Climate and average weather in Markham

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

Best: mid June to late September

Over the course of the year, the temperature in Markham typically varies from -7°C to 24°C, and is rarely below -16°C or above 27°C. August is the hottest month of the year, while February is the coldest.

Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Markham for warm-weather activities is from mid June to late September.

Hottest
Aug
24°
Coldest
Feb
-7°
Wettest
Apr
92 mm
Driest
Feb
58 mm
Rain / yr
929 mm
125 wet days
Daylight
8.7–15.3 h
shortest–longest
Elevation
168 m
43.9°N
Clearest
Aug
52% cloud

Markham is city in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada.

Density
1,592/km²
people per km²
Founded
1794

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

Markham 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 June to late September.

Temperature through the year

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

The hot season lasts 3.7 months, from June 9 to September 29, with daily high temperatures above 18°C. The hottest month of the year in Markham is August, with an average high of 24°C and low of 19°C.

The cool season lasts 3.6 months, from December 6 to March 24, with daily high temperatures below 4°C. The coldest month of the year in Markham is February, with an average low of -7°C and high of -1°C.

Days typically run about 5°C warmer than nights year-round.

-20°-10°10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
Jan-1-6
Feb-1-7
Mar2-3
Apr72
May138
Jun1914
Jul2318
Aug2419
Sep2015
Oct149
Nov73
Dec2-2

How hot and cold Markham 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 -15°C (around February 2), with roughly 167 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 0°C) 80 of them bitterly cold — worst in February.

-20°-10°10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Feels-like high (°C)Air high (°C)Feels-like low (°C)Air low (°C)
Jan-1-1-14-6
Feb-1-1-14-7
Mar22-9-3
Apr77-22
May131358
Jun19191414
Jul23231818
Aug23241819
Sep20201515
Oct141479
Nov77-23
Dec22-9-2

Average hourly temperature in Markham

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 August afternoons, near 24°C, and coldest before dawn in February, near -7°C.

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

Markham 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°8111.899.10.0
Feb-1° / -7°588.66.610.20.0
Mar / -4°689.94.711.60.0
Apr / 92111.713.21.0
May13° / 7810.4014.53.5
Jun19° / 14°7710.3015.26.0
Jul23° / 18°689.6014.97.0
Aug24° / 19°678.9013.87.2
Sep20° / 15°819.1012.36.5
Oct14° / 9111.90.110.83.8
Nov / 8811.32.59.51.0
Dec / -2°81126.68.80.0

Chance of rain

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

Markham gets about 929 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 3.9 months, from around Sep 27 to Jan 22, peaking in January at about 42% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Aug 27.

April is the wettest month by volume, with 92 mm over about 11 wet days; February is the driest, with 58 mm. Some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdrierwettermostly drysome rainoften wetvery wetJan 6 · 42%Aug 27 · 26%
Rain on a day (%)Rain days
Jan3712
Feb319
Mar3210
Apr3611
May3410
Jun3410
Jul3210
Aug299
Sep309
Oct3812
Nov3711
Dec3912

Monthly rainfall

Over a full year, Markham collects about 929 mm of rain across 125 wet days — roughly 77 mm in an average month.

It doesn’t fall evenly. April is the wettest month with 92 mm, while February is the driest at just 58 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 29% of the year’s total, and some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

0255075100125JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec815868927877686781918881
Rainfall (mm)Rain daysSnow days
Jan81129
Feb5897
Mar68105
Apr92112
May78100
Jun77100
Jul68100
Aug6790
Sep8190
Oct91120
Nov88113
Dec81127

Snow in Markham

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.

Markham averages about 31 snowy days a year. Snow season runs roughly Nov 1 to Apr 23 — about 5.7 months.

January is snowiest, with roughly 9 days of snow and an estimated 35 cm of snowfall. Over the year that adds up to an estimated 142 cm of snow.

0510JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecsnow seasonsnow seasonJan 11
Snow daysSnowfall (cm)
Jan935
Feb734
Mar520
Apr25
May00
Jun00
Jul00
Aug00
Sep00
Oct00
Nov312
Dec736

Clouds and sunshine

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

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

In Markham, 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 April 24 and lasts for 5.8 months, ending around October 18. The clearest month is August, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 61% of the time on average.

The cloudier part of the year begins around October 19 and lasts for 6.1 months, ending around April 23. The cloudiest month is January, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 84% 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 10 · 61%Jan 4 · 13%clearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercastcloudierclearercloudier
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
Jan1684
Feb2971
Mar3664
Apr3862
May4456
Jun5050
Jul6040
Aug6139
Sep5347
Oct4258
Nov2971
Dec1882

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 15, brings about 15 h 18 min of light; the shortest, around December 15, only 8 h 42 min — a swing of roughly 6 h 36 min.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
Jan9.17:544:58
Feb10.27:265:37
Mar11.66:386:15
Apr13.25:416:54
May14.54:577:29
Jun15.24:407:55
Jul14.94:537:52
Aug13.85:267:16
Sep12.36:026:20
Oct10.86:395:25
Nov9.57:204:45
Dec8.87:514:35

Sunny days

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

Markham averages about 7 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 2 and 12 days.

The sunnier stretch runs 6.3 months, from around Apr 4 to Oct 12. The sunniest month is August, with roughly 12 sunny days (mixed).

The greyest month is January, down near 2 sunny days — about 80% fewer than the August peak.

051015JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgreyersunniergreyergloomymixedAug 2812 daysJan 72 days
Sunny daysSky
Jan2Gloomy
Feb5Gloomy
Mar7Gloomy
Apr8Gloomy
May9Mixed
Jun9Mixed
Jul11Mixed
Aug12Mixed
Sep11Mixed
Oct7Gloomy
Nov5Gloomy
Dec3Gloomy

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 Markham, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.

