Kingston climate
Kingston (Ontario, Canada) has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb). The average temperature over the year is 9 °C48 °F, and about 942 mm37 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Kingston climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | −130 | −719 | −425 | 682.7 | 28 |
| Feb | −131 | −719 | −425 | 612.4 | 26 |
| Mar | 338 | −326 | 032 | 592.3 | 24 |
| Apr | 949 | 236 | 642 | 753.0 | 9 |
| May | 1559 | 847 | 1253 | 793.1 | 0 |
| Jun | 2069 | 1458 | 1763 | 873.4 | 0 |
| Jul | 2475 | 1965 | 2170 | 803.2 | 0 |
| Aug | 2476 | 1966 | 2271 | 793.1 | 0 |
| Sep | 2170 | 1559 | 1865 | 783.1 | 0 |
| Oct | 1458 | 948 | 1153 | 1124.4 | 0 |
| Nov | 846 | 337 | 542 | 773.0 | 8 |
| Dec | 236 | −327 | 032 | 863.4 | 22 |
| Year | 2476 | −719 | 948 | 94237 | 117 |
“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 | 89% | 75% | 1.4 | 9:13 |
| Feb | 87% | 73% | 2.2 | 10:24 |
| Mar | 82% | 66% | 3.5 | 11:47 |
| Apr | 80% | 64% | 4.6 | 13:24 |
| May | 81% | 63% | 5.5 | 14:45 |
| Jun | 81% | 59% | 6.0 | 15:30 |
| Jul | 79% | 53% | 6.0 | 15:11 |
| Aug | 76% | 52% | 5.2 | 14:00 |
| Sep | 76% | 52% | 4.1 | 12:27 |
| Oct | 78% | 67% | 2.5 | 10:54 |
| Nov | 81% | 71% | 1.6 | 9:32 |
| Dec | 86% | 78% | 1.1 | 8:53 |
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 Kingston is like
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 24 °C76 °F and a low of 19 °C66 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average −1 °C30 °F and lows −7 °C19 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 25.6 °C46.1 °F warmer than the coldest.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 942 mm37 in. Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year. The wettest month is October (112 mm4.4 in), the driest is March (59 mm2.3 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 76% in September to 89% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 52%) are typical of September. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 5 km/h (3 mph) in June to 13 km/h (8 mph) in January. Daylight lasts from about 8.9 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 Kingston
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are June–September: average highs of 20 °C69 °F to 24 °C76 °F with 78 mm3.1 in to 87 mm3.4 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of −1 °C30 °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 Kingston
- Winter (December–February) — highs −130 to 2 °C36 °F, lows −719 to −3 °C27 °F, about 72 mm2.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack a winter coat, hat, gloves and warm, non-slip boots and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 338 to 15 °C59 °F, lows −326 to 8 °C47 °F, about 71 mm2.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2069 to 24 °C76 °F, lows 1458 to 19 °C66 °F, about 82 mm3.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 846 to 21 °C70 °F, lows 337 to 15 °C59 °F, about 89 mm3.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket.
How Kingston compares
Compared with Syracuse, about 134 km to the south, Kingston is on average 0.7 °C1.3 °F cooler and receives 15% less precipitation (942 mm37 in vs 1,110 mm44 in). The difference is largest in May (3 °C5.4 °F cooler).
Of the 40 places in Canada covered by World Climates, Kingston is the 13th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 17th 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: Buffalo (United States, Dfa), Manchester (United States, Dfb) and Rochester (United States, Dfa).
Nearby places
- Syracuse 134 km · 9 °C49 °F · 1,110 mm44 in
- Ottawa 145 km · 6 °C43 °F · 981 mm39 in
- Rochester 150 km · 9 °C49 °F · 948 mm37 in
- Oshawa 193 km · 9 °C47 °F · 719 mm28 in
- Ajax 208 km · 9 °C48 °F · 719 mm28 in
- Markham 226 km · 8 °C47 °F · 723 mm28 in
- Toronto 241 km · 9 °C48 °F · 774 mm30 in
- Buffalo 244 km · 9 °C49 °F · 947 mm37 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Kingston?
August is the warmest month in Kingston, with an average high of 24 °C (76 °F) and an average low of 19 °C (66 °F).
What is the coldest month in Kingston?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of -1 °C (30 °F) and an average low of -7 °C (19 °F).
When does it rain the most in Kingston?
October is the wettest month with about 112 mm (4.4 in) of precipitation; March is the driest with about 59 mm (2.3 in).
What is the best time to visit Kingston?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are June–September.
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.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 128 m, while Kingston lies at about 70 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.4 °C0.7 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.