Few Canadian towns have colder winter nights than Sandy Lake 88
High summer brings afternoon highs near 23.1°C. Its July afternoons stay fresher than in 88% of Canadian towns. The gap between a January night and a July afternoon is 49°C. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings come into their own from June to August, with highs of 20–23°C.
The nearest ECCC normals location is Island Lake, 124 km north-west: at that distance its figures describe the region more than Sandy Lake 88 itself.
A year in Sandy Lake 88 at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Sandy Lake 88’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in Ontario beside it.
What a year in Sandy Lake 88 feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals.
About 206 frosts and 70 warm days a year
The frost season runs September to May, and January freezes nearly every night. Some 81 nights a year drop under −20°C.
Frost days by month
Average days at 0°C or below
Days above 20°C by month
Average days
567 mm of precipitation in a typical year
July is the wettest month and February the driest. 872nd wettest of 872 towns of 2,500+ in Ontario. On about 94 days a year, 1 mm or more falls.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
Heating a home in Sandy Lake 88
89% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: October to May.
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 almost every Canadian town.
Living with Sandy Lake 88’s climate
What the normals mean for a garden, a day outside and the depth of winter.
Wait until about 24 May to plant out; frost tends to come back around 29 September, about 127 days later.
Warm afternoons without cold nights, 17–27°C and 8°C or more, mark Jun, Jul and Aug.
Parks & trails →Bitter wind chill, under −20, comes on about 109 days a year.
Muggy heat with a humidex over 30 arrives on about 13 days a year.
A normal year has no blizzard, flood or heat wave in it; Sandy Lake 88’s hazards page looks at those.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: Island Lake
Island Lake is a composite: ECCC joins 3 stations’ readings to make its 1991–2020 normals.
| Distance from the town | 124 km north-west |
| Station altitude | 235 m |
| Completeness | at least 20 years |
| WMO standard normals | No |
| Snowfall from | No location within 100 km |
| Coldest reading, 1991–2020 | −43.7°C |
| Hottest reading, 1991–2020 | 37.3°C |
| Average wind | 11.3 km/h on average, most often from the west |
| Next-nearest location | Red Lake, 224 km |
How Sandy Lake 88 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 Sandy Lake 88 whose figures come from another normals location. The one place listed is 146 km from Sandy Lake 88, the nearest with figures.
| Town | July high | January low | Rain & snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sandy Lake 88 Island Lake | 23.1°C | −26.3°C | 567 mm |
| Pikangikum 14 146 km · Red Lake | 24.0°C 0.9°C warmer | −23.5°C 2.8°C milder | 722 mm |
Sandy Lake 88 weather by month
Each month’s normals, 1991–2020: high, low, mean and precipitation.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain & snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −16.4°C | −26.3°C | −21.4°C | 22 mm |
| February | −12.4°C | −25.0°C | −18.7°C | 20 mm |
| March | −3.8°C | −17.2°C | −10.5°C | 24 mm |
| April | 5.6°C | −7.1°C | −0.7°C | 24 mm |
| May | 13.1°C | 1.3°C | 7.2°C | 48 mm |
| June | 20.1°C | 9.1°C | 14.6°C | 71 mm |
| July | 23.1°C | 13.2°C | 18.2°C | 99 mm |
| August | 21.5°C | 12.2°C | 16.9°C | 84 mm |
| September | 14.8°C | 6.5°C | 10.7°C | 62 mm |
| October | 5.8°C | −0.1°C | 2.8°C | 58 mm |
| November | −4.4°C | −10.9°C | −7.7°C | 31 mm |
| December | −13.2°C | −21.8°C | −17.5°C | 26 mm |
| Year | 4.5°C | −5.5°C | −0.5°C | 567 mm |
February strays furthest from its normal year to year, by 4.1°C; August the least
Bars run from each month’s record low to its record high since 1991. March spans the most, from −41.6°C (1995) to 19.3°C (2012).
Where Sandy Lake 88’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: ECCC’s normals for Island Lake, 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: snow, with no complete snowfall normals within 100 km, sunshine, which ECCC published for no location, and any height adjustment.
Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence. Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada
Questions about Sandy Lake 88’s climate
How warm does Sandy Lake 88 get in summer?
Midsummer means July, with afternoons near 23.1°C on a typical day.
How cold does Sandy Lake 88 get in winter?
The coldest nights come in January, averaging −26.3°C.
How much rain and snow does Sandy Lake 88 get?
Rain and snow, with snow counted as water, total 567 mm a year; July leads with 99 mm and February trails with 20 mm.
Are these figures for Sandy Lake 88 itself?
Not really: Island Lake, the closest location with normals, lies well away from Sandy Lake 88.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Sandy Lake 88 →
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).