Average Daily Maximum Temperature – Minimum – Sunshine – Raindays – Snowdays – Snowdepth – Windspeed
Halifax’s climate is less severe than might be expected.
This is a result of its location on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. Winter temperatures are higher and summer temperatures are lower than those encountered in towns farther inland.
Halifax has an eastern-maritime climate, with a short, warm summer and a cold winter. Disturbed, changeable weather is common throughout the year.
Snow depths of greater than 1 cm are seen on about 85 days each year in Halifax.
Comparing Halifax with some other Canadian cities, snow depths of greater than 1 cm are seen on about:
10 days each year in Vancouver, 35 days in Penticton, 53 days each year in Windsor, 65 days in Toronto, 88 days in Calgary, 105 days each year in Fredericton, 109 days in Montreal, 120 days in Ottawa, and 132 days in Winnipeg.
Sunshine is somewhat less common in Halifax than in most Canadian cities owing to Nova Scotia’s notorious fogs. Halifax has over 100 days of mist or fog each year.
Summers in Halifax are pleasantly warm. The best summer weather is usually encountered in mid-summer and late summer when, compared with earlier in the season, fogs are rare.
Halifax, Nova Scotia
| Month of year  |
Av. Daily Max. Temp. (°C)  |
Av. Daily Min. Temp. (°C)  |
Av. hours Sun (per day)  |
Av. Days with Rain  |
Av. Days with Snowfall  |
Av. Depth Snow on Ground (cm)  |
Av. Wind Speed (km per hr)  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. | 0 | -9 | 2.9 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 18 |
| Feb. | 0 | -8 | 4.0 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 18 |
| Mar. | 4 | -4 | 4.1 | 10 | 4 | 8 | 18 |
| Apr. | 8 | 1 | 4.5 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 16 |
| May | 14 | 5 | 6.3 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Jun. | 19 | 11 | 7.5 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| Jul. | 23 | 14 | 7.7 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| Aug. | 23 | 15 | 7.2 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| Sep. | 19 | 11 | 5.4 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| Oct. | 13 | 6 | 4.0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Nov. | 8 | 1 | 2.5 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 15 |
| Dec. | 3 | -5 | 2.1 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 16 |
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It depends really. Minus 17 to minus 20 degrees celsius is usually the coldest in the winter (not including wind chill factor) and in August it can spend several days at plus 30 or more (factor in the humidex and it can be upwards of 40). I’ve lived here my whole life and the weather is up and down and honestly it kind of sucks sometimes.
Hi all,
I am having a chance to move canada and more precisely to Nova Soctia via Atlantic Pilot Program. We are a family of four people including 2 little girls.
I have heard that winters are extremely cold over there (NOT sure exactly). So I got some questions, if any local person can respond plz:
1) What is the lowest and highest temperature in NS exactly?
2 How is the education and health care system?
3) How’s the job market particularly for the IT sector?
Would it be wise decision to move NS or should I wait for any other state’s opportunity bcz I am a kind of person who don’t move and relocate frequently.
Thanks in advance
There are, generally speaking, less than 20 days/year where the temp drops below -10C
A breakdown of NS: winter dry , Harsh for walking through the wooded areas/ forest, when light is 12-12 its good for growing plants because of the closeness to the sun despite lack of blue and red to green light.
Spring: Heavy rainfall during early spring good for poppies sown in very early spring too get a head start, strong winds can occur at times.
Summer: strong wavelengths of light cause morning air to quickly heat up followed by strong southern air masses causing temperatures to rise ti high 20’s to mid 30’s (but don’t worry if its only 26 after June 23 trust me) good season for growing tall plants like cannabis & tomatoes& wild blueberries& trees.
Autumn: good for visitors who don’t do well in heat or snow, allergens such as shed skin/hair/ plant fibres are triggers. Bring your winter jacket in Mid October and a 1/2-2 pounds of body fat.
Our winters are not dry they are wet and rainy and damp
Hi everyone! I’m moving to Canada with my boyfriend next february, and Halifax is one of the cities we have in mind… generally we prefer smaller cities (but with a good cultural offer) and a milder weather, so we believe this could be a good choice… How is the winter in Halifax? 4 hours of sun light per day sounds a bit scary (we live in Barcelona)… Is it easy to find a job there during winter/spring time? Thanks a lot =)
From Barcelona to Halifax??? Seriously?
