This report describes the typical weather at the Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada) weather station over the course of an average year. It is based on the historical records from 1982 to 2012. Earlier records are either unavailable or unreliable.

Winnipeg, Manitoba has a humid continental climate with warm summers and no dry season. The area within 25 mi of this station is covered by croplands (88%), grasslands (9%), and built-up areas (3%).

Over the course of a year, the temperature typically varies from -6°F to 79°F and is rarely below -25°F or above 87°F.

Daily High and Low Temperature

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The daily average low (blue) and high (red) temperature with percentile bands (inner band from 25th to 75th percentile, outer band from 10th to 90th percentile).

The warm season lasts from May 19 to September 17 with an average daily high temperature above 65°F. The hottest day of the year is July 29, with an average high of 79°F and low of 58°F.

The cold season lasts from November 26 to March 6 with an average daily high temperature below 24°F. The coldest day of the year is January 21, with an average low of -6°F and high of 11°F.

Fraction of Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands

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The average fraction of time spent in various temperature bands: frigid (below 15°F), freezing (15°F to 32°F), cold (32°F to 50°F), cool (50°F to 65°F), comfortable (65°F to 75°F), warm (75°F to 85°F), hot (85°F to 100°F) and sweltering (above 100°F).

The length of the day varies significantly over the course of the year. The shortest day is December 21 with 8:04 hours of daylight; the longest day is June 20 with 16:22 hours of daylight.

Daily Hours of Daylight and Twilight

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The number of hours during which the Sun is visible (black line), with various degrees of daylight, twilight, and night, indicated by the color bands. From bottom (most yellow) to top (most gray): full daylight, solar twilight (Sun is visible but less than 6° from the horizon), civil twilight (Sun is not visible but is less than 6° below the horizon), nautical twilight (Sun is between 6° and 12° below the horizon), astronomical twilight (Sun is between 12° and 18° below the horizon), and full night.

The earliest sunrise is at 5:19am on June 17 and the latest sunset is at 9:42pm on June 23. The latest sunrise is at 8:28am on January 1 and the earliest sunset is at 4:27pm on December 10.

Daylight savings time (DST) is observed in this location during 2012, starting in the spring on March 11 and ending in the fall on November 4.

Daily Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight and Daylight Savings Time

The solar day over the course of the year 2012 . From bottom to top, the black lines are the previous solar midnight, sunrise, solar noon, sunset, and the next solar midnight. The day, twilights (solar, civil, nautical, and astronomical), and night are indicated by the color bands from yellow to gray. The transitions to and from daylight savings time are indicated by the "DST" labels.

The median cloud cover ranges from 56% (partly cloudy) to 89% (mostly cloudy). The sky is cloudiest on December 1 and clearest on August 8. The clearer part of the year begins around April 17. The cloudier part of the year begins around September 28.

Median Cloud Cover

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The median daily cloud cover (black line) with percentile bands (inner band from 40th to 60th percentile, outer band from 25th to 75th percentile).

On August 8, the clearest day of the year, the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 55% of the time, and overcast or mostly cloudy 43% of the time.

On December 1, the cloudiest day of the year, the sky is overcast, mostly cloudy, or partly cloudy 68% of the time, and clear or mostly clear 30% of the time.

Cloud Cover Types

The fraction of time spent in each of the five sky cover categories. From top (most blue) to bottom (most gray), the categories are clear, mostly clear, partly cloudy, mostly cloudy, and overcast. Pink indicates missing data. Outside of the United States clear skies are often reported ambiguously, leading them to be lumped in with the missing data.

The probability that precipitation will be observed at this location varies throughout the year. Precipitation is most likely around December 25, occurring in 66% of days. Precipitation is least likely around April 7, occurring in 44% of days.

Probability of Precipitation at Some Point in the Day

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The fraction of days in which various types of precipitation are observed. If more than one type of precipitation is reported in a given day, the more severe precipitation is counted. For example, if light rain is observed in the same day as a thunderstorm, that day counts towards the thunderstorm totals. The order of severity is from the top down in this graph, with the most severe at the bottom.

Over the entire year, the most common forms of precipitation are light snow, light rain, thunderstorms, and moderate rain.

Light snow is the most severe precipitation observed during 39% of those days with precipitation. It is most likely around December 25, when it is observed during 53% of all days.

