Precipitation in Québec tops that of 87% of Canadian towns: 1,173 mm a year
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 25.1°C. The wettest month is July; the driest is February. Its January nights bite harder than in 73% of Canadian towns. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from October to April, when means dip under 10°C.
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals, measured at Ste-Foy (U. Laval), 6.8 km south.
A year in Québec at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Québec’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in Quebec beside it.
What a year in Québec feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals.
162 frost days and 101 days above 20°C a year
The frost season runs October to May, and January freezes nearly every night. Some 21 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
About 1,173 mm of rain and snow a year
About 135 days a year bring 1 mm or more.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Ste-Foy (U. Laval) publishes no full year of precipitation, so these figures come from Québec Jean Lesage (Airport), 7.8 km away.
About 299 cm of snow a year
The snow season runs October to April; December brings the most, about 77 cm.
Snowfall by month
Centimetres
ECCC’s Ste-Foy (U. Laval) normals leave snowfall out; the figures here come from Lauzon, 15 km away.
Heating a home in Québec
92% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: October to April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s mean temperature falls below 18°C over a year.
Living with Québec’s climate
The averages read for the garden, the outdoors and the coldest and hottest days.
Warm afternoons without cold nights, 17–27°C and 8°C or more, mark Jun, Jul, Aug and Sep.
Parks & trails →Plan for about 39 days a year with a wind chill below −20.
Roughly 31 days a year feel hotter than 30 once humidity is counted.
Ice storms, floods and heat waves are risks, not averages: they are on Québec’s hazards page.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: Ste-Foy (U. Laval)
Ste-Foy (U. Laval) is a composite: ECCC joins 2 stations’ readings to make its 1991–2020 normals.
| Distance from the town | 6.8 km south |
| Station altitude | 79 m |
| Completeness | meets the WMO “3 and 5” rule |
| WMO standard normals | No |
| Precipitation from | Québec Jean Lesage (Airport), 7.8 km |
| Snowfall from | Lauzon, 15 km |
| Coldest reading, 1991–2020 | −33.8°C |
| Hottest reading, 1991–2020 | 35.3°C |
| Average wind | 9.9 km/h on average, most often from the south-west |
| Next-nearest location | Québec Jean Lesage (Airport), 7.8 km |
How Québec 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
Nearby places read from a different ECCC location (places on Québec’s own would show the same figures). Québec has few close neighbours with figures, so the list reaches 6–13 km out.
| Town | July high | January low | Rain & snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Québec Ste-Foy (U. Laval) | 25.1°C | −15.6°C | 1,173 mm |
| L'Ancienne-Lorette 5.8 km · Québec Jean Lesage (Airport) | 25.0°C about the same | −16.7°C 1.1°C colder | 1,173 mm |
| Boischatel 13 km · Lauzon | 24.9°C about the same | −16.6°C 1.0°C colder | 1,216 mm |
Québec weather by month
Each month’s normals, 1991–2020: high, low, mean, precipitation and snowfall.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain & snow | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −7.1°C | −15.6°C | −11.3°C | 87 mm | 62 cm |
| February | −4.8°C | −14.4°C | −9.6°C | 66 mm | 71 cm |
| March | 0.8°C | −8.4°C | −3.8°C | 78 mm | 51 cm |
| April | 8.4°C | −0.6°C | 4.0°C | 94 mm | 12 cm |
| May | 17.5°C | 6.5°C | 12.0°C | 92 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 22.5°C | 11.7°C | 17.1°C | 115 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 25.1°C | 14.8°C | 20.0°C | 119 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 24.2°C | 13.9°C | 19.1°C | 109 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 19.4°C | 9.2°C | 14.3°C | 111 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 11.1°C | 3.2°C | 7.2°C | 116 mm | 2 cm |
| November | 4.0°C | −2.7°C | 0.7°C | 91 mm | 24 cm |
| December | −3.2°C | −10.2°C | −6.7°C | 96 mm | 77 cm |
| Year | 9.8°C | 0.6°C | 5.2°C | 1,173 mm | 299 cm |
In March, anything from −27.7°C to 20.4°C
Two years in three, January’s average falls within 2.8°C of its normal of −11.3°C; August keeps to within 1.0°C.
Where Québec’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: the 1991–2020 normals from ECCC for Ste-Foy (U. Laval), its nearest location with complete temperatures.
- Other locations: precipitation and snowfall come from the nearest location that publishes all twelve months of them, as named above.
- Comparisons: every place of 2,500+ in Canada but the city hubs and the reserves, each on its nearest ECCC location.
- Not on this page: sunshine, which none of ECCC’s 450 locations publishes for 1991–2020, and the town’s own height above sea level, so no figure is adjusted for altitude.
Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence. Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada
Questions about Québec’s climate
How warm does Québec get in summer?
Afternoons average 25.1°C in July, the warmest time of year.
How cold does Québec get in winter?
Winter bottoms out in January, with lows near −15.6°C.
How much rain and snow does Québec get?
Count on roughly 1,173 mm a year, heaviest in July (119 mm) and lightest in February (66 mm).
Are these figures for Québec itself?
Yes, measured at Ste-Foy (U. Laval), which sits inside Québec’s boundary.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Québec →
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).