Photo: Hayden Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Hardly any Canadian towns see more snow than North Bay, with about 312 cm a year
Nights in January average −17.3°C. Seasons differ by 42°C, from the coldest nights to the warmest afternoons. Its January nights bite harder than in 81% of Canadian towns. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from October to April, when means dip under 10°C.
Measured at North Bay, 5.6 km north-east: ECCC’s normals for 1991–2020.
A year in North Bay at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about North Bay’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in Ontario beside it.
What a year in North Bay feels like
Each season’s and each month’s usual high and low, 1991–2020.
176 frost days and 96 days above 20°C a year
From September to May frost is routine, and in January it comes on almost every night. On about 28 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
Rain and melted snow: about 1,020 mm a year
The most falls in September, the least in February. About 133 days a year bring 1 mm or more.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
312 cm of snow in a typical year
The snow season runs October to May; December brings the most, about 71 cm.
Snowfall by month
Centimetres
Snow on the ground by month
Centimetres at month’s end
Heating a home in North Bay
90% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: October to April.
The count adds up, day by day, how far the mean temperature falls short of 18°C. By this count, homes here need more heating than 72% of Canadian towns.
Living with North Bay’s climate
What the normals mean for a garden, a day outside and the depth of winter.
Wait until about 15 May to plant out; frost tends to come back around 29 September, about 135 days later.
The comfortable months for a day outside, highs of 17–27°C and nights of 8°C or more: Jun, Jul, Aug and Sep.
Parks & trails →Wind chill falls below −20 on about 61 days a year: cover skin and dress in layers.
About 25 days a year feel above 30 on the humidex.
For blizzards, floods and wildfire, turn to North Bay’s hazards page.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: North Bay
ECCC builds the North Bay normals from 3 stations’ records over 1991–2020, joined where one replaced another.
| Distance from the town | 5.6 km north-east |
| 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, 52 km |
How North Bay 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 Ontario.
Nearby towns’ climate
The nearest places on a normals location of their own: those that share North Bay’s would only repeat its figures. No closer places have figures: these lie 53–77 km from North Bay.
| Town | July high | January low | Rain & snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Bay | 24.3°C | −17.3°C | 1,020 mm |
| Témiscaming 53 km · Barrage Témiscamingue | 25.5°C 1.2°C warmer | −16.0°C 1.3°C milder | 1,020 mm |
| St.-Charles 74 km · Sudbury | 25.0°C 0.7°C warmer | −17.5°C about the same | 912 mm |
North Bay 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 | −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 |
March: −33.1°C at its coldest, 25.2°C at its warmest
From one year to the next, January’s average typically shifts by 3.4°C around its normal of −12.3°C, the widest of any month, while June’s shifts by 1.3°C.
Where North Bay’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: ECCC’s normals for North Bay, 1991–2020, chosen as the nearest location with a full temperature record.
- Comparisons: every Canadian town and neighbourhood of 2,500 or more, each read from its own nearest location; city totals and reserves are left out.
- 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 North Bay’s climate
How warm does North Bay get in summer?
Peak warmth comes in July, at about 24.3°C by mid-afternoon.
How cold does North Bay get in winter?
Overnight lows average −17.3°C in January, the coldest month.
How much rain and snow does North Bay get?
Measured as water, a year brings 1,020 mm: 114 mm in September, the wettest month, and 54 mm in February, the driest.
How long does snow stay on the ground?
About 137 days a year count as snow-covered, with 1 cm or more.
Are these figures for North Bay itself?
Yes: ECCC’s normals station is inside North Bay itself.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for North Bay →
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).