Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Waterloo Ontario, Canada

In Waterloo, the summers are warm; the winters are freezing, snowy, and windy; and it is partly cloudy year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 13°F to 79°F and is rarely below -4°F or above 87°F.

Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Waterloo for warm-weather activities is from late June to early September.

The warm season lasts for 3.7 months, from May 25 to September 17, with an average daily high temperature above 68°F. The hottest month of the year in Waterloo is July, with an average high of 78°F and low of 58°F.

The cold season lasts for 3.3 months, from December 1 to March 12, with an average daily high temperature below 37°F. The coldest month of the year in Waterloo is January, with an average low of 15°F and high of 27°F.

In Waterloo, 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 in Waterloo begins around May 16 and lasts for 5.5 months, ending around October 31.

The clearest month of the year in Waterloo is August, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 65% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around October 31 and lasts for 6.5 months, ending around May 16.

The cloudiest month of the year in Waterloo is January, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 67% of the time.

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in Waterloo varies throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 7.0 months, from April 4 to November 2, with a greater than 23% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Waterloo is June, with an average of 8.6 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 5.0 months, from November 2 to April 4. The month with the fewest wet days in Waterloo is February, with an average of 4.7 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

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 in Waterloo changes throughout the year.

Rain alone is the most common for 10 months, from February 27 to December 30. The month with the most days of rain alone in Waterloo is June, with an average of 8.6 days.

Snow alone is the most common for 1.9 months, from December 30 to February 27. The month with the most days of snow alone in Waterloo is January, with an average of 2.9 days.

Rainfall

To 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. Waterloo experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

Rain falls throughout the year in Waterloo. The month with the most rain in Waterloo is September, with an average rainfall of 2.4 inches.

The month with the least rain in Waterloo is January, with an average rainfall of 0.5 inches.

Snowfall

As with rainfall, we consider the snowfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Waterloo experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly snowfall.

The snowy period of the year lasts for 5.4 months, from November 7 to April 18, with a sliding 31-day snowfall of at least 1.0 inches. The month with the most snow in Waterloo is January, with an average snowfall of 5.4 inches.

The snowless period of the year lasts for 6.6 months, from April 18 to November 7. The least snow falls around July 16, with an average total accumulation of 0.0 inches.

The length of the day in Waterloo varies significantly over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 8 hours, 57 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 20, with 15 hours, 25 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 5:40 AM on June 14, and the latest sunrise is 2 hours, 19 minutes later at 7:59 AM on November 2. The earliest sunset is at 4:45 PM on December 8, and the latest sunset is 4 hours, 21 minutes later at 9:07 PM on June 26.

Daylight saving time (DST) is observed in Waterloo 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 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.

We 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.

Waterloo experiences some seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 3.6 months, from June 2 to September 19, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 6% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Waterloo is July, with 6.4 days that are muggy or worse.

The least muggy day of the year is February 26, when muggy conditions are essentially unheard of.

This 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 in Waterloo experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 6.2 months, from October 26 to May 1, with average wind speeds of more than 11.3 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Waterloo is January, with an average hourly wind speed of 13.9 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 5.8 months, from May 1 to October 26. The calmest month of the year in Waterloo is August, with an average hourly wind speed of 8.7 miles per hour.

The predominant average hourly wind direction in Waterloo is from the west throughout the year.

Waterloo 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 3.1 months, from June 24 to September 27, with an average temperature above 65°F. The month of the year in Waterloo with the warmest water is August, with an average temperature of 73°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 4.2 months, from December 18 to April 25, with an average temperature below 41°F. The month of the year in Waterloo with the coolest water is February, with an average temperature of 34°F.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Waterloo 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 Waterloo for general outdoor tourist activities is from late June to early September, with a peak score in the second week of August.

The 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 Waterloo for hot-weather activities is from early July to mid August, with a peak score in the third week of July.

Methodology

For 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.

Definitions 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 in Waterloo typically lasts for 5.0 months (154 days), from around May 6 to around October 8, rarely starting before April 19 or after May 24, and rarely ending before September 21 or after October 24.

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 in Waterloo should appear around May 1, only rarely appearing before April 20 or after May 14.

This 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 3.5 months, from May 2 to August 20, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 5.8 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Waterloo is June, with an average of 6.8 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 3.5 months, from October 30 to February 13, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 2.4 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Waterloo is December, with an average of 1.3 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Waterloo are 43.467 deg latitude, -80.516 deg longitude, and 1,047 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Waterloo contains only modest variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 203 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 1,090 feet. Within 10 miles contains only modest variations in elevation (528 feet). Within 50 miles contains significant variations in elevation (1,499 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Waterloo is covered by artificial surfaces (81%), within 10 miles by cropland (60%) and artificial surfaces (13%), and within 50 miles by cropland (56%) and trees (18%).