July brings 26°C daytime highs, 83mm of precipitation across about 11 wet days and 15.1 hours of daylight — best for beach days and swimming. The strongest run of the year is July to September. January is the quietest month: cold and snow-focused, and still good for snow, skiing and cabin weekends.
Long-run climate normals for Ottawa. Month ratings compare months within Ottawa only — they are not a ranking of Ottawa against other destinations, and they are not a forecast for a specific year.
Last updated: · Live forecast data refreshes hourly.
| Best month | July — Beach days, Swimming |
| Best 3-month window | July–September |
| Quietest month | January — Cold and snow-focused |
| Driest month | February — 44mm |
| Wettest month | August — 89mm |
| Warmest / coolest | July 26°C / February -5°C |
| Seasonality | Strongly seasonal — the months feel like different places |
| Annual rainfall | 919mm over roughly 113 rain days |
January gets roughly 28% less precipitation than July — 60mm against 83mm. That difference, more than temperature, is what changes how a day here feels.
Ottawa swings 31°C between July (26°C) and February (-5°C) — the month you pick changes what you pack more than where you go.
June gives you 15.5 hours of daylight against just 8.5 in December — a 7-hour difference in how much you can actually fit into a day.
February is the driest month at 44mm across roughly 6 wet days, while August peaks at 89mm.
January–December sit at or below freezing, so the precipitation shown for those months falls mainly as snow rather than rain — the millimetre figures are water equivalent, not puddles.
September is almost as good as July, but usually quieter and cheaper. If your dates are flexible, it is the easier trip.
Ottawa changes character completely through the year — July and January are effectively two different destinations. Pick the month that matches what you want to do, not the highest-rated one.
Ratings compare months within Ottawa, not against destinations worldwide: five stars means the best time to be here, not that Ottawa beats anywhere else. Tags describe what the conditions actually suit.
| Month | Rating | High / Low | Precipitation | Wet days | Sun | Daylight | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | ★★☆☆☆ | -5°C / -13°C | 60mm (snow) | 8 | 5h | 8.9h | Snow · Skiing · Cabin weekends |
| February | ★★☆☆☆ | -5°C / -13°C | 44mm (snow) | 6 | 5h | 10.1h | Snow · Skiing · Cabin weekends |
| March | ★★☆☆☆ | -1°C / -9°C | 56mm (snow) | 7 | 5h | 11.7h | Snow · Skiing · Cabin weekends |
| April | ★★★☆☆ | 6°C / -3°C | 69mm (rain/snow) | 9 | 6h | 13.4h | Cabin weekends |
| May | ★★★★★ | 15°C / 6°C | 80mm | 10 | 6h | 14.8h | Hiking · Cycling · Spring greenery |
| June | ★★★★★ | 22°C / 12°C | 85mm | 11 | 5h | 15.5h | Hiking · Cycling |
| July | ★★★★★ | 26°C / 16°C | 83mm | 11 | 11h | 15.1h | Beach days · Swimming |
| August | ★★★★★ | 26°C / 16°C | 89mm | 12 | 11h | 13.9h | Beach days · Swimming |
| September | ★★★★★ | 22°C / 12°C | 82mm | 11 | 11h | 12.3h | Hiking · Cycling |
| October | ★★★★☆ | 15°C / 6°C | 79mm | 10 | 6h | 10.7h | Hiking · Cycling · Autumn colour |
| November | ★★★☆☆ | 6°C / -3°C | 78mm (rain/snow) | 10 | 6h | 9.3h | Cabin weekends · Low-angle light |
| December | ★★☆☆☆ | -1°C / -9°C | 64mm (snow) | 8 | 5h | 8.5h | Snow · Skiing · Cabin weekends |
| You are planning | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Sun & beach days | September | 11h daily sunshine, 22°C highs and only 11 rain days. |
| City walking & sightseeing | June | 22°C highs with 15.5h of daylight — long days without heat fatigue. |
| Photography & light | July | 11h of sun and 15.1h daylight give the widest window for golden-hour work. |
| Value & fewer crowds | June | Scores 69/100 — close to peak conditions but outside the busiest window. |
| Cooler-weather travel | May | 15°C highs and 6°C nights suit anyone who dislikes heat. |
Each month in Ottawa is described from long-run climate normals and then rated relative to the other eleven months in the same city. A five-star January in a cold destination means January is one of the best times to be there — not that it beats a Mediterranean summer.
| Factor | Weight | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | Described | Average daytime high and overnight low for the month, shown as measured rather than judged. |
| Precipitation | Described | Monthly millimetres and wet-day count, labelled as snow or rain/snow where temperatures make that the likely phase. |
| Sunshine & daylight | Described | Average daily sunshine hours and astronomical daylight length at mid-month, from the city’s latitude. |
| “Best for” tags | Derived | Applied only when the conditions genuinely support the activity — snow depth-friendly cold for skiing, 13–24°C and low rain risk for hiking, dark evenings at high latitude for aurora. A month with few strong use cases gets fewer tags rather than padded ones. |
| Star rating | Relative | Ranks the month against the other eleven months in the same city. Never a comparison between cities. |
Figures are long-run climate averages, not a forecast for a specific year. Where a month lacks sourced rainfall or humidity, the value is modelled from temperature range and rain frequency.
July is the best all-round month in Ottawa: 26°C highs, 83mm of precipitation and 15.1 hours of daylight, which suits beach days and swimming. The strongest three-month window is July to September.
January — -5°C highs, 60mm of precipitation over roughly 8 days and 8.9 hours of daylight. It is the cheapest and least crowded time to go, and it still works for snow, skiing and cabin weekends.
February is the driest month at 44mm over about 6 rain days, against 89mm in August. Across the year Ottawa records around 919mm.
Yes, but the months are genuinely different trips. July suits beach days and swimming, while January suits snow, skiing and cabin weekends. Pick the month that matches what you want to do.
Daylight ranges from 8.5 hours in December to 15.5 hours in June, calculated from the city's latitude.