The more humid part of the year lasts 3.5 months, from around June 13 to September 27. The muggiest month is July, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 62% of the time.

The most comfortable stretch runs from around September 28 to June 12, and May is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 99% of the time.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecMay 2 · 100%Jul 25 · 31%muggyhumiddrycomfortablecomfortablehumidcomfortable
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
Jan1000000
Feb1000000
Mar1000000
Apr1000000
May945100
Jun52271740
Jul152436223
Aug172430254
Sep472319101
Oct889310
Nov1000000
Dec1000000

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 Markham is typically light breeze, near 18 km/h, and varies moderately with the seasons.

The windier part of the year lasts 5.8 months, from around Sep 28 to Mar 22. The windiest month is January, averaging about 22 km/h (breezy).

The calmer part of the year runs from around Mar 23 to Sep 27, with July the calmest month at about 13 km/h.

051015202530JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwindiercalmerwindiercalmlight breezebreezywindyJan 5 · 23 km/hJul 8 · 13 km/h
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
Jan22breezy
Feb20light breeze
Mar18light breeze
Apr17light breeze
May15light breeze
Jun14light breeze
Jul13light breeze
Aug14light breeze
Sep16light breeze
Oct19light breeze
Nov21breezy
Dec22breezy

Best time to visit Markham

TravelBeach/poolTemperatureCloudsPrecipitation

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

Around late June, Markham 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 Markham for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid June to late September, with a peak score in the last week of August.

0246810JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timetravel scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationAug 22 · 7.3

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
Mar0.0poor
Apr1.0poor
May3.5poor
Jun6.0good
Jul7.0good
Aug7.2good
Sep6.5good
Oct3.8fair
Nov1.0poor
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 Markham for hot-weather activities is from early July to early September, with a peak score in the first week of August.

024681012JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebeach/pool scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationAug 4 · 6.0

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 Markham, 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 August (highs near 24°C), the essentials are light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. In the cold season around February (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 August, Markham sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 19°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 9 days see rain.

Sea temperature near Markham

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 28 km away) is warmest in August at about 21°C and coldest in February near 3°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 20 to Sep 2 — about 1.5 months when the water holds above 20°C.

0°10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarm
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan4Bracing
Feb3Bracing
Mar3Bracing
Apr4Bracing
May7Bracing
Jun15Bracing
Jul20Cool
Aug21Refreshing
Sep19Cool
Oct13Bracing
Nov8Bracing
Dec5Bracing

UV index (midday) in Markham 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 Markham peaks around June 21 at about 8 (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 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 21UV 8Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May6High
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep5High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Average hourly UV index in Markham

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 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
Mar30
Apr60
May71.5
Jun8.55
Jul84
Aug6.52
Sep5.50
Oct00
Nov00
Dec00

Air quality in Markham by month

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.

Air quality in Markham is worst in May — around 22 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (December, 10 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodMay 2021 µg/m³Dec 1010 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Good
Feb15Moderate
Mar18Moderate
Apr18Moderate
May22Moderate
Jun20Moderate
Jul20Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep17Moderate
Oct11Good
Nov10Good
Dec10Good
Almanac & agriculture

Growing season

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

The growing season in Markham typically lasts about 243 days, from around April 3 to December 1 — the span where a frost-free day is more likely than not. It is reliably frost-free from April 20 to November 4.

0%25%50%75%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgrowing seasonFeb 1110%Apr 350%Apr 2090%Nov 490%Dec 150%Feb 210%
Frost-free chance (%)Frost nights
Jan1531
Feb1128
Mar2531
Apr7819
May1000
Jun1000
Jul1000
Aug1000
Sep1000
Oct990
Nov7425
Dec3231

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. Markham banks about 1,172 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around August.

05001,000JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Growing degree days (°C·days)
Jan0
Feb0
Mar0
Apr0
May27
Jun195
Jul333
Aug340
Sep227
Oct50
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.

Markham receives about 3.9 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — moderate — with a clear seasonal swing between 1.3 and 6.4 kWh/m².

The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.3 months, from around Mar 13 to Sep 20. The brightest month is June, averaging about 6.3 kWh/m² (intense).

The dimmest month is December, down near 1.3 kWh/m² — roughly 79% less than the June peak.

01234567JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdimmerbrighterdimmerdimmoderatebrightintenseJun 226.4 kWhDec 201.3 kWh
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
Jan1.6Dim
Feb2.7Moderate
Mar4.0Bright
Apr4.9Bright
May5.9Bright
Jun6.3Intense
Jul6.2Intense
Aug5.3Bright
Sep4.1Bright
Oct2.6Moderate
Nov1.7Dim
Dec1.3Dim

Where is Markham?

Markham sits at 43.9°N, 79.3°W, 168 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Milliken, 5.0 km away.

Topography around Markham

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Markham has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 79 m around an average of 187 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 294 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 516 m.

The land around Markham is covered by artificial surfaces (50%) and trees (30%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (34%) and trees (29%) within 16 km, and water (34%), trees (27%) and cropland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
79 m
16 km
294 m
80 km
516 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Nearby: Milliken 5.0 km · Agincourt North 7.0 km · Malvern 7.0 km · Steeles 8.0 km · Agincourt South-Malvern West 9.0 km · L'Amoreaux 9.0 km · Hillcrest Village 10 km · Tam O'Shanter-Sullivan 10 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 Markham (43.8668°, -79.2663°, elevation 168 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. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).