Carlington has warmer summer afternoons than 78% of Canadian towns
The depth of winter brings overnight lows near −14.0°C. It is a wet place: more rain and snow fall here than on 60% of Canadian towns. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 41°C apart. Have the furnace checked before October to April, the months that average under 10°C.
Figures: ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals for Ottawa (City) (1.2 km east).
A year in Carlington at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Carlington’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in Ontario beside it.
What a year in Carlington feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals.
About 147 frosts and 121 warm days a year
The frost season runs October to April, and January freezes nearly every night. Deep cold, under −20°C, comes on about 15 nights a year.
Frost days by month
Average days at 0°C or below
Days above 20°C by month
Average days
938 mm of precipitation in a typical year
June is the wettest month and February the driest. Some 120 days a year see 1 mm of rain or snow or more.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
Snowfall: about 185 cm in a normal 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 Carlington
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 Carlington’s climate
The averages read for the garden, the outdoors and the coldest and hottest days.
From about 30 April to 6 October the garden is usually clear of frost, some 158 days.
Warm afternoons without cold nights, 17–27°C and 8°C or more, mark May, Jun, Jul, Aug and Sep.
Parks & trails →On some 39 days a year the wind chill drops past −20; mitts and a scarf earn their place.
The air feels heavier than 30 on the humidex for about 50 days a year.
Severe weather is a separate story from the averages: see Carlington’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 | 1.2 km east |
| 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), 8.0 km |
How Carlington 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 Carlington’s own would show the same figures). The nearest places to Carlington with figures are 20–28 km away.
Carlington 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 | −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 |
In March, anything from −28.5°C to 26.5°C
Bars run from each month’s record low to its record high over 1991–2020; January is the month whose average wanders most from year to year (±3.1°C around −9.6°C), June the one that wanders least (±1.1°C).
Where Carlington’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: ECCC’s normals for Ottawa (City), 1991–2020, chosen as the nearest location with a full temperature record.
- Comparisons: every place of 2,500+ in Canada but the city hubs and the reserves, each on its nearest ECCC location.
- 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 Carlington’s climate
How warm does Carlington get in summer?
Expect highs near 26.7°C in July, the hottest month on average.
How cold does Carlington get in winter?
A typical January night falls to −14.0°C, the year’s low point.
How much rain and snow does Carlington get?
Over twelve months, rain and melted snow come to 938 mm; the range runs from 52 mm in February to 95 mm in June.
How long does snow stay on the ground?
The ground is white, with 1 cm or more, on some 115 days a year.
Are these figures for Carlington itself?
Nearly: Ottawa (City), the location behind them, sits just beyond Carlington’s boundary.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Carlington →
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).