Climate in Île-à-la-Crosse · ECCC 1991–2020 normals

Hardly any Canadian towns see harsher January nights than Île-à-la-Crosse

High summer brings afternoon highs near 23.0°C. In July, afternoons here are cooler than in 90% of Canadian towns. From frozen January to warm July, readings climb 45°C. An umbrella or a shovel earns its place on about 87 days a year with 1 mm or more.

July afternoons: cooler than 90% of Canadian towns

January nights: colder than 98% of Canadian towns

Rain and snow a year: drier than 78% of Canadian towns

Far-off figures: ECCC’s closest normals for Île-à-la-Crosse come from Buffalo Narrows, 53 km north-west, so take them as the area’s climate.

July high

23.0°C

Typical Canadian town 25.5°C

January low

−21.9°C

Typical Canadian town −13.5°C

Rain & snow a year

459 mm

Typical Canadian town 883 mm

Snowfall a year

149 cm

Typical Canadian town 141 cm

Frost days

200

a year at 0°C or below

Frost-free days

129

21 May to 28 Sep

A year in Île-à-la-Crosse at a glance

Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.

Jan−12°C−22°CColdest nightsSnowiest

Feb−9°C−19°C

Mar−2°C−13°C

Apr7°C−4°C

May15°C3°CLast frost ~21 May

Jun20°C10°C

Jul23°C13°CWarmestWettest

Aug21°C12°C

Sep15°C6°CFirst frost ~28 Sep

Oct6°C−1°C

Nov now−4°C−10°C

Dec−11°C−19°C

What stands out about Île-à-la-Crosse’s climate

Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in Saskatchewan beside it.

Colder than 98% of Canadian townsJanuary nights average −21.9°C, the coldest of the year. 97th mildest of 105 towns of 2,500+ in Saskatchewan.Cooler than 90% of Canadian townsJuly afternoons average 23.0°C, the warmest of the year. 104th warmest of 105 towns of 2,500+ in Saskatchewan.A wider year than 88% of Canadian townsFrom January nights to July afternoons, the year spans 44.9°C.

A normal year

What a year in Île-à-la-Crosse feels like

Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals.

Winter

−11°C / −20°C

62 mm, with 74 cm of snow

Spring

7°C / −5°C

82 mm, with 39 cm of snow

Summer

22°C / 11°C

215 mm of rain and snow, the wettest season

Autumn

6°C / −2°C

100 mm, with 36 cm of snow

−30°

−20°

−10°

0°

10°

20°

30°

−12°C−22°C

−9°C−19°C

−2°C−13°C

7°C−4°C

15°C3°C

20°C10°C

23°C13°C

21°C12°C

15°C6°C

6°C−1°C

−4°C−10°C

−11°C−19°C

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Best months to be outsideJunJulAugHighs of 17–27°C and nights of 8°C or more

Frost & warm days

Frost on 200 days, 20°C on 72

From September to May frost is routine, and in January it comes on almost every night. Deep cold, under −20°C, comes on about 53 nights a year.

129 frost-free days · average dates, 1991–2020

21 May 28 Sep

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

200

Frost days a year (0°C or below)

More frosts than 90% of Canadian towns

127

Days that stay below 0°C

Nights a year below −20°C

Days a year above 20°C

Days a year above 30°C

Frost days by month

Average days at 0°C or below

JFMAMJJASOND

Days above 20°C by month

Average days

JFMAMJJASOND

Rain & snow

Rain and melted snow: about 459 mm a year

July brings the most rain and snow; February, the least. 4th wettest of 105 towns of 2,500+ in Saskatchewan.

459 mm

Rain and snow a year

Drier than 78% of Canadian towns

336 mm

Of it as rain alone (73%)

82 mm

July, the wettest month

18 mm

February, the driest month

Rain and snow by month

Millimetres

82 mm

JFMAMJJASOND

Rain alone by month

Millimetres

82 mm

JFMAMJJASOND

Snow

Snowfall: about 149 cm in a normal year

The snow season runs October to May; January brings the most, about 27 cm. The snowiest of 102 towns of 2,500+ in Saskatchewan.

149 cm

Snowfall a year

Snowier than 56% of Canadian towns

Days a year with 0.2 cm of snow or more

159

Days a year with 1 cm or more on the ground

35 cm

Snow on the ground at the end of February, the deepest month

Snowfall by month

Centimetres

27 cm

JFMAMJJASOND

Snow on the ground by month

Centimetres at month’s end

35 cm

JFMAMJJASOND

Heating

Heating a home in Île-à-la-Crosse

89% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: October to May.

6,203 heating degree days (below 18°C)a year, 1991–2020

1,454 growing degree days (above 5°C)a year, 1991–2020

A heating degree day is one degree of shortfall below 18°C for one day, summed over the year. Homes here need more heating than almost every Canadian town.

Living here

Living with Île-à-la-Crosse’s climate

Gardening, time outside, winter cold and summer heat, from the 1991–2020 normals.

The garden window

Gardens get from about 21 May to 28 September without frost, around 129 days in all.

Get outside

Afternoons of 17–27°C and nights of at least 8°C arrive in Jun, Jul and Aug.

