Snow and Cold: Quebec Cities Ranked

This ranking compares two things, each one separately and with no overall score: the average amount of snow that falls in a year, and the average temperature of a January day. Every figure comes from Environment and Climate Change Canada's (ECCC) 1991–2020 Canadian Climate Normals. A climate normal is the average of 30 years of measurements, here from 1991 to 2020, at one specific weather station.

For each city, we took, from the list of the 70 Quebec stations that have 1991–2020 normals, the station named after the city or one of its sectors, or the closest one. Several of these stations are at the airport, sometimes outside the downtown area. The name and climate ID of each station are in the tables. Gatineau has no station in this list: we used the Ottawa (City) station, in Ontario, across the Ottawa River.

ECCC gives each value a code based on the number of years of complete measurements: A meets the World Meteorological Organization’s “3 and 5 rule”, meaning no more than 3 consecutive years or 5 years in total of missing data; B, at least 25 years; C, at least 20 years; D, at least 15 years. We copy this code into the tables. ECCC only calculates an annual total when the normals for all 12 months are available. When the annual snowfall total is missing, the city is not ranked for snow: we do not add up the months ourselves.

ECCC recalculates its normals at the end of every decade, and the 1991–2020 normals are the most recent. We read the figures on November 9, 2026, and we will check them once a year. We receive no payment from the cities or organizations mentioned.

The figure is the average annual snowfall from 1991 to 2020. According to ECCC’s glossary, snowfall is the depth of fresh snow measured with a snow ruler: it is not the depth of snow that stays on the ground. The higher the figure, the higher the city in the ranking.

Eight cities are not ranked, because ECCC does not publish an annual snowfall total for their station: Quebec City, Sherbrooke, Sept-Îles, Rouyn-Noranda, Val-d’Or, Baie-Comeau, La Tuque and Rivière-du-Loup. For Quebec City, the Jean Lesage airport station has snowfall normals from November to April, for example 75.7 cm in December, but not for the months of May to October.

The figure is the January daily average temperature, from 1991 to 2020. According to ECCC’s glossary, the mean temperature is the average of the maximum and minimum temperatures: nights are therefore colder than this figure. The lower the figure, the higher the city in the ranking. Two cities with the same value share the same rank.

A lot of snow and deep cold do not always go together. The Gaspésie, the Bas-Saint-Laurent and the Thetford Mines area get the most snow; Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean have the coldest Januaries. Montreal and Gatineau are among the cities with the least snow and the mildest Januaries.

If you are choosing a city to settle in, look at both tables. In Saguenay, for example, 301.7 cm of snow falls each year and January averages −15.1 °C. Plan your clothing, winter tires and snow removal accordingly: the guide Surviving the Quebec winter explains what to buy and how to get organized.

A normal is an average: a given winter can be much snowier or much less snowy. To find out what fell during a specific winter, check ECCC’s historical data.

Frequently asked questions about snow and cold in Quebec cities.

These related guides may be useful:

• Surviving the Quebec winter — clothing, getting around and snow removal, whatever your city.
• Surviving winter in Quebec City — the cold, the snow and winter activities in the capital.
• Living through winter in Saguenay — getting organized in one of the coldest cities in the ranking.
• Winter in Trois-Rivières and the Mauricie — snow and cold between Montreal and Quebec City.

- Environment and Climate Change Canada