Climate and average weather in Chatham

In Chatham, the summers are warm, showery, and partly cloudy and the winters are very cold, snowy, and mostly cloudy.

Best: mid May to early October

Over the course of the year, the temperature in Chatham typically varies from -7°C to 27°C, and is rarely below -17°C or above 31°C. July is the hottest month of the year, while January is the coldest.

Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Chatham for warm-weather activities is from mid May to early October.

Hottest
Jul
27°
Coldest
Jan
-7°
Wettest
Jun
94 mm
Driest
Feb
54 mm
Rain / yr
906 mm
125 wet days
Daylight
8.9–15.1 h
shortest–longest
Elevation
183 m
42.4°N
Clearest
Jul
53% cloud

Chatham is community in Ontario, Canada.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 7 µg/m³ · 2019
Founded
1998

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Chatham weather by month, at a glance

The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.

Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around mid May to early October.

Temperature through the year

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Daily average highs and lows in Chatham, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.

The hot season lasts 4.3 months, from May 20 to September 26, with daily high temperatures above 20°C. The hottest month of the year in Chatham is July, with an average high of 27°C and low of 18°C.

The cool season lasts 3.3 months, from December 3 to March 11, with daily high temperatures below 5°C. The coldest month of the year in Chatham is January, with an average low of -7°C and high of -1°C.

Days typically run about 8°C warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 9°C) in May.

-20°-10°10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
Jan-1-7
Feb0-7
Mar6-3
Apr134
May1910
Jun2515
Jul2718
Aug2617
Sep2213
Oct157
Nov82
Dec2-3

How hot and cold Chatham really feels

Feels-like highFeels-like lowactual air temp

The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.

On the coldest nights, wind chill pulls the feels-like down to about -14°C (around January 21), with roughly 163 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 0°C) 74 of them bitterly cold — worst in January.

-10°10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Feels-like high (°C)Air high (°C)Feels-like low (°C)Air low (°C)
Jan-1-1-13-7
Feb00-13-7
Mar66-8-3
Apr131304
May1919810
Jun25251515
Jul27271818
Aug26261717
Sep22221313
Oct151557
Nov88-32
Dec22-9-3

Average hourly temperature in Chatham

A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on July afternoons, near 27°C, and coldest before dawn in January, near -7°C.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM

Chatham weather by month

Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-1° / -7°6610.56.69.30.0
Feb / -7°548.5610.30.0
Mar / -3°6610.24.411.60.5
Apr13° / 8912.21.313.13.3
May19° / 10°9212.3014.45.7
Jun25° / 15°9411.20156.6
Jul27° / 18°8611.1014.86.5
Aug26° / 17°7710.4013.76.8
Sep22° / 13°738.7012.36.9
Oct15° / 7610.3010.84.6
Nov / 719.71.99.61.4
Dec / -3°6310.1590.0

Chance of rain

How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.

Chatham gets about 906 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is often wet, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.

The wetter season lasts 3.3 months, from around Mar 27 to Jul 5, peaking in May at about 41% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Sep 8.

June is the wettest month by volume, with 94 mm over about 11 wet days; February is the driest, with 54 mm. Some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdrierwetterdriermostly drysome rainoften wetvery wetMay 12 · 41%Sep 8 · 28%
Rain on a day (%)Rain days
Jan3411
Feb319
Mar3410
Apr3912
May4012
Jun3711
Jul3611
Aug3310
Sep309
Oct3310
Nov3210
Dec3310

Monthly rainfall

Over a full year, Chatham collects about 906 mm of rain across 125 wet days — roughly 76 mm in an average month.

It doesn’t fall evenly. June is the wettest month with 94 mm, while February is the driest at just 54 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 30% of the year’s total, and some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

0255075100125JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec665466899294867773767163
Rainfall (mm)Rain daysSnow days
Jan66117
Feb5496
Mar66104
Apr89121
May92120
Jun94110
Jul86110
Aug77100
Sep7390
Oct76100
Nov71102
Dec63105

Snow in Chatham

Average snowy days through the year, the snow-season span, and estimated snowfall — for ski trips and the perennial 'will there be snow at Christmas?' question.