Parks & trails →

Wind chill

Winter brings about 85 days with a wind chill below −20.

Humidex

A humidex above 30 marks about 7 days in a normal year.

Storms and extremes

Extremes don’t show in averages: floods, wildfire smoke and ice storms are on Île-à-la-Crosse’s hazards page.

Flood & hazards →

Weather station

ECCC’s normals location: Buffalo Narrows

Buffalo Narrows is a composite: ECCC joins 3 stations’ readings to make its 1991–2020 normals.

Distance from the town	53 km north-west
Station altitude	434 m
Completeness	meets the WMO “3 and 5” rule
WMO standard normals	Yes
Coldest reading, 1991–2020	−47.0°C
Hottest reading, 1991–2020	36.0°C
Average wind	10.9 km/h on average, most often from the south
Next-nearest location	Meadow Lake, 148 km

Compared with other towns

How Île-à-la-Crosse 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.

July afternoons23.0°C

Île-à-la-CrosseMedian Canadian town

20°C22°C24°C26°C28°C

Cooler than 90% of Canadian towns104th warmest of 105 towns of 2,500+ in Saskatchewan

January nights−21.9°C

Île-à-la-CrosseMedian Canadian town

−25°C−20°C−15°C−10°C

Colder than 98% of Canadian towns97th mildest of 105 towns of 2,500+ in Saskatchewan

Rain and snow a year459 mm

Île-à-la-CrosseMedian Canadian town

05001,0001,500

Drier than 78% of Canadian towns4th wettest of 105 towns of 2,500+ in Saskatchewan

Snowfall a year149 cm

Île-à-la-CrosseMedian Canadian town

0100200300

Snowier than 56% of Canadian townsThe snowiest of 102 towns of 2,500+ in Saskatchewan

Next door

Nearby towns’ climate

Places around Île-à-la-Crosse whose figures come from another normals location. No closer places have figures: these lie 84–156 km from Île-à-la-Crosse.

Town	July high	January low	Rain & snow
Île-à-la-Crosse Buffalo Narrows	23.0°C	−21.9°C	459 mm
Pinehouse 84 km · La Ronge	23.5°C 0.5°C warmer	−23.3°C 1.4°C colder	514 mm
Beaver River No. 622 147 km · Cold Lake	23.6°C 0.6°C warmer	−19.6°C 2.3°C milder	437 mm
Meadow Lake 152 km · Meadow Lake	23.7°C 0.7°C warmer	−22.8°C 0.9°C colder	407 mm

Month by month

Île-à-la-Crosse 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	−12.4°C	−21.9°C	−17.2°C	22 mm	27 cm
February	−8.9°C	−19.4°C	−14.2°C	18 mm	21 cm
March	−1.7°C	−13.3°C	−7.5°C	18 mm	19 cm
April	7.3°C	−4.0°C	1.6°C	26 mm	17 cm
May	15.2°C	3.1°C	9.2°C	38 mm	3 cm
June	20.3°C	9.9°C	15.1°C	70 mm	0 cm
July	23.0°C	12.7°C	17.9°C	82 mm	0 cm
August	21.4°C	11.7°C	16.6°C	62 mm	0 cm
September	15.3°C	6.2°C	10.8°C	47 mm	under 1 cm
October	6.3°C	−0.6°C	2.9°C	29 mm	10 cm
November	−3.7°C	−10.2°C	−7.0°C	24 mm	25 cm
December	−10.5°C	−18.7°C	−14.6°C	22 mm	27 cm
Year	6.0°C	−3.7°C	1.1°C	459 mm	149 cm

Year to year

A December here can run warm or cold, its average moving by about 4.5°C; the steadiest month is June

The thirty-year records stretch furthest in March: a low of −43.5°C in 1995 and a high of 18.0°C in 2004.

−50°

−40°

−30°

−20°

−10°

0°

10°

20°

30°

40°

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Record low to record high, 1991–2020Normal

Sources

Where Île-à-la-Crosse’s numbers come from

Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.

Normals: 1991–2020 normals for Buffalo Narrows from ECCC’s climate data site, the nearest location with every month of temperature.
Comparisons: a pool of Canadian towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more, read alike; whole cities and reserves stay out of it.
Not on this page: hours of sunshine, missing from the 1991–2020 normals, and a height correction: the town has no elevation on file.

Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence. Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada

Questions about Île-à-la-Crosse’s climate

How warm does Île-à-la-Crosse get in summer?

Summer peaks in July: a typical afternoon reaches 23.0°C.

How cold does Île-à-la-Crosse get in winter?

On a normal January night the air drops to −21.9°C, the coldest of the year.

How much rain and snow does Île-à-la-Crosse get?

Measured as water, a year brings 459 mm: 82 mm in July, the wettest month, and 18 mm in February, the driest.

How long does snow stay on the ground?

Roughly 159 days a year start with snow cover of 1 cm or more.

Are these figures for Île-à-la-Crosse itself?

They are the figures for Buffalo Narrows, which read better as the region’s climate than Île-à-la-Crosse’s own.

Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for Île-à-la-Crosse →

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).