The warmest place, but more expensive than everywhere in Canada is Vancouver. It’s beautiful city with a lot of opportunities for job. Before to move somewhere, just visit fist.
Good luck!
Halifax winter is pretty mild it is right on the Atlantic Ocean so the average temperature in January/February (the coldest Months) is like -2 or so and the summers are warmer an average temperature of 25. All year round there are always more than 4 hours of sunlight that only happens in like northern Canada. The sunsets around 6 pm around the winter solstice and 9:30 during the summer solstice. Halifax is definitely a smaller North American city with a little less than 500,000 people but has a great culture and more historic buildings in the city’s downtown than most other places in NA.
The east coast of Canada has some of the most extreme winter weather in Canada. If your looking for mild winter weather you should be looking at the west coast of Canada. Vancouver island or the Vancouver rural surrounding area.
as they said, smaller less populated. Vancouver is packed with so many people you cant get around
i hope its all you expected!!!
Southwestern Ontario will probably be better for you.
I noted an American refugee. In my case, I settled in the Ottawa, Gatineau region. If you’re not a Florida or Arizona kind of person but more Seatle, San Fransico, then you will be used to the weather. Crime is way low in Halifax compared to the US. People very friendly. Maybe too friendly? There’s a lot of history. Early American history from a different perspective. You’ll also sense a bit more freedom and social responsibility. It’s a good place to live.
Been living in Nova Scotia all my life (40+) and it has the most variable weather of any place I have visited (Europe, Asia). Winters are damp and cold and spring really does not start until May and even into June the weather can be very variable. In the same 24h period, we can get a snow storm then the temp jumps to 6C with 20mm of rain and then freezes everything.
The summer is very short and can be wet. While we don’t get the bitter cold like Ottawa we also don’t get much in terms of hot weather. The best months IMO are August, Sept and Oct.
Also forget about using an umbrella when it rains, the noreasters will blow them to pieces. LOL
is it really raining as much as I read about it ? We are living in the GVA (Greater Vancouver Area) and have a lot of rain in the fall and winter.
We moved 25 years ago to Comox Valley Vancouver Island. At that time people said, we have 6 month summer, the rest we don’t talk about. Winter here, if you are lucky you do not have much rain, windy, depending on where you are up to 100km/hour. Winters are cold and wet. In winter I have seen minus 10°C but it will not stay long, couple of days only. If the winter isn’t cold we have lots of rain. Often lunch time looks like early morning. This I have seen very often. Snow is very wet, hard to clean drive way. It is not the snow like in Alberta.
Many people move to Arizona, Nevada and Mexico during our fall to early spring time. But Summer on Vancouver Island, like Florida. Living here, not cheap
The valley is always warmer…think wolfville…but chrster or bridgewater is also a little warmer too.
Moved to Halifax a few months ago. It definitely doesn’t have the “big city” vibe like Toronto or Montreal but there are plenty of activities happening all year around. Of course, it’s busier during the summer time but there’s stuff happening in the winter too. Being a smaller city, it sure has its fair share of traffic issues especially for those living in the nearby suburbs (in areas like Bedford and Fall River) and commuting to work daily. The area also has a growing start up scene and there are opportunities growing in the HRM.
Joe
Is it a wet cold like in Toronto? We are thinking of moving from Hamilton to New Glasgow only hod back is the cold( husband is type 1 diabetic and the wet cold here bothers him)
Have been to Nova Scotia a few times and my wife and I are going to pull the trigger and move , have had enough of Alberta , we are wondering where in the province gets the less amount of snow , i know they get a lot there and we are ok with it but if we can live kinda where they get the lest that would be the best , we dont want to be in Halifax as we are both not city people , dont mind working there but dont want to live in the city
I’d love to know why you are leaving Alberta. We are looking to spend at least a year in Canada soon, have never been. we want somewhere we can keep some horses within a couple of hours of a city with some culture. We are looking at both Alberta and nova Scotia.