Chatham averages about 25 snowy days a year. Snow season runs roughly Nov 3 to Apr 23 — about 5.7 months.

January is snowiest, with roughly 6 days of snow and an estimated 30 cm of snowfall. Over the year that adds up to an estimated 113 cm of snow.

02468JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecsnow seasonsnow seasonJan 15
Snow daysSnowfall (cm)
Jan730
Feb627
Mar417
Apr15
May00
Jun00
Jul00
Aug00
Sep00
Oct00
Nov28
Dec527

Clouds and sunshine

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.

In Chatham, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year begins around May 3 and lasts for 5.6 months, ending around October 19. The clearest month is August, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 58% of the time on average.

The cloudier part of the year begins around October 20 and lasts for 6.4 months, ending around May 2. The cloudiest month is January, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 81% of the time.

0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJul 5 · 59%Jan 8 · 17%clearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercastcloudierclearercloudier
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
Jan1981
Feb2773
Mar3367
Apr3664
May4258
Jun5248
Jul5743
Aug5842
Sep5545
Oct4357
Nov2971
Dec2179

Daylight, sunrise and sunset

DaylightNight

Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.

The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around June 12, brings about 15 h 06 min of light; the shortest, around January 1, only 8 h 54 min — a swing of roughly 6 h 12 min.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
Jan9.38:015:15
Feb10.37:355:52
Mar11.66:496:28
Apr13.15:547:03
May14.45:137:37
Jun15.04:568:02
Jul14.85:107:59
Aug13.75:417:25
Sep12.36:156:32
Oct10.86:495:39
Nov9.67:285:00
Dec9.07:584:52

Sunny days

How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.

Chatham averages about 8 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 3 and 12 days.

The sunnier stretch runs 5.7 months, from around May 2 to Oct 20. The sunniest month is September, with roughly 12 sunny days (mixed).

The greyest month is January, down near 3 sunny days — about 72% fewer than the September peak.

051015JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgreyersunniergreyergloomymixedSep 1112 daysJan 133 days
Sunny daysSky
Jan3Gloomy
Feb4Gloomy
Mar6Gloomy
Apr7Gloomy
May8Mixed
Jun10Mixed
Jul11Mixed
Aug11Mixed
Sep12Mixed
Oct9Mixed
Nov5Gloomy
Dec4Gloomy

Humidity comfort

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.

Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.

In Chatham, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.

The more humid part of the year lasts 4.1 months, from around May 24 to September 24. The muggiest month is July, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 63% of the time.

The most comfortable stretch runs from around September 25 to May 23, and March is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 100% of the time.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecMar 30 · 100%Jul 22 · 32%oppressivemuggydryhumidcomfortablecomfortablehumidcomfortable
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
Jan10000000
Feb10000000
Mar10000000
Apr9721000
May77118300
Jun3622211730
Jul16212626101
Aug1625262481
Sep4822171120
Oct87102100
Nov9910000
Dec10000000

Wind

Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.

This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.

Across the year, average wind speed in Chatham is typically light breeze, near 15 km/h, and varies moderately with the seasons.

The windier part of the year lasts 7.2 months, from around Oct 5 to May 10. The windiest month is January, averaging about 17 km/h (light breeze).

The calmer part of the year runs from around May 11 to Oct 4, with August the calmest month at about 12 km/h.

05101520JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwindiercalmerwindiercalmlight breezeJan 7 · 17 km/hAug 6 · 11 km/h
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
Jan17light breeze
Feb16light breeze
Mar16light breeze
Apr16light breeze
May15light breeze
Jun13light breeze
Jul12calm
Aug12calm
Sep13light breeze
Oct16light breeze
Nov17light breeze
Dec16light breeze

Best time to visit Chatham

TravelBeach/poolTemperatureCloudsPrecipitation

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Chatham throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.

Around late May, Chatham is still near the start of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds not yet at full swing.

Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.

The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Chatham for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid May to early October, with a peak score in the first week of September.

0246810JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timetravel scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationSep 5 · 7.2

The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

Travel score (0–10)Rating
Jan0.0poor
Feb0.0poor
Mar0.6poor
Apr3.3poor
May5.7good
Jun6.6good
Jul6.5good
Aug6.8good
Sep6.8good
Oct4.6fair
Nov1.4poor
Dec0.0poor

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Chatham for hot-weather activities is from early June to mid September, with a peak score in the second week of July.

