Photo: rd laloche · CC BY 2.0La Loche sits near the bottom of Canadian towns for winter warmth
High summer brings afternoon highs near 23.0°C. Of the 104 towns of 2,500+ in Saskatchewan, it has the coolest July afternoons. Some 45°C separates winter nights from summer afternoons. Homes need heating from October to May, the months averaging under 10°C.
La Loche has no ECCC normals station nearby: the figures come from Buffalo Narrows, 96 km south-east, so read them as the wider area’s climate.
A year in La Loche at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about La Loche’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in Saskatchewan beside it.
What a year in La Loche feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals.
200 frost days and 72 days above 20°C a year
The frost season runs September to May, and January freezes nearly every night. Some 53 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
Rain and melted snow: about 459 mm a year
July is the wettest month and February the driest. 4th wettest of 104 towns of 2,500+ in Saskatchewan. On about 87 days a year, 1 mm or more falls.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
Rain alone by month
Millimetres
149 cm of snow in a typical year
The snow season runs October to May; January brings the most, about 27 cm. The snowiest of 101 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 La Loche
89% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: October to May.
A day averaging 10 degrees under 18°C adds 10 to the total; warm days add nothing. In heating terms, homes need more heating than almost every Canadian town.
Living with La Loche’s climate
Gardening, time outside, winter cold and summer heat, from the 1991–2020 normals.
On average the last spring frost comes around 21 May and the first autumn frost around 28 September: about 129 frost-free days between.
For long days outdoors, Jun, Jul and Aug bring highs of 17–27°C and lows of 8°C or more.
Parks & trails →A wind chill below −20 is part of about 85 days a year here.
Count on some 7 humid days a year with the humidex past 30.
A normal year has no blizzard, flood or heat wave in it; La Loche’s hazards page looks at those.
Flood & hazards →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 | 96 km south-east |
| 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 | Fort McMurray, 111 km |
How La Loche compares
Compared with 2,611 towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more across Canada; the dots mark the other normals locations in Saskatchewan.
Nearby towns’ climate
Nearby places read from a different ECCC location (places on La Loche’s own would show the same figures). The one place listed is 125 km from La Loche, the nearest with figures.
| Town | July high | January low | Rain & snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Loche Buffalo Narrows | 23.0°C | −21.9°C | 459 mm |
| Fort McMurray 125 km · Fort McMurray | 23.9°C 0.9°C warmer | −22.3°C about the same | 405 mm |
La Loche weather by month
Month by month, 1991–2020: the usual high, low and mean, the rain and snow, and the snowfall.
| 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 |
From −43.5°C to 18.0°C: March’s coldest and warmest days since 1991
The month to count on least is December: one year in three its average strays more than 4.5°C from −14.6°C. June moves least, typically by 1.1°C.
Where La Loche’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: ECCC’s normals for Buffalo Narrows, 1991–2020, chosen as the nearest location with a full temperature record.
- Comparisons: all Canadian places of 2,500 or more except city totals and reserves, each read the same way.
- 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 La Loche’s climate
How warm does La Loche get in summer?
Expect highs near 23.0°C in July, the hottest month on average.
How cold does La Loche get in winter?
Overnight lows average −21.9°C in January, the coldest month.
How much rain and snow does La Loche 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?
In a normal winter there are about 159 days with at least 1 cm of snow lying.
Are these figures for La Loche itself?
They are the figures for Buffalo Narrows, which read better as the region’s climate than La Loche’s own.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for La Loche →
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).