Yellowknife weather in August

In August, Yellowknife sees average daytime highs of 18°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 46 mm of rain across 9.2 wet days and about 15.8 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 20°C in the first days to 15°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in August, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 17 h 12 min at the start of August to 14 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Yellowknife's 5th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Yellowknife's year-round climate.

Daytime high
18°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
11°
11th coldest
Rainfall
46 mm
9.2 wet days
Daylight
15 h 48 min
4:49 AM – 8:35 PM
Cloud cover
67%
5th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
4.11 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.7
out of 10

Yellowknife is capital and largest city of the Northwest Territories, Canada.

Air quality
Excellent
PM2.5 4 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
149/km²
people per km²
Founded
1970

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

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 20°C in the first days to 15°C by the end.

A typical August day in Yellowknife reaches about 18°C in the afternoon and slips back to 11°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 13°C and 23°C. Set against its neighbours, August runs about 3°C cooler than July and about 7°C warmer than September.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12113
22113
32013
42012
52012
62012
72012
82012
91912
101912
111912
121911
131911
141911
151811
161811
171811
181810
191710
201710
211710
221710
231610
24169
25169
26169
27159
28159
29158
30158
31158

How August really feels in Yellowknife

Once humidity and wind are folded in, August averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

August sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Yellowknife weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 2nd-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-22° / -28°103.44.45.60.0
Feb-19° / -26°62.12.88.20.0
Mar-12° / -21°103.24.211.30.0
Apr-1° / -11°113.12.514.40.0
May10° / 194.61.417.42.5
Jun18° / 255.3019.36.2
Jul21° / 13°377.3018.56.8
Aug18° / 11°469.2015.85.7
Sep11° / 408.20.512.62.5
Oct / -3°246.44.39.50.0
Nov-10° / -16°154.666.50.0
Dec-18° / -24°103.44.54.70.0

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 63%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
24951
34852
44753
54654
64555
74456
84357
94258
104159
114060
124060
133862
143763
153664
163565
173565
183466
193268
203268
213169
223169
233169
243169
253070
263070
273070
283070
293070
302971
312971

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Yellowknife gets around 46 mm of rain over 9.2 wet days in August, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 29% and peaks near 32% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
125
225
325
426
526
626
727
827
928
1028
1129
1229
1330
1430
1531
1631
1732
1832
1932
2032
2132
2232
2332
2432
2532
2632
2731
2831
2930
3030
3129

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of August feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, August lands in the dry band about 91% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
183161
283161
383161
484151
584151
685141
786140
887130
987130
1088120
1188120
1289110
1390100
1490100
159190
169190
179280
189370
199370
209370
219460
229460
239550
249550
259640
269640
279730
289730
299730
309820
319820

Wind in August

Winds average 13 km/h in August.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112light breeze
212light breeze
312light breeze
412light breeze
512light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 17 h 12 min at the start of August to 14 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 180 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 4:07 AM to 5:30 AM, and sunset from 9:20 PM to 7:45 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
117.24:079:20
217.14:109:17
317.04:129:14
416.94:159:11
516.84:189:09
616.74:219:06
716.74:249:03
816.64:269:00
916.54:298:56
1016.44:328:53
1116.34:358:50
1216.24:378:47
1316.14:408:44
1416.04:438:41
1515.94:468:38
1615.84:498:35
1715.74:518:31
1815.64:548:28
1915.54:578:25
2015.45:008:22
2115.35:038:18
2215.25:058:15
2315.15:088:12
2415.05:118:08
2514.95:148:05
2614.85:178:02
2714.65:197:58
2814.55:227:55
2914.45:257:52
3014.35:287:48
3114.25:307:45

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 4.11 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.13 kWh/m² to a high of 6.39 kWh/m² in June across the year — August's 4.11 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.1Bright
35.0Bright
44.9Bright
54.9Bright
64.8Bright
74.7Bright
84.7Bright
94.6Bright
104.5Bright
114.5Bright
124.4Bright
134.3Bright
144.2Bright
154.2Bright
164.1Bright
174.0Bright
184.0Moderate
193.9Moderate
203.8Moderate
213.8Moderate
223.7Moderate
233.6Moderate
243.6Moderate
253.5Moderate
263.5Moderate
273.4Moderate
283.4Moderate
293.3Moderate
303.3Moderate
313.2Moderate
Planning a trip in August

Is August a good time to visit Yellowknife?

Our two travel scores rate August for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

5.7
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
2.0
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

August is a reasonable time to visit Yellowknife for sightseeing.

What to pack for Yellowknife in August

From August's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In August, Yellowknife sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 11°C. Worth packing: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

rain gear

UV index in Yellowknife in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Yellowknife peaks around June 15 at about 4 (moderate) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 4 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateLowJun 15UV 4Jan 1UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar1Low
Apr3Moderate
May4Moderate
Jun4Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep2Low
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low

Air quality in Yellowknife in August

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where August falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Yellowknife is worst in August — around 22 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 224.0× the cleanest month (January, 0 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Yellowknife's WHO annual average of 4 µg/m³.

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1421 µg/m³Jan 10 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan0Good
Feb0Good
Mar1Good
Apr2Good
May2Good
Jun4Good
Jul13Moderate
Aug22Moderate
Sep3Good
Oct0Good
Nov0Good
Dec0Good
Location & terrain

Where is Yellowknife?

Yellowknife sits at 62.5°N, 114.4°W, 252 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Fort McMurray, 659 km away.

Fort McMurrayFort St. JohnGrande PrairieSt. AlbertEdmontonWîhkwêntôwinStony PlainSpruce Grove

Topography around Yellowknife

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Yellowknife has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 56 m around an average of 180 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 97 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 220 m.

The land around Yellowknife is covered by trees (43%) and water (31%) within 3 km, trees (60%) and water (29%) within 16 km, and trees (50%) and water (40%) within 80 km.

3 km
56 m
16 km
97 m
80 km
220 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermoss and lichen
August weather nearby: Fort McMurray 659 km · Fort St. John 781 km · Grande Prairie 849 km · St. Albert 982 km · Edmonton 991 km · Wîhkwêntôwin 992 km · Stony Plain 992 km · Spruce Grove 992 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 Yellowknife (62.4541°, -114.3725°, elevation 252 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. 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).