024681012JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebeach/pool scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationJul 10 · 6.6

The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

What to pack for Chatham, by month

EssentialRecommendedOptional

Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.

For a warm-season trip around July (highs near 27°C), the essentials are light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. In the cold season around January (highs near -1°C), pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear.

Light clothing
Warm layer
Winter coat
Rain gear
Sun protection
Windbreaker

In July, Chatham sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 18°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

Sea temperature near Chatham

Average ocean temperature at the nearest coast, month by month, banded into swim-comfort zones — the other half of the beach question.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 32 km away) is warmest in August at about 24°C and coldest in February near 1°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 29 to Sep 23 — about 2.9 months when the water holds above 20°C.

0°10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan2Bracing
Feb1Bracing
Mar1Bracing
Apr5Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun18Cool
Jul23Refreshing
Aug24Refreshing
Sep21Refreshing
Oct16Cool
Nov10Bracing
Dec5Bracing

UV index (midday) in Chatham by month

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Chatham peaks around June 21 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 21UV 9Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Average hourly UV index in Chatham

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.

The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in June the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 8.5 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 5.5 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM
UV ≥ 3 (h/day)UV ≥ 6 (h/day)
Jan00
Feb00
Mar40
Apr60
May7.53.5
Jun8.55.5
Jul85
Aug72.5
Sep5.50
Oct2.50
Nov00
Dec00
Almanac & agriculture

Growing season

Chance of a frost-free dayTypical season (≥50%)

The growing season in Chatham typically lasts about 243 days, from around March 29 to November 26 — the span where a frost-free day is more likely than not. It is reliably frost-free from April 24 to October 27.

0%25%50%75%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgrowing seasonMar 2950%Apr 2490%Oct 2790%Nov 2650%
Frost-free chance (%)Frost nights
Jan1531
Feb1428
Mar3331
Apr7921
May980
Jun1000
Jul1000
Aug1000
Sep1000
Oct952
Nov6430
Dec2731

Growing degree days

Degree days (base 10°C)Frost-free shaded

Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Chatham banks about 1,462 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around July.

05001,0001,500JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Growing degree days (°C·days)
Jan0
Feb0
Mar0
Apr4
May138
Jun302
Jul384
Aug355
Sep231
Oct49
Nov0
Dec0

Solar energy

Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.

Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.

Chatham receives about 4.1 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 1.4 and 6.6 kWh/m².

The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.2 months, from around Mar 17 to Sep 22. The brightest month is June, averaging about 6.5 kWh/m² (intense).

The dimmest month is December, down near 1.5 kWh/m² — roughly 77% less than the June peak.

012345678JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdimmerbrighterdimmerdimmoderatebrightintenseJun 296.6 kWhDec 161.4 kWh
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
Jan1.8Dim
Feb2.8Moderate
Mar4.0Bright
Apr5.1Bright
May6.0Bright
Jun6.5Intense
Jul6.4Intense
Aug5.5Bright
Sep4.4Bright
Oct2.9Moderate
Nov1.9Dim
Dec1.4Dim

Where is Chatham?

Chatham sits at 42.4°N, 82.2°W, 183 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Leamington, 53 km away.

Topography around Chatham

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Chatham.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Chatham has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 27 m around an average of 182 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 62 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 159 m.

The land around Chatham is covered by artificial surfaces (34%), trees (26%) and cropland (25%) within 3 km, cropland (88%) within 16 km, and water (44%) and cropland (36%) within 80 km.

3 km
27 m
16 km
62 m
80 km
159 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
Nearby: Leamington 53 km · Kingsville 57 km · Tecumseh 58 km · Saint Clair Shores 59 km · Grosse Pointe Woods 59 km · Mount Clemens 60 km · Roseville 62 km · Clinton Township 63 km

Canada travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 83% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$55,698
2025
Happiness
6.7 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
97%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
2
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
5.3
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Christian 53%none 35%Muslim 5%Hindu 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Chatham (42.4122°, -82.1849°, elevation 183 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).