Climate in Yellowknife, Canada

Yellowknife, Canada has a subarctic climate. The annual average temperature is about -2.1°C, with around 1462 hours of sunshine; the national rainfall baseline is roughly 599 mm across 76 rainy days a year. The warmest month is Jul (highs near 16.9°C) and the coldest is Jan (lows near -21.1°C). These are deterministic planning estimates, not a forecast or measured station data. Temperature and sunshine follow the city's latitude; rainfall and the climate zone come from a country-level baseline that every city in the country shares (refined by region in the United States, Canada and Australia), so they do not show local differences. Check current conditions with an official meteorological service before travel.

Data year 2025; last updated 2026-05-16.

Yellowknife is classified as Subarctic. The classification combines the city’s own temperature range, which follows its latitude, with a rainfall pattern taken at country level for Canada — so cities in the same country usually share a zone.

The rainfall baseline for Canada is about 599 mm a year over roughly 76 rainy days, with the wettest month Aug and the driest Feb. This figure is not specific to Yellowknife: every city in Canada carries the same baseline, so it will not show the difference between, say, a dry inland city and a wet coastal one. Use an official meteorological service for local rainfall.

Yellowknife sees an estimated 1462 hours of sunshine a year, concentrated in the warmer months around Jul.

By temperature and rainfall, the most comfortable months in Yellowknife are Jul, Jun, Aug. Conditions vary year to year — verify with a current forecast before booking.

Yellowknife has a climate comfort score of 42/100, a challenging year-round climate by this measure. The score weights mild temperatures most, then rainfall balance, sunshine, low seasonality, and the absence of extreme winter cold or summer heat.