Halifax climate
Halifax (Nova Scotia, Canada) has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb). The average temperature over the year is 7 °C45 °F, and about 1,300 mm51 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Halifax climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 032 | −621 | −326 | 1064.2 | 28 |
| Feb | 032 | −621 | −326 | 1044.1 | 26 |
| Mar | 236 | −326 | 031 | 1014.0 | 26 |
| Apr | 744 | 133 | 438 | 1054.1 | 11 |
| May | 1153 | 541 | 847 | 1003.9 | 0 |
| Jun | 1661 | 1050 | 1355 | 1094.3 | 0 |
| Jul | 2068 | 1558 | 1763 | 853.4 | 0 |
| Aug | 2170 | 1560 | 1865 | 903.6 | 0 |
| Sep | 1965 | 1355 | 1660 | 973.8 | 0 |
| Oct | 1457 | 847 | 1152 | 1355.3 | 0 |
| Nov | 847 | 337 | 642 | 1265.0 | 7 |
| Dec | 338 | −228 | 133 | 1415.6 | 21 |
| Year | 2170 | −621 | 745 | 1,30051 | 120 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total. Frost days are for the whole grid cell.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 88% | 81% | 1.4 | 9:10 |
| Feb | 86% | 76% | 2.3 | 10:22 |
| Mar | 82% | 68% | 3.6 | 11:47 |
| Apr | 84% | 67% | 4.5 | 13:25 |
| May | 86% | 69% | 5.1 | 14:48 |
| Jun | 87% | 68% | 5.5 | 15:33 |
| Jul | 88% | 66% | 5.4 | 15:14 |
| Aug | 87% | 59% | 5.1 | 14:02 |
| Sep | 85% | 57% | 4.1 | 12:27 |
| Oct | 84% | 66% | 2.6 | 10:53 |
| Nov | 85% | 76% | 1.5 | 9:30 |
| Dec | 86% | 80% | 1.1 | 8:50 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Halifax is like
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 21 °C70 °F and a low of 15 °C60 °F. The coldest is February, when highs average 0 °C32 °F and lows −6 °C21 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 21.3 °C38.3 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is wet, with about 1,300 mm51 in of precipitation per year. Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year. The wettest month is December (141 mm5.6 in), the driest is July (85 mm3.4 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 82% in March to 88% in July. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 57%) are typical of September. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 7 km/h (4 mph) in July to 12 km/h (7 mph) in December. Daylight lasts from about 8.8 hours in December to 15.5 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in December–March, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in February, about 17 cm).
Best time to visit Halifax
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are July and August: average highs of 20 °C68 °F to 21 °C70 °F with 85 mm3.4 in to 90 mm3.6 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 0 °C32 °F.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Halifax
- Winter (December–February) — highs 032 to 3 °C38 °F, lows −621 to −2 °C28 °F, about 117 mm4.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack a winter coat, hat, gloves and warm, non-slip boots, shoes with good grip, as frost is common and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 236 to 11 °C53 °F, lows −326 to 5 °C41 °F, about 102 mm4.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 1661 to 21 °C70 °F, lows 1050 to 15 °C60 °F, about 95 mm3.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 847 to 19 °C65 °F, lows 337 to 13 °C55 °F, about 119 mm4.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
How Halifax compares
Of the 40 places in Canada covered by World Climates, Halifax is the 23rd warmest by annual mean temperature and the 6th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Canada climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Tomakomai (Japan, Dfb), Kushiro (Japan, Dfb) and Saint-Pierre (Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Dfc).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Dartmouth (pop. 101,343). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Halifax, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Sydney 313 km · 7 °C44 °F · 1,224 mm48 in
- Saint-Pierre 621 km · 6 °C43 °F · 1,176 mm46 in
- Québec 640 km · 5 °C41 °F · 1,146 mm45 in
- Boston 654 km · 10 °C50 °F · 1,207 mm48 in
- Manchester 658 km · 9 °C48 °F · 1,181 mm46 in
- Sherbrooke 659 km · 6 °C42 °F · 1,135 mm45 in
- New Bedford 683 km · 11 °C52 °F · 1,155 mm45 in
- Providence 708 km · 11 °C51 °F · 1,208 mm48 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Halifax?
August is the warmest month in Halifax, with an average high of 21 °C (70 °F) and an average low of 15 °C (60 °F).
What is the coldest month in Halifax?
February is the coldest month, with an average high of 0 °C (32 °F) and an average low of -6 °C (21 °F).
When does it rain the most in Halifax?
December is the wettest month with about 141 mm (5.6 in) of precipitation; July is the driest with about 85 mm (3.4 in).
What is the best time to visit Halifax?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are July and August.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.