Big River No. 555 is among the frostiest of Canadian towns
Sunny July days climb to about 23.7°C. Its yearly rain and snow fall short of 94% of Canadian towns. Precipitation peaks in July and eases off in February. Plan time outside for July and August, when highs sit at 23–24°C.
Far-off figures: ECCC’s closest normals for Big River No. 555 come from Meadow Lake, 77 km north-west, so take them as the area’s climate.
A year in Big River No. 555 at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about Big River No. 555’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in Saskatchewan beside it.
What a year in Big River No. 555 feels like
Seasons and months as ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals give them: a typical day’s high and low.
Frost on 217 days, 20°C on 91
The frost season runs September to May, and January freezes nearly every night. Some 61 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
407 mm of precipitation in a typical year
Some 72 days a year see 1 mm of rain or snow or more.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
Snowfall: about 125 cm in a normal year
The snow season runs October to May; December brings the most, about 24 cm. 8th snowiest of 102 towns of 2,500+ in Saskatchewan.
Snowfall by month
Centimetres
Snow on the ground by month
Centimetres at month’s end
Heating a home in Big River No. 555
88% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: October to May.
Heating degree days total each day’s gap between its mean temperature and 18°C. In heating terms, homes need more heating than almost every Canadian town.
Living with Big River No. 555’s climate
Gardening, time outside, winter cold and summer heat, from the 1991–2020 normals.
Seedlings can go out once the average last frost, around 30 May, has passed; autumn’s first, near 4 September, ends a season of about 97 days.
For long days outdoors, Jul and Aug bring highs of 17–27°C and lows of 8°C or more.
Parks & trails →On some 89 days a year the wind chill drops past −20; mitts and a scarf earn their place.
On some 14 days a year the humidex climbs past 30.
Extremes don’t show in averages: floods, wildfire smoke and ice storms are on Big River No. 555’s hazards page.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: Meadow Lake
Meadow Lake is a composite: ECCC joins 3 stations’ readings to make its 1991–2020 normals.
| Distance from the town | 77 km north-west |
| Station altitude | 481 m |
| Completeness | meets the WMO “3 and 5” rule |
| WMO standard normals | No |
| Coldest reading, 1991–2020 | −50.0°C |
| Hottest reading, 1991–2020 | 38.0°C |
| Average wind | 12.3 km/h on average, most often from the west |
| Next-nearest location | Prince Albert, 112 km |
How Big River No. 555 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 in Saskatchewan.
Nearby towns’ climate
Nearby places read from a different ECCC location (places on Big River No. 555’s own would show the same figures). The nearest places to Big River No. 555 with figures are 47–77 km away.
| Town | July high | January low | Rain & snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big River No. 555 Meadow Lake | 23.7°C | −22.8°C | 407 mm |
| Canwood No. 494 47 km · Prince Albert | 24.2°C 0.5°C warmer | −22.8°C about the same | 432 mm |
| Spiritwood 66 km · North Battleford | 24.3°C 0.6°C warmer | −20.6°C 2.2°C milder | 383 mm |
Big River No. 555 weather by month
Each month’s normals, 1991–2020: high, low, mean, precipitation and snowfall.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain & snow | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −10.7°C | −22.8°C | −16.8°C | 17 mm | 23 cm |
| February | −7.8°C | −21.2°C | −14.5°C | 10 mm | 15 cm |
| March | −0.7°C | −14.0°C | −7.4°C | 13 mm | 15 cm |
| April | 9.1°C | −4.1°C | 2.5°C | 25 mm | 16 cm |
| May | 17.3°C | 1.7°C | 9.5°C | 38 mm | 2 cm |
| June | 21.2°C | 7.5°C | 14.4°C | 76 mm | under 1 cm |
| July | 23.7°C | 9.8°C | 16.8°C | 76 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 22.7°C | 8.1°C | 15.4°C | 61 mm | under 1 cm |
| September | 17.2°C | 3.0°C | 10.1°C | 37 mm | 1 cm |
| October | 8.5°C | −3.4°C | 2.6°C | 22 mm | 9 cm |
| November | −2.1°C | −12.0°C | −7.1°C | 17 mm | 22 cm |
| December | −9.0°C | −20.4°C | −14.7°C | 17 mm | 24 cm |
| Year | 7.5°C | −5.7°C | 0.9°C | 407 mm | 125 cm |
December varies most from one year to the next (4.7°C), June least
Bars run from each month’s record low to its record high since 1991. April spans the most, from −32.4°C (2020) to 29.5°C (2001).
Where Big River No. 555’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: 1991–2020 normals for Meadow Lake from ECCC’s climate data site, the nearest location with every month of temperature.
- Comparisons: every Canadian town and neighbourhood of 2,500 or more, each read from its own nearest location; city totals and reserves are left out.
- 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 Big River No. 555’s climate
How warm does Big River No. 555 get in summer?
At its warmest, in July, the normal high is 23.7°C.
How cold does Big River No. 555 get in winter?
The coldest nights come in January, averaging −22.8°C.
How much rain and snow does Big River No. 555 get?
Rain and snow, with snow counted as water, total 407 mm a year; July leads with 76 mm and February trails with 10 mm.
How long does snow stay on the ground?
About 152 days a year have 1 cm of snow or more on the ground.
Are these figures for Big River No. 555 itself?
They are the figures for Meadow Lake, which read better as the region’s climate than Big River No. 555’s own.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Big River No. 555 →
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).