Photo: Hearst1958 · CC BY-SA 4.0Few Canadian towns have colder winter nights than Hearst
Sunny July days climb to about 24.1°C. Its July afternoons stay fresher than in 70% of Canadian towns. Precipitation follows the seasons: September brings about 3.0 times as much as February. Frost comes on about 207 days a year, so leave time to clear the car.
Far-off figures: ECCC’s closest normals for Hearst come from Kapuskasing, 92 km east, so take them as the area’s climate.
A year in Hearst at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Hearst’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in Ontario beside it.
What a year in Hearst feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals.
About 207 frosts and 88 warm days a year
From September to June frost is routine, and in January it comes on almost every night. Deep cold, under −20°C, comes on about 63 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 806 mm a year
About 127 days a year bring 1 mm or more.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
About 303 cm of snow a year
Expect snow from October to May, with about 57 cm in December, the snowiest month.
Snowfall by month
Centimetres
Snow on the ground by month
Centimetres at month’s end
Heating a home in Hearst
88% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: October to May.
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 with Hearst’s climate
The averages read for the garden, the outdoors and the coldest and hottest days.
Wait until about 4 June to plant out; frost tends to come back around 17 September, about 104 days later.
The outdoor season by the averages is Jun, Jul and Aug, with highs of 17–27°C and lows of 8°C or more.
Parks & trails →Expect around 90 days a year when the wind chill sinks below −20.
Plan shade and water for about 23 days a year above 30 on the humidex.
Bad-weather days, from blizzards to floods, get their own page for Hearst: the hazards page.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: Kapuskasing
Behind the 1991–2020 normals for Kapuskasing are 3 stations, which ECCC combines into one record.
| Distance from the town | 92 km east |
| Station altitude | 227 m |
| Completeness | meets the WMO “3 and 5” rule |
| WMO standard normals | No |
| Coldest reading, 1991–2020 | −43.0°C |
| Hottest reading, 1991–2020 | 38.3°C |
| Average wind | 12.4 km/h on average, most often from the north-west |
| Next-nearest location | Timmins/Victor Power, 208 km |
How Hearst 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 Hearst’s own would show the same figures). Hearst has no close neighbour with figures; the nearest is 96 km away.
| Town | July high | January low | Rain & snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hearst Kapuskasing | 24.1°C | −23.3°C | 806 mm |
| Hornepayne 96 km · Wawa | 20.8°C 3.3°C cooler | −19.6°C 3.7°C milder | 967 mm |
Hearst weather by month
Each month’s normals, 1991–2020: high, low, mean, precipitation and snowfall.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain & snow | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −11.5°C | −23.3°C | −17.4°C | 48 mm | 54 cm |
| February | −8.5°C | −22.3°C | −15.4°C | 33 mm | 40 cm |
| March | −1.1°C | −15.4°C | −8.2°C | 45 mm | 42 cm |
| April | 6.9°C | −6.0°C | 0.5°C | 58 mm | 34 cm |
| May | 16.0°C | 2.0°C | 9.1°C | 67 mm | 6 cm |
| June | 22.0°C | 8.0°C | 15.0°C | 74 mm | under 1 cm |
| July | 24.1°C | 11.2°C | 17.7°C | 99 mm | under 1 cm |
| August | 22.6°C | 9.9°C | 16.3°C | 79 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 17.4°C | 5.8°C | 11.6°C | 99 mm | 1 cm |
| October | 8.5°C | −0.1°C | 4.2°C | 85 mm | 17 cm |
| November | 0.1°C | −7.6°C | −3.8°C | 67 mm | 52 cm |
| December | −7.4°C | −16.9°C | −12.2°C | 53 mm | 57 cm |
| Year | 7.4°C | −4.6°C | 1.4°C | 806 mm | 303 cm |
The most changeable month: January, give or take 3.6°C; the steadiest, July
Records from 1991 to 2020: no month spans more than March, between −37.8°C (2017) and 26.2°C (2012).
Where Hearst’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: the closest ECCC location with twelve months of temperature normals, Kapuskasing, 1991–2020.
- Comparisons: a pool of Canadian towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more, read alike; whole cities and reserves stay out of it.
- 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 Hearst’s climate
How warm does Hearst get in summer?
On a normal day in July the thermometer climbs to 24.1°C, the warmest of the year.
How cold does Hearst get in winter?
Deep winter means January, when nights average −23.3°C.
How much rain and snow does Hearst get?
September is the wettest month at 99 mm and February the driest at 33 mm, for 806 mm over the year.
How long does snow stay on the ground?
Expect snow on the ground, at least 1 cm, for about 165 days a year.
Are these figures for Hearst itself?
Not really: Kapuskasing, the closest location with normals, lies well away from Hearst.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Hearst →
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).