Photo: William Matheson from Bedford, Nova Scotia, Canada · CC BY-SA 2.0West River is wetter than 93% of Canadian towns: 1,290 mm of rain and snow a year
The coldest hours of a January night bottom out at −11.0°C on average. The seasons are far apart: from a winter night to a summer afternoon the average spans 35°C. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 71% of Canadian towns. Ice scrapers and block heaters earn their keep on roughly 157 days a year at 0°C or below.
Borrowed figures: West River has no normals station, so these come from Elmwood, 11 km north-west.
A year in West River at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about West River’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ on Prince Edward Island beside it.
What a year in West River feels like
Each season’s and each month’s usual high and low, 1991–2020.
Frost on 157 days, 20°C on 86
The frost season runs October to May, and January freezes nearly every night. Deep cold, under −20°C, comes on about 5 nights a year.
Frost days by month
Average days at 0°C or below
Days above 20°C by month
Average days
1,290 mm of precipitation in a typical year
December brings the most rain and snow; July, the least. The wettest of 12 towns of 2,500+ on Prince Edward Island. About 139 days a year bring 1 mm or more.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
Snowfall: about 313 cm in a normal year
Snow falls from October to May, most of all in January (about 74 cm). The snowiest of 12 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 West River
88% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: October to May.
Each day the mean sits under 18°C adds its shortfall; a year’s total is its heating degree days.
Living with West River’s climate
What the normals mean for a garden, a day outside and the depth of winter.
For long days outdoors, Jun, Jul, Aug and Sep bring highs of 17–27°C and lows of 8°C or more.
Parks & trails →A normal year has no blizzard, flood or heat wave in it; West River’s hazards page looks at those.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: Elmwood
Elmwood is one of the 450 places where ECCC publishes 1991–2020 normals.
| Distance from the town | 11 km north-west |
| Station altitude | 67 m |
| Completeness | at least 15 years |
| WMO standard normals | No |
| Coldest reading, 1991–2020 | −29.0°C |
| Hottest reading, 1991–2020 | 33.0°C |
| Next-nearest location | Charlottetown (Airport), 18 km |
How West River compares
Placed among 2,611 Canadian towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500+, each on its nearest normals location; each dot is another location used on Prince Edward Island.
Nearby towns’ climate
Nearby places read from a different ECCC location (places on West River’s own would show the same figures).
West River 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 | −3.0°C | −11.0°C | −7.0°C | 109 mm | 74 cm |
| February | −2.7°C | −10.8°C | −6.8°C | 103 mm | 70 cm |
| March | 1.4°C | −6.1°C | −2.3°C | 102 mm | 52 cm |
| April | 7.5°C | −0.5°C | 3.5°C | 99 mm | 25 cm |
| May | 14.6°C | 4.6°C | 9.7°C | 96 mm | 3 cm |
| June | 19.8°C | 10.1°C | 15.0°C | 95 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 23.7°C | 14.7°C | 19.2°C | 89 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 23.3°C | 14.3°C | 18.9°C | 103 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 19.4°C | 10.5°C | 15.0°C | 111 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 12.6°C | 5.2°C | 8.9°C | 122 mm | 2 cm |
| November | 6.7°C | 0.1°C | 3.4°C | 119 mm | 21 cm |
| December | 1.1°C | −5.6°C | −2.3°C | 143 mm | 66 cm |
| Year | 10.4°C | 2.1°C | 6.3°C | 1,290 mm | 313 cm |
In March, anything from −24.0°C to 23.5°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 (±2.4°C around −7.0°C), August the one that wanders least (±1.0°C).
Where West River’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: the 1991–2020 Canadian Climate Normals at Elmwood, the closest ECCC location with twelve months of temperature normals.
- 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: 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 West River’s climate
How warm does West River get in summer?
Summer peaks in July: a typical afternoon reaches 23.7°C.
How cold does West River get in winter?
Midwinter means January, when a typical night reaches −11.0°C.
How much rain and snow does West River get?
About 1,290 mm a year, rain and melted snow together. December is the wettest month (143 mm) and July the driest (89 mm).
How long does snow stay on the ground?
About 116 days a year have 1 cm of snow or more on the ground.
Are these figures for West River itself?
No, the station behind them is Elmwood, beyond West River’s boundary.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for West River →
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).