonfield compares
Compared with 2,611 towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more across Canada; the dots mark the other normals locations in Ontario.
Nearby towns’ climate
Nearby places read from a different ECCC location (places on Bonfield’s own would show the same figures). The nearest places to Bonfield with figures are 34–72 km away.
| Town | July high | January low | Rain & snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bonfield North Bay | 24.3°C | −17.3°C | 1,020 mm |
| Mattawa 34 km · Barrage Témiscamingue | 25.5°C 1.2°C warmer | −16.0°C 1.3°C milder | 1,020 mm |
| Burk's Falls 72 km · Muskoka | 25.3°C 1.0°C warmer | −15.3°C 2.0°C milder | 1,062 mm |
Bonfield weather by month
Each month’s normals, 1991–2020: high, low, mean, precipitation and snowfall.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain & snow | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −7.4°C | −17.3°C | −12.3°C | 70 mm | 70 cm |
| February | −5.6°C | −15.9°C | −10.8°C | 54 mm | 63 cm |
| March | 0.7°C | −9.6°C | −4.5°C | 60 mm | 39 cm |
| April | 8.6°C | −1.8°C | 3.4°C | 72 mm | 18 cm |
| May | 17.0°C | 5.7°C | 11.4°C | 89 mm | 4 cm |
| June | 22.0°C | 11.1°C | 16.6°C | 91 mm | under 1 cm |
| July | 24.3°C | 13.7°C | 19.0°C | 98 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 23.1°C | 12.8°C | 18.0°C | 93 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 18.5°C | 8.3°C | 13.4°C | 114 mm | under 1 cm |
| October | 10.6°C | 2.3°C | 6.5°C | 109 mm | 9 cm |
| November | 3.1°C | −4.3°C | −0.6°C | 97 mm | 38 cm |
| December | −3.8°C | −11.7°C | −7.8°C | 73 mm | 71 cm |
| Year | 9.3°C | −0.6°C | 4.4°C | 1,020 mm | 312 cm |
From −33.1°C to 25.2°C: March’s coldest and warmest days since 1991
The month to count on least is January: one year in three its average strays more than 3.4°C from −12.3°C. June moves least, typically by 1.3°C.
Where Bonfield’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals, North Bay: the nearest of its locations with every month’s temperatures.
- Comparisons: the 2,500-plus towns and neighbourhoods of Canada, each read from its closest normals location; whole cities and reserves aren’t counted.
- Not on this page: sunshine, which none of ECCC’s 450 locations publishes for 1991–2020, and the town’s own height above sea level, so no figure is adjusted for altitude.
Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence. Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada
Questions about Bonfield’s climate
How warm does Bonfield get in summer?
Highs reach 24.3°C on an average July day; no month is warmer.
How cold does Bonfield get in winter?
Expect nights around −17.3°C in January; no month is colder.
How much rain and snow does Bonfield get?
September is the wettest month at 114 mm and February the driest at 54 mm, for 1,020 mm over the year.
How long does snow stay on the ground?
On about 137 days a year the ground keeps at least 1 cm of snow.
Are these figures for Bonfield itself?
No, they come from North Bay; ECCC keeps no 1991–2020 normals in Bonfield itself.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Bonfield →
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).