Summer arrives in force in Gatineau, hotter than in 78% of Canadian towns
Nights in January average −14.0°C. Its yearly rain and snow top those of 60% of Canadian towns. The gap between a January night and a July afternoon is 41°C. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings come into their own from May to September, with highs of 19–27°C.
ECCC publishes no normals for Gatineau itself; the figures are those of Ottawa (City), 9.6 km south.
A year in Gatineau at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Gatineau’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in Quebec beside it.
What a year in Gatineau feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals.
Frost on 147 days, 20°C on 121
From October to April frost is routine, and in January it comes on almost every night. On about 15 nights a year the air falls below −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 938 mm a year
June is the wettest month and February the driest. About 120 days a year bring 1 mm 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 Gatineau
93% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: October to April.
Every day colder than 18°C on average adds its gap in degrees to the year’s heating total.
Living with Gatineau’s climate
What the normals mean for a garden, a day outside and the depth of winter.
A normal year gives the garden about 158 frost-free days, roughly 30 April to 6 October.
Warm afternoons without cold nights, 17–27°C and 8°C or more, mark May, Jun, Jul, Aug and Sep.
Parks & trails →A wind chill below −20 is part of about 39 days a year here.
Humid heat, a humidex over 30, comes on about 50 days a year.
For blizzards, floods and wildfire, turn to Gatineau’s hazards page.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: Ottawa (City)
ECCC builds the Ottawa (City) normals from 2 stations’ records over 1991–2020, joined where one replaced another.
| Distance from the town | 9.6 km south |
| 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 | Angers, 15 km |
How Gatineau compares
Compared with 2,611 towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more across Canada; the dots mark the other normals locations in Quebec.
Nearby towns’ climate
Places around Gatineau whose figures come from another normals location. Distances here run 11–29 km: that is how far the nearest places with figures are from Gatineau.
Gatineau weather by month
Each month’s normals, 1991–2020: high, low, mean, precipitation and 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 |
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 Gatineau’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: the 2,500-plus towns and neighbourhoods of Canada, each read from its closest normals location; whole cities and reserves aren’t counted.
- Not on this page: sunshine (no 1991–2020 normals exist for it) and any altitude adjustment, since there is no elevation for the town itself.
Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence. Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada
Questions about Gatineau’s climate
How warm does Gatineau get in summer?
Midsummer means July, with afternoons near 26.7°C on a typical day.
How cold does Gatineau get in winter?
On a normal January night the air drops to −14.0°C, the coldest of the year.
How much rain and snow does Gatineau get?
Count on roughly 938 mm a year, heaviest in June (95 mm) and lightest in February (52 mm).
How long does snow stay on the ground?
About 115 days a year count as snow-covered, with 1 cm or more.
Are these figures for Gatineau itself?
They describe Ottawa (City), the nearest normals location, rather than Gatineau itself.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Gatineau →
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).