Summer afternoons in Glen Cairn are warmer than in 78% of Canadian towns
The coldest hours of a January night bottom out at −14.0°C on average. Its yearly rain and snow top those of 60% of Canadian towns. A year here swings 41°C from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. Plan for rain or snow on about 120 days a year, the days with 1 mm or more.
Figures: ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals for Ottawa (City) (16 km north-east).
A year in Glen Cairn at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Glen Cairn’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in Ontario beside it.
What a year in Glen Cairn feels like
Seasons and months as ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals give them: a typical day’s high and low.
Frost on 147 days, 20°C on 121
Frost comes from October to April; in January almost every night freezes. 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
The most falls in June, the least in February.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
185 cm of snow in a typical year
Expect snow from October to April, with about 45 cm in January, the snowiest month.
Snowfall by month
Centimetres
Snow on the ground by month
Centimetres at month’s end
Heating a home in Glen Cairn
93% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: October to April.
Each day the mean sits under 18°C adds its shortfall; a year’s total is its heating degree days.
Living with Glen Cairn’s climate
What the normals mean for a garden, a day outside and the depth of winter.
Count on about 158 frost-free days: the last frost averages 30 April, the first 6 October.
Highs of 17–27°C with nights of 8°C or more come in May, Jun, Jul, Aug and Sep.
Parks & trails →Wind chill falls below −20 on about 39 days a year: cover skin and dress in layers.
About 50 days a year feel above 30 on the humidex.
Thirty years of averages say little about one bad storm; Glen Cairn’s hazards page does.
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 | 16 km north-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), 17 km |
How Glen Cairn 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 Glen Cairn whose figures come from another normals location. No closer places have figures: these lie 25–28 km from Glen Cairn.
Glen Cairn 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
From one year to the next, January’s average typically shifts by 3.1°C around its normal of −9.6°C, the widest of any month, while June’s shifts by 1.1°C.
Where Glen Cairn’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: Canada’s towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500+ (no city totals, no reserves), each through its own nearest location.
- 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 Glen Cairn’s climate
How warm does Glen Cairn get in summer?
At its warmest, in July, the normal high is 26.7°C.
How cold does Glen Cairn get in winter?
The year’s coldest nights belong to January, at about −14.0°C.
How much rain and snow does Glen Cairn get?
The year adds up to 938 mm. June is the peak month (95 mm) and February the low one (52 mm).
How long does snow stay on the ground?
Roughly 115 days a year start with snow cover of 1 cm or more.
Are these figures for Glen Cairn itself?
They are the normals for Ottawa (City), measured just outside Glen Cairn itself.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Glen Cairn →
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).