Light rain is the most severe precipitation observed during 25% of those days with precipitation. It is most likely around May 29, when it is observed during 25% of all days.

Thunderstorms are the most severe precipitation observed during 13% of those days with precipitation. They are most likely around July 17, when it is observed during 21% of all days.

Moderate rain is the most severe precipitation observed during 11% of those days with precipitation. It is most likely around September 16, when it is observed during 10% of all days.

Types of Precipitation Throughout the Year

Relative frequency of various types of precipitation over the course of a typical year.

During the warm season, which lasts from May 19 to September 17, there is a 49% average chance that precipitation will be observed at some point during a given day. When precipitation does occur it is most often in the form of light rain (43% of days with precipitation have at worst light rain), thunderstorms (34%), and moderate rain (18%).

During the cold season, which lasts from November 26 to March 6, there is a 62% average chance that precipitation will be observed at some point during a given day. When precipitation does occur it is most often in the form of light snow (77% of days with precipitation have at worst light snow) and moderate snow (15%).

Warm Season Precipitation

Cold Season Precipitation

Relative frequency of various types of precipitation during the warm and cold seasons respectively.

The likelihood of snow falling is highest around January 2, occurring in 63% of days. The season in which it is relatively likely for snow to fall spans from October 18 to April 13.

Probability of Snow Fall Being Reported in a Given Day

Probability that snow will be reported at least once in a given day. The season is defined as the period during which the probability is greater than one third the maximum probability.

During peak snow season, accumulation at this location on a given day is about as likely as not. The chances of there being snow on the ground are highest around January 11, occurring 51% of the time. The season in which snow is relatively likely to be on the ground spans from November 5 to April 3.

Chance of at Least Some Snow on the Ground

The probability that there is snow on the ground. The season is defined as the period during which the probability is greater than one third of the maximum probability.

The snow is typically at its deepest on February 2, with a median depth of 6.7"; the depth exceeds 13.9" only one year out of ten.

Snow Depth When there is Snow on the Ground

The median depth of snow during times when there is at least some snow on the ground, with percentile bands (inner band from 25th to 75th percentile, outer band from 10th to 90th percentile).

The relative humidity typically ranges from 38% (comfortable) to 94% (very humid) over the course of the year, rarely dropping below 21% (dry) and reaching as high as 100% (very humid).

The air is driest around April 26, at which time the relative humidity drops below 48% (comfortable) three days out of four; it is most humid around July 11, exceeding 91% (very humid) three days out of four.

Relative Humidity

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The average daily high (blue) and low (brown) relative humidity with percentile bands (inner bands from 25th to 75th percentile, outer bands from 10th to 90th percentile).

Dew point is often a better measure of how comfortable a person will find the weather than relative humidity because it more directly relates to whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid.

Over the course of a year, the dew point typically varies from -12°F (dry) to 63°F (mildy humid) and is rarely below -33°F (dry) or above 70°F (muggy).

The time of the year between May 28 and September 19 is the most comfortable, with dew points that are neither too dry nor too muggy.

Dew Point

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The daily average low (blue) and high (red) dew point with percentile bands (inner band from 25th to 75th percentile, outer band from 10th to 90th percentile).

Over the course of the year typical wind speeds vary from 2 mph to 20 mph (light air to fresh breeze), rarely exceeding 28 mph (strong breeze).

The highest average wind speed of 12 mph (gentle breeze) occurs around May 4, at which time the average daily maximum wind speed is 20 mph (fresh breeze).

The lowest average wind speed of 9 mph (gentle breeze) occurs around July 26, at which time the average daily maximum wind speed is 16 mph (moderate breeze).

Wind Speed

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The average daily minimum (red), maximum (green), and average (black) wind speed with percentile bands (inner band from 25th to 75th percentile, outer band from 10th to 90th percentile).

Wind Directions Over the Entire Year

The fraction of time spent with the wind blowing from the various directions over the entire year. Values do not sum to 100% because the wind direction is undefined when the wind speed is zero.

Fraction of Time Spent with Various Wind Directions

The fraction of time spent with the wind blowing from the various directions on a daily basis. Stacked values do not always sum to 100% because the wind direction is undefined when the wind speed is zero.