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Monthly climate in Ottawa, Canada

Last updated: July 31, 2025

Under the Köppen–Geiger climate classification Ottawa features a humid continental climate (Dfb). Temperatures typically range between -9 °C (16 °F) and 21 °C (70 °F) through the year, but rarely can drop to -32 °C (-26 °F) or can rise to as high as 35 °C (96 °F). The average annual precipitation amounts to about 1166 mm (45.9 inches) and receives 146 rainy days on the 1 mm (0.04 inches) threshold annually. Ottawa enjoys an average of 2709 hours of sunshine throughout the year, and daylight varies from 8 hours 45 minutes to 15 hours 36 minutes per day.

Monthly average temperatures in Ottawa, Canada

The warmest months in Ottawa are June, July and August, with daily mean temperatures ranging from 18 to 21 °C (65 - 70 °F) throughout the day. The coldest temperatures usually occur in January, February and December, when daily mean temperatures range from -9 to -5 °C (16 - 22 °F) throughout the day. On average each year, Ottawa experiences 52 days above 25 °C (77.0 °F) and 145 days below 0 °C (32.0 °F).

Monthly average temperatures with daily means, minimums and maximums for period, average high and low temperatures in Ottawa. Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Data for period from January 2017 to June 2022.
 JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Maximum10°C
(50°F)		11°C
(53°F)		20°C
(69°F)		27°C
(81°F)		35°C
(95°F)		32°C
(91°F)		35°C
(96°F)		32°C
(89°F)		32°C
(90°F)		27°C
(81°F)		22°C
(71°F)		14°C
(58°F)
Mean maximum5°C
(40°F)		7°C
(46°F)		12°C
(53°F)		21°C
(70°F)		30°C
(87°F)		30°C
(87°F)		32°C
(90°F)		30°C
(86°F)		28°C
(83°F)		23°C
(74°F)		14°C
(58°F)		9°C
(49°F)
Average high-5°C
(24°F)		-3°C
(27°F)		2°C
(36°F)		10°C
(51°F)		19°C
(66°F)		23°C
(74°F)		27°C
(80°F)		25°C
(77°F)		21°C
(70°F)		14°C
(57°F)		4°C
(40°F)		-2°C
(29°F)
Daily mean-9°C
(16°F)		-8°C
(18°F)		-3°C
(27°F)		5°C
(42°F)		13°C
(56°F)		18°C
(65°F)		21°C
(70°F)		20°C
(68°F)		15°C
(60°F)		9°C
(48°F)		0°C
(33°F)		-5°C
(22°F)
Average low-13°C
(8°F)		-13°C
(9°F)		-8°C
(19°F)		1°C
(34°F)		7°C
(45°F)		12°C
(54°F)		16°C
(61°F)		15°C
(59°F)		11°C
(51°F)		5°C
(41°F)		-3°C
(26°F)		-9°C
(16°F)
Mean minimum-27°C
(-16°F)		-25°C
(-12°F)		-21°C
(-6°F)		-7°C
(20°F)		-1°C
(31°F)		6°C
(44°F)		10°C
(51°F)		8°C
(47°F)		4°C
(39°F)		-2°C
(28°F)		-14°C
(7°F)		-22°C
(-7°F)
Minimum-32°C
(-26°F)		-27°C
(-16°F)		-24°C
(-12°F)		-12°C
(10°F)		-3°C
(26°F)		2°C
(36°F)		8°C
(47°F)		7°C
(45°F)		-0°C
(31°F)		-6°C
(22°F)		-19°C
(-2°F)		-29°C
(-20°F)

Compare climate in Ottawa with other places

Compare temperature, precipitation, sunshine, UV index in Ottawa, Canada with other places around the world.

Monthly average precipitation in Ottawa, Canada

Ottawa usually has the most precipitation in May, July and October, with an average of 12 rainy days and 121 mm (4.8 inches) of precipitation per month. The driest months in Ottawa are January, September and December. On average, 78 mm (3.1 inches) of precipitation falls during these months.

Monthly average precipitation and precipitation days in Ottawa. Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Data for period from January 2017 to January 2022.
 JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Average precipitation mm (inches)76 (3.0)81 (3.2)87 (3.4)112 (4.4)117 (4.6)98 (3.9)114 (4.5)94 (3.7)79 (3.1)132 (5.2)97 (3.8)80 (3.2)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm)91212121413121311121412

Monthly sunshine hours in Ottawa, Canada

The sunniest months in Ottawa are June, July and August, when the sun shines an average of 10 hours 37 minutes a day. Least sunny months in Ottawa: January, November and December receive an average of 4 hours 7 minutes of sunshine daily.

Mean monthly sunshine duration, average sunshine hours per day and mean daily daylight hours in Ottawa. Generated using Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Data for period from January 2017 to January 2022.
 JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Mean monthly sunshine hours111156234226278314347315266189141126
Mean daily daylight hours9h 9m10h 23m11h 57m13h 33m14h 55m15h 36m15h 13m14h 0m12h 28m10h 52m9h 28m8h 45m

Solar UV radiation in Ottawa, Canada

Ottawa experiences the highest level of ultraviolet (UV) radiation in April, May and June, when the maximum UV index can reach values of 8 - 9, which corresponds to the Very High category of sun exposure. January, November and December are in the Low / Moderate exposure category. In these months, the maximum values of the UV index do not exceed 3. For more detailed information, check out our hourly Ottawa UV Index data.

Average daily maximum UV levels by month for Ottawa. Generated using Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Data for period from January 2022 to January 2023.
 JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
UV Index (month maximum)245899887532