Churchill in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Churchill sees average daytime highs around -20°C and overnight lows near -26°C, with 32 mm of precipitation over about 10 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Over the season highs ease from about -15°C in early December to -19°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Churchill's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Churchill's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- -20°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- -26°C
- Precipitation
- 32 mm
- 10 wet days
- Avg wind
- 23 km/h
- Travel score
- 0.0
- 3rd-best season
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Churchill in Winter
Over the season highs ease from about -15°C in early December to -19°C by late February.
A typical winter day in Churchill reaches about -20°C and drops to -26°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Churchill
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 90 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Churchill weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -23° / -28° | 10 | 3.1 | 4.4 | 6.7 | 0.0 |
| Feb | -21° / -27° | 9 | 3 | 3.6 | 8.8 | 0.0 |
| Mar | -15° / -22° | 18 | 3.9 | 5.1 | 11.4 | 0.0 |
| Apr | -6° / -13° | 21 | 5.3 | 5 | 14 | 0.0 |
| May | 2° / -4° | 36 | 7 | 4.5 | 16.5 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 9° / 2° | 45 | 7.6 | 1 | 17.9 | 2.0 |
| Jul | 14° / 8° | 67 | 9.1 | 0 | 17.3 | 4.0 |
| Aug | 14° / 9° | 89 | 12.5 | 0 | 15.2 | 3.8 |
| Sep | 9° / 5° | 72 | 11.1 | 0.7 | 12.6 | 1.8 |
| Oct | 2° / -2° | 56 | 9.6 | 6.5 | 9.9 | 0.0 |
| Nov | -9° / -14° | 23 | 6.4 | 8.8 | 7.4 | 0.0 |
| Dec | -18° / -23° | 13 | 3.6 | 5.3 | 6.1 | 0.0 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Churchill gets around 32 mm of rain and snow over 10 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 23 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 6 h 30 min in early December to 10 hours by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 0.9 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Churchill?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Churchill.
What to pack for Churchill in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Churchill sees daytime highs around -20°C and nights near -26°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: a windbreaker. About 10 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Churchill in Winter
The nearest coast averages about -1°C across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 10°C and coldest in January near -2°C.
The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 8 | 4 | 0 | -1 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | -1 | Bracing |
| Feb | -1 | Bracing |
| Mar | -1 | Bracing |
| Apr | -1 | Bracing |
| May | -1 | Bracing |
| Jun | 1 | Bracing |
| Jul | 5 | Bracing |
| Aug | 10 | Bracing |
| Sep | 8 | Bracing |
| Oct | 4 | Bracing |
| Nov | 0 | Bracing |
| Dec | -1 | Bracing |
UV index in Churchill in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 0. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Churchill peaks around June 14 at about 6 (high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 0 (low).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 5 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Level | Low | Low | Low | Moderate | High | High | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Low | Low | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | Low |
| Feb | 1 | Low |
| Mar | 2 | Low |
| Apr | 4 | Moderate |
| May | 5 | High |
| Jun | 6 | High |
| Jul | 5 | Moderate |
| Aug | 3 | Moderate |
| Sep | 3 | Moderate |
| Oct | 1 | Low |
| Nov | 0 | Low |
| Dec | 0 | Low |
Air quality in Churchill in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Churchill is worst in August — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 25.5× the cleanest month (January, 1 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 1 | 1 | 4 | 11 | 13 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1 | Good |
| Feb | 1 | Good |
| Mar | 4 | Good |
| Apr | 11 | Good |
| May | 13 | Moderate |
| Jun | 9 | Good |
| Jul | 12 | Moderate |
| Aug | 15 | Moderate |
| Sep | 7 | Good |
| Oct | 3 | Good |
| Nov | 1 | Good |
| Dec | 1 | Good |
Where is Churchill?
Churchill sits at 58.8°N, 94.2°W, 0 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Prince Albert, 949 km away.
Topography around Churchill
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Churchill.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Churchill has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 26 m around an average of 3 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 53 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 120 m.
The land around Churchill is covered by water (69%) within 3 km, water (64%) and grassland (20%) within 16 km, and water (39%), grassland (29%) and wetland (20%) within 80 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
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 Churchill (58.7681°, -94.1667°, elevation 0 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.