Summer arrives in force in Alta Vista, hotter than in 78% of Canadian towns
January nights here settle around −14.0°C. From frozen January to warm July, readings climb 41°C. Its yearly rain and snow top those of 60% of Canadian towns. An umbrella or a shovel earns its place on about 120 days a year with 1 mm or more.
Figures: ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals for Ottawa (City) (4.5 km west).
A year in Alta Vista at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Alta Vista’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in Ontario beside it.
What a year in Alta Vista feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals.
147 frost days and 121 days above 20°C a year
The frost season runs October to April, and January freezes nearly every night. On about 15 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 938 mm a year
June brings the most rain and snow; February, the least.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
185 cm of snow in a typical year
Snow falls from October to April, most of all in January (about 45 cm).
Snowfall by month
Centimetres
Snow on the ground by month
Centimetres at month’s end
Heating a home in Alta Vista
93% 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.
Living with Alta Vista’s climate
Gardening, time outside, winter cold and summer heat, from the 1991–2020 normals.
From about 30 April to 6 October the garden is usually clear of frost, some 158 days.
Highs of 17–27°C with nights of 8°C or more come in May, Jun, Jul, Aug and Sep.
Parks & trails →About 39 days a year bring a wind chill under −20, when bare skin chills fast.
Count on some 50 humid days a year with the humidex past 30.
What averages leave out, the floods and ice storms, is on Alta Vista’s hazards page.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: Ottawa (City)
Behind the 1991–2020 normals for Ottawa (City) are 2 stations, which ECCC combines into one record.
| Distance from the town | 4.5 km west |
| Station altitude | 79 m |
| Completeness | meets the WMO “3 and 5” rule |
| WMO standard normals | Yes |
| Coldest reading, 1991–2020 | −32.2°C |
| Hottest reading, 1991–2020 | 37.3°C |
| Average wind | 11.5 km/h on average, most often from the west |
| Next-nearest location | Ottawa (Airport), 7.7 km |
How Alta Vista 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
Places around Alta Vista whose figures come from another normals location. The nearest places to Alta Vista with figures are 20–28 km away.
Alta Vista weather by month
Month by month, 1991–2020: the usual high, low and mean, the rain and snow, and the snowfall.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain & snow | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −5.2°C | −14.0°C | −9.6°C | 65 mm | 45 cm |
| February | −3.3°C | −12.9°C | −8.1°C | 52 mm | 41 cm |
| March | 2.5°C | −6.9°C | −2.2°C | 62 mm | 31 cm |
| April | 11.2°C | 1.1°C | 6.2°C | 81 mm | 8 cm |
| May | 19.4°C | 8.0°C | 13.8°C | 80 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 24.2°C | 13.3°C | 18.8°C | 95 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 26.7°C | 15.8°C | 21.3°C | 92 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 25.6°C | 14.6°C | 20.1°C | 87 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 21.1°C | 10.1°C | 15.6°C | 87 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 13.3°C | 4.1°C | 8.8°C | 90 mm | 2 cm |
| November | 5.8°C | −1.8°C | 2.0°C | 72 mm | 16 cm |
| December | −1.5°C | −8.7°C | −5.1°C | 74 mm | 43 cm |
| Year | 11.7°C | 1.9°C | 6.8°C | 938 mm | 185 cm |
March: −28.5°C at its coldest, 26.5°C at its warmest
Year to year, January varies most (a standard deviation of 3.1°C around −9.6°C) and June least (1.1°C).
Where Alta Vista’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: the 1991–2020 Canadian Climate Normals at Ottawa (City), the closest ECCC location with twelve months of temperature normals.
- Comparisons: Canadian towns and neighbourhoods of at least 2,500, each placed by its nearest location (city totals and reserves excluded).
- Not on this page: sunshine, absent from every 1991–2020 location, and an altitude correction, for want of the town’s own elevation.
Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence. Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada
Questions about Alta Vista’s climate
How warm does Alta Vista get in summer?
Highs reach 26.7°C on an average July day; no month is warmer.
How cold does Alta Vista get in winter?
At its coldest, in January, the normal low is −14.0°C.
How much rain and snow does Alta Vista get?
Rain and snow add up to about 938 mm of water a year; June brings the most (95 mm), February the least (52 mm).
How long does snow stay on the ground?
Snow lies on the ground for about 115 days in a normal year.
Are these figures for Alta Vista itself?
Nearly: Ottawa (City), the location behind them, sits just beyond Alta Vista’s boundary.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Alta Vista →
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).