Sault Ste. Marie in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Sault Ste. Marie sees average daytime highs around -4°C and overnight lows near -12°C, with 137 mm of precipitation over about 29 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 -0°C in early December to -3°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Sault Ste. Marie's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Sault Ste. Marie's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- -4°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- -12°C
- Precipitation
- 137 mm
- 29 wet days
- Avg wind
- 13 km/h
- Travel score
- 0.0
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Sault Ste. Marie in Winter
Over the season highs ease from about -0°C in early December to -3°C by late February.
A typical winter day in Sault Ste. Marie reaches about -4°C and drops to -12°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Sault Ste. Marie
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.
Sault Ste. Marie 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 | -6° / -14° | 46 | 10.2 | 12.2 | 8.8 | 0.0 |
| Feb | -5° / -13° | 35 | 7.5 | 8.1 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 1° / -8° | 46 | 8.3 | 6.8 | 11.6 | 0.0 |
| Apr | 8° / -1° | 67 | 10.2 | 4 | 13.3 | 1.2 |
| May | 15° / 6° | 72 | 10 | 0.3 | 14.8 | 4.4 |
| Jun | 20° / 11° | 81 | 9.8 | 0 | 15.5 | 6.3 |
| Jul | 23° / 15° | 101 | 11.5 | 0 | 15.2 | 6.7 |
| Aug | 22° / 14° | 95 | 10.9 | 0 | 14 | 6.6 |
| Sep | 18° / 10° | 108 | 12.1 | 0 | 12.4 | 5.4 |
| Oct | 11° / 4° | 101 | 13.7 | 0.5 | 10.7 | 2.4 |
| Nov | 4° / -2° | 67 | 11.2 | 6.6 | 9.2 | 0.1 |
| Dec | -2° / -9° | 56 | 11 | 11 | 8.4 | 0.0 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Sault Ste. Marie gets around 137 mm of rain and snow over 29 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 13 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 8 h 42 min in early December to 10 h 42 min 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 1.7 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Sault Ste. Marie?
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 Sault Ste. Marie.
What to pack for Sault Ste. Marie in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Sault Ste. Marie sees daytime highs around -4°C and nights near -12°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 29 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Sault Ste. Marie in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 2°C across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 16 km away) is warmest in August at about 19°C and coldest in February near 1°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 | 2 | 5 | 11 | 17 | 19 | 16 | 11 | 7 | 4 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool | Cool | Cool | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1 | Bracing |
| Feb | 1 | Bracing |
| Mar | 1 | Bracing |
| Apr | 2 | Bracing |
| May | 5 | Bracing |
| Jun | 11 | Bracing |
| Jul | 17 | Cool |
| Aug | 19 | Cool |
| Sep | 16 | Cool |
| Oct | 11 | Bracing |
| Nov | 7 | Bracing |
| Dec | 4 | Bracing |
UV index in Sault Ste. Marie in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Sault Ste. Marie peaks around June 18 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Level | Low | Low | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate | Low | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1 | Low |
| Feb | 2 | Low |
| Mar | 3 | Moderate |
| Apr | 5 | Moderate |
| May | 7 | High |
| Jun | 8 | Very high |
| Jul | 7 | Very high |
| Aug | 7 | High |
| Sep | 5 | Moderate |
| Oct | 3 | Moderate |
| Nov | 1 | Low |
| Dec | 1 | Low |
Where is Sault Ste. Marie?
Sault Ste. Marie sits at 46.5°N, 84.3°W, 186 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Sault Ste. Marie, 3.0 km away.
Topography around Sault Ste. Marie
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Sault Ste. Marie.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Sault Ste. Marie has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 82 m around an average of 198 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 263 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 491 m.
The land around Sault Ste. Marie is covered by artificial surfaces (45%) and trees (24%) within 3 km, trees (65%) within 16 km, and trees (65%) and water (30%) 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 Sault Ste. Marie (46.5168°, -84.3333°, elevation 186 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.