North Shore is wetter than 83% of Canadian towns: 1,136 mm of rain and snow a year
July afternoons average 23.6°C. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 72% of Canadian towns. Seasons differ by 35°C, from the coldest nights to the warmest afternoons. Plan time outside from June to September, when highs sit at 19–24°C.
Borrowed figures: North Shore has no normals station, so these come from Charlottetown (Airport), 7.4 km south-west.
A year in North Shore at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about North Shore’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ on Prince Edward Island beside it.
What a year in North Shore feels like
Each season’s and each month’s usual high and low, 1991–2020.
159 frost days and 83 days above 20°C a year
Frost comes from October to May; in January almost every night freezes. Some 6 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
Rain and melted snow: about 1,136 mm a year
The most falls in October, the least in April. 6th wettest of 13 towns of 2,500+ on Prince Edward Island. On about 135 days a year, 1 mm or more falls.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
Snowfall: about 285 cm in a normal year
Snow falls from October to May, most of all in January (about 73 cm). 6th snowiest of 13 towns of 2,500+ on Prince Edward Island.
Snowfall by month
Centimetres
Snow on the ground by month
Centimetres at month’s end
Heating a home in North Shore
88% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: October to May.
Measured against 18°C: each day’s shortfall in mean temperature, added over twelve months.
Living with North Shore’s climate
What the normals mean for a garden, a day outside and the depth of winter.
Plant out after about 17 May; the first frost of autumn usually arrives near 18 October, leaving roughly 153 days without frost.
Highs of 17–27°C with nights of 8°C or more come in Jun, Jul, Aug and Sep.
Parks & trails →Bitter wind chill, under −20, comes on about 29 days a year.
Roughly 25 days a year feel hotter than 30 once humidity is counted.
Averages smooth over blizzards, ice storms, floods and heat waves; North Shore’s hazards page covers the risks.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: Charlottetown (Airport)
Charlottetown (Airport) is a composite: ECCC joins 2 stations’ readings to make its 1991–2020 normals.
| Distance from the town | 7.4 km south-west |
| Station altitude | 49 m |
| Completeness | at least 20 years |
| WMO standard normals | No |
| Coldest reading, 1991–2020 | −29.8°C |
| Hottest reading, 1991–2020 | 33.0°C |
| Average wind | 16.4 km/h on average, most often from the west |
| Next-nearest location | Elmwood, 23 km |
How North Shore compares
Against the 2,611 Canadian towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more, each read from its own normals location; the dots are the other locations those towns use on Prince Edward Island.
Nearby towns’ climate
Nearby places read from a different ECCC location (places on North Shore’s own would show the same figures). The nearest places to North Shore with figures are 20–25 km away.
| Town | July high | January low | Rain & snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Shore Charlottetown (Airport) | 23.6°C | −11.5°C | 1,136 mm |
| New Glasgow 20 km · New Glasgow | 23.9°C about the same | −11.1°C about the same | 1,252 mm |
| Kingston 20 km · Elmwood | 23.7°C about the same | −11.0°C 0.5°C milder | 1,290 mm |
| Morell 25 km · St. Peters/Monticello | 23.4°C about the same | −9.9°C 1.6°C milder | 1,116 mm |
North Shore 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 | −3.0°C | −11.5°C | −7.3°C | 101 mm | 73 cm |
| February | −2.9°C | −11.6°C | −7.3°C | 85 mm | 62 cm |
| March | 1.4°C | −6.5°C | −2.6°C | 84 mm | 42 cm |
| April | 7.3°C | −1.4°C | 3.0°C | 75 mm | 21 cm |
| May | 14.2°C | 3.9°C | 9.1°C | 78 mm | 2 cm |
| June | 19.5°C | 9.6°C | 14.6°C | 91 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 23.6°C | 14.4°C | 19.0°C | 82 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 23.3°C | 14.1°C | 18.8°C | 96 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 19.1°C | 10.0°C | 14.6°C | 95 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 12.6°C | 4.6°C | 8.6°C | 122 mm | 2 cm |
| November | 6.7°C | −0.2°C | 3.2°C | 110 mm | 21 cm |
| December | 0.9°C | −6.3°C | −2.7°C | 115 mm | 63 cm |
| Year | 10.2°C | 1.6°C | 5.9°C | 1,136 mm | 285 cm |
A March here can run from −23.3°C to 24.5°C
Two years in three, January’s average falls within 2.4°C of its normal of −7.3°C; August keeps to within 1.0°C.
Where North Shore’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: the 1991–2020 normals from ECCC for Charlottetown (Airport), its nearest location with complete temperatures.
- Comparisons: the towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500+ across Canada, each on its nearest normals location, without the city totals or the reserves.
- 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 North Shore’s climate
How warm does North Shore get in summer?
At its warmest, in July, the normal high is 23.6°C.
How cold does North Shore get in winter?
The coldest nights come in February, averaging −11.6°C.
How much rain and snow does North Shore get?
1,136 mm a year counting snow as water. The wettest month is October (122 mm); the driest, April (75 mm).
How long does snow stay on the ground?
Snow cover of 1 cm or more lasts about 113 days in a typical year.
Are these figures for North Shore itself?
They are the closest available: the normals for Charlottetown (Airport), since North Shore has none.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for North Shore →
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).