Climate and Average Weather Year Round at Halifax Stanfield International Airport CanadaAt Halifax Stanfield International Airport, the summers are comfortable, the winters are freezing and snowy, and it is partly cloudy year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 14°F to 75°F and is rarely below 0°F or above 83°F. Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Halifax Stanfield International Airport for warm-weather activities is from late June to early September. Average Temperature at Halifax Stanfield International AirportThe warm season lasts for 3.3 months, from June 8 to September 18, with an average daily high temperature above 66°F. The hottest month of the year at Halifax Stanfield International Airport is July, with an average high of 74°F and low of 59°F. The cold season lasts for 3.4 months, from December 5 to March 18, with an average daily high temperature below 38°F. The coldest month of the year at Halifax Stanfield International Airport is January, with an average low of 16°F and high of 30°F.
The figure below shows you a compact characterization of the entire year of hourly average temperatures. The horizontal axis is the day of the year, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the color is the average temperature for that hour and day. Tomakomai, Japan (6,201 miles away) is the far-away foreign place with temperatures most similar to Halifax Stanfield International Airport (view comparison). CloudsAt Halifax Stanfield International Airport, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year. The clearer part of the year at Halifax Stanfield International Airport begins around June 19 and lasts for 4.4 months, ending around November 1. The clearest month of the year at Halifax Stanfield International Airport is September, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 58% of the time. The cloudier part of the year begins around November 1 and lasts for 7.6 months, ending around June 19. The cloudiest month of the year at Halifax Stanfield International Airport is February, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 62% of the time.
PrecipitationHalifax Stanfield International Airport does not experience significant seasonal variation in the frequency of wet days (i.e., those with greater than 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation). The frequency ranges from 24% to 32%, with an average value of 28%. Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation at Halifax Stanfield International Airport changes throughout the year. Rain alone is the most common for 11 months, from February 15 to January 20. The month with the most days of rain alone at Halifax Stanfield International Airport is June, with an average of 8.8 days. Snow alone is the most common for 3.7 weeks, from January 20 to February 15. The month with the most days of snow alone at Halifax Stanfield International Airport is January, with an average of 3.0 days.
RainfallTo show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Halifax Stanfield International Airport experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly rainfall. Rain falls throughout the year at Halifax Stanfield International Airport. The month with the most rain at Halifax Stanfield International Airport is November, with an average rainfall of 3.5 inches. The month with the least rain at Halifax Stanfield International Airport is February, with an average rainfall of 1.5 inches.
SnowfallAs with rainfall, we consider the snowfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Halifax Stanfield International Airport experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly snowfall. The snowy period of the year lasts for 5.8 months, from November 4 to April 27, with a sliding 31-day snowfall of at least 1.0 inches. The month with the most snow at Halifax Stanfield International Airport is January, with an average snowfall of 10.1 inches. The snowless period of the year lasts for 6.2 months, from April 27 to November 4. The least snow falls around August 1, with an average total accumulation of 0.0 inches.
SunThe length of the day at Halifax Stanfield International Airport varies significantly over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 8 hours, 47 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 20, with 15 hours, 36 minutes of daylight.
The earliest sunrise is at 5:27 AM on June 15, and the latest sunrise is 2 hours, 27 minutes later at 7:54 AM on November 2. The earliest sunset is at 4:32 PM on December 9, and the latest sunset is 4 hours, 32 minutes later at 9:04 PM on June 25. Daylight saving time (DST) is observed at Halifax Stanfield International Airport during 2024, starting in the spring on March 10, lasting 7.8 months, and ending in the fall on November 3. The figure below presents a compact representation of the sun's elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon) and azimuth (its compass bearing) for every hour of every day in the reporting period. The horizontal axis is the day of the year and the vertical axis is the hour of the day. For a given day and hour of that day, the background color indicates the azimuth of the sun at that moment. The black isolines are contours of constant solar elevation. MoonThe figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases. HumidityWe base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night. Halifax Stanfield International Airport experiences some seasonal variation in the perceived humidity. The muggier period of the year lasts for 3.0 months, from June 24 to September 24, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 4% of the time. The month with the most muggy days at Halifax Stanfield International Airport is August, with 3.9 days that are muggy or worse. The least muggy day of the year is March 9, when muggy conditions are essentially unheard of.
WindThis section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages. The average hourly wind speed at Halifax Stanfield International Airport experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year. The windier part of the year lasts for 6.7 months, from October 3 to April 25, with average wind speeds of more than 7.3 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year at Halifax Stanfield International Airport is January, with an average hourly wind speed of 8.7 miles per hour. The calmer time of year lasts for 5.3 months, from April 25 to October 3. The calmest month of the year at Halifax Stanfield International Airport is July, with an average hourly wind speed of 6.0 miles per hour.