What about eastern Ontario 1 1/2 hr. to Ottawa and kiss ass to Quebec you get to have two cultures and have your horse in your back yard . The trick to the weather is get a tractor to remove snow , find a sport like snowshoeing, skidoo’s, playing with your dogs lots of fun things to do if you have the will , or else your best bet is to stay where you are .
If you are in your 25-35 move start a pioneer trip and live , if you are like me aDreamer it’s. good to watch u tube
Did you move? if so where is the best place. we are in Winterpeg Manisnowba and want to move to Nova Scotia for more outdoor living and starting a small homestead
Fog really isn’t a issue. Maybe eastern passage.
Hello, the wife and I have been contemplating on moving to Nova Scotia as we love it there and land is more affordable than BC. Weve been pretty well everywhere in NS except the Southern part – both times in the summer (August).
But.. I read in a few places that NS gets a lot of fog. Which changes a lot of things.. which areas get more fog?
I lived there for 7 years. Don’t remember fog being an issue and I lived in the north shore, Truro, and Halifax. We’re moving back this summer after a decade in Bc. Cold yes. Fog, I don’t think so, no more than usual, except right on the water some days.
Hello,
I just finish nursing school in Toronto and is considering to move to Halifax for work. I’m a bit worried about the winters and life style considering moving from Toronto. What is rent, food, transportation like, do I need a car or is public transportation good?
Thanks,
Maggie
The winters here are much more mild than in Toronto. We dont get the extreme temperatures because we’re on the coast. If you live and work in the city you won’t need a car. If you live outside you might want one. Rent is pretty cheap, especially compared to Toronto! And the food here is pretty diverse, I like it.
Average temps in Halifax during the winter are a little warmer than Toronto. There is quite a big difference in snowfall in Halifax versus inland or to the north, systems tend to rain in Halifax while there is more snow in the Annapolis Valley, Amherst Parrsboro, new Glasgow, Antigonidh. A little like Vancouver but up to 5 degrees cooler which can dip into the snow range more often. Driest months tend to be May and June, then the hurricane season pumps precipitation up from the Gulf of Mexico more often. Precipitation can be up to 60 inches rain equiv. for the year, but it is dispensed more evenly over the year. Extended sunny periods can occur when the Bermuda High enlarges to include the Maritime as the California high does for southern BC. Not as often or for as long but, lately, more often. Typically, there are three, four or five nice or nicish days and I then a day or a half of rain… we are going much less likely to have any stretch of protracted forest fire smoke. The population of metro Halifax is now over 430,000 and it is growing fast. It’s a perfect place for a city. Rocky, shield-
Like hilly terrain in the immediate area and to the southwest and eastern shore transitioning to farm land and a rolling New England. Lots of fresh water and fresh air, only occasionally impacted at all by air from New England or Toronto. In short, the best kept secret since Vancouver.
Hi,
We are a couple planning to move to Halifax after living in Montreal for around 8 years. The only reason is a big job opportunity that came along and hence the purely career-based decision. We are however a bit uncertain about the “downgrading” from the metro lifestyle of Montreal and hence would like to inquire if it will be a drastic difference? We are a young couple, like to live active lifestyle and are very social. Any suggestions/ recommendations would be highly appreciated. Thanks
I’ve been to both Montreal and Halifax. For its size, Halifax has a lot going on. It’s not like Montreal which is probably the most happening city in Canada in my opinion, but you can definitely find a lot of events to do in Halifax, and it’s definitely a modern city with a twist. I don’t think you’re going to have any issues.
is Nov 1 too late for fall foliage in Halifax?
That’s actually a perfect time. Our fall foliage tends to be best towards the end of October beginning of November.
Right around the Thanksgiving weekend in October.
How common is it to have power outages? And in what seasons? What about internet outages (if those exist at all outside of power outages)?
Where are the best places to look for hobby farms in Nova Scotia, and since we will be trying to immigrate from the US, is it required that you live in the province in which you work?
Annapolis Valley, along the Valley floor North of the Annapolis River.
When is the best time to see fall colors in the area?Is October too late?
October is excellent