The predominant average hourly wind direction at Halifax Stanfield International Airport varies throughout the year. The wind is most often from the north for 1.0 weeks, from April 22 to April 29, with a peak percentage of 29% on April 28. The wind is most often from the south for 3.0 months, from April 29 to July 28, with a peak percentage of 43% on July 14. The wind is most often from the west for 8.8 months, from July 28 to April 22, with a peak percentage of 47% on January 1. Water TemperatureHalifax Stanfield International Airport is located near a large body of water (e.g., ocean, sea, or large lake). This section reports on the wide-area average surface temperature of that water. The average water temperature experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year. The time of year with warmer water lasts for 3.0 months, from July 11 to October 12, with an average temperature above 56°F. The month of the year at Halifax Stanfield International Airport with the warmest water is August, with an average temperature of 61°F. The time of year with cooler water lasts for 4.4 months, from December 26 to May 8, with an average temperature below 38°F. The month of the year at Halifax Stanfield International Airport with the coolest water is March, with an average temperature of 33°F.
Best Time of Year to VisitTo characterize how pleasant the weather is at Halifax Stanfield International Airport throughout the year, we compute two travel scores. The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Halifax Stanfield International Airport for general outdoor tourist activities is from late June to early September, with a peak score in the second week of August. Tourism Score at Halifax Stanfield International AirportThe beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Halifax Stanfield International Airport for hot-weather activities is from mid July to mid August, with a peak score in the first week of August. Beach/Pool Score at Halifax Stanfield International AirportMethodologyFor each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016), independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation. Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed. Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies. Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more. Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter. Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter. Growing SeasonDefinitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere). The growing season at Halifax Stanfield International Airport typically lasts for 5.7 months (175 days), from around May 1 to around October 23, rarely starting before April 14 or after May 19, and rarely ending before October 3 or after November 11. Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F. Based on growing degree days alone, the first spring blooms at Halifax Stanfield International Airport should appear around May 21, only rarely appearing before May 11 or after May 31. Solar EnergyThis section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation. The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences extreme seasonal variation over the course of the year. The brighter period of the year lasts for 3.3 months, from May 13 to August 22, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 5.5 kWh. The brightest month of the year at Halifax Stanfield International Airport is June, with an average of 6.4 kWh. The darker period of the year lasts for 3.6 months, from October 29 to February 16, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 2.3 kWh. The darkest month of the year at Halifax Stanfield International Airport is December, with an average of 1.3 kWh.
TopographyFor the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Halifax Stanfield International Airport are 44.884 deg latitude, -63.512 deg longitude, and 443 ft elevation. The topography within 2 miles of Halifax Stanfield International Airport contains only modest variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 348 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 381 feet. Within 10 miles contains only modest variations in elevation (663 feet). Within 50 miles contains significant variations in elevation (1,181 feet). The area within 2 miles of Halifax Stanfield International Airport is covered by trees (72%), herbaceous vegetation (11%), and grassland (11%), within 10 miles by trees (87%), and within 50 miles by trees (57%) and water (35%). Data SourcesThis report illustrates the typical weather at Halifax Stanfield International Airport, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016. Temperature and Dew PointHalifax Stanfield International Airport has a weather station that reported reliably enough during the analysis period that we have included it in our network. When available, historical temperature and dew point measurements are taken directly from this weather station. These records are obtained from NOAA's Integrated Surface Hourly data set, falling back on ICAO METAR records as required. In the case of missing or erroneous measurements from this station, we fall back on records from nearby stations, adjusted according to typical seasonal and diurnal intra-station differences. For a given day of the year and hour of the day, the fallback station is selected to minimize the prediction error over the years for which there are measurements for both stations. The stations on which we may fall back include but are not limited to Shearwater Airport; Shearwater Jetty; McNabs Island , N. S.; Truro, N. S.; Upper Stewiacke Rcs; Liverpool South Shore Regional Airport; Kentville , N. S.; and Parrsboro. Other DataAll data relating to the Sun's position (e.g., sunrise and sunset) are computed using astronomical formulas from the book, Astronomical Algorithms 2nd Edition , by Jean Meeus. All other weather data, including cloud cover, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and solar flux, come from NASA's MERRA-2 Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis . This reanalysis combines a variety of wide-area measurements in a state-of-the-art global meteorological model to reconstruct the hourly history of weather throughout the world on a 50-kilometer grid. Land Use data comes from the Global Land Cover SHARE database , published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Elevation data comes from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) , published by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Names, locations, and time zones of places and some airports come from the GeoNames Geographical Database . Time zones for airports and weather stations are provided by AskGeo.com . Maps are © OpenStreetMap contributors. DisclaimerThe information on this site is provided as is, without any assurances as to its accuracy or suitability for any purpose. Weather data is prone to errors, outages, and other defects. We assume no responsibility for any decisions made on the basis of the content presented on this site. We draw particular cautious attention to our reliance on the MERRA-2 model-based reconstructions for a number of important data series. While having the tremendous advantages of temporal and spatial completeness, these reconstructions: (1) are based on computer models that may have model-based errors, (2) are coarsely sampled on a 50 km grid and are therefore unable to reconstruct the local variations of many microclimates, and (3) have particular difficulty with the weather in some coastal areas, especially small islands. We further caution that our travel scores are only as good as the data that underpin them, that weather conditions at any given location and time are unpredictable and variable, and that the definition of the scores reflects a particular set of preferences that may not agree with those of any particular reader. Please review our full terms contained on our Terms of Service page. |