Weather & aurora
Whitehorse weather
Whitehorse weather today and month by month: average highs and lows, how cold it really gets (often -40°C), snow, daylight and what to wear.
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- Coldest month
- January-11.1°C / -18.9°C
- Record low
- -56.2°CJanuary
- Daylight in December
- 5 h 40 minmid-month
- Daylight in June
- 19 h 05 minmid-month
Whitehorse has a dry subarctic climate. Summers are short and warm, winters are long and cold. In most winters the temperature drops below -30°C at some point, and in a hard winter it reaches -40°C or colder. The city sits at about 700 metres in the Yukon River valley, and the Coast Mountains to the south block most of the Pacific moisture, so only about 280 mm of rain and snow falls in a year.
All numbers on this page are from the Environment Canada station at Whitehorse airport: averages for 1991 to 2020, records since 1900.
60.72°N · 135.05°W ·
Today in Whitehorse
Temperature 3°C
- Conditions
- Mostly Cloudy
- Feels like
- 3°
- Wind
- SSE 25 KM/H G41
- Sunrise
- Sunset
- Daylight
- 8 H 07 MIN
- Aurora forecast
- See forecast (opens in a new tab)
Data: Environment and Climate Change Canada
7-day forecast
High 4°Low 0°
Chance of flurries or rain showers
30% chance
High 4°Low −6°
Mainly sunny
High −1°Low −7°
Chance of flurries
70% chance
High 1°Low 1°
Periods of snow
High 4°Low −7°
Cloudy
High −4°Low −9°
Chance of flurries
40% chance
High −6°
Cloudy
Data: Environment and Climate Change Canada. Temperatures in °C.
Sunrise and sunset
| Day | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 H 07 MIN | |||
| 8 H 02 MIN | |||
| 7 H 57 MIN | |||
| 7 H 52 MIN | |||
| 7 H 47 MIN | |||
| 7 H 42 MIN | |||
| 7 H 37 MIN | |||
| 7 H 32 MIN |
Times in Whitehorse time (UTC-7, no daylight saving).
Month by month
| Month | Average high | Average low | Record low | Snow (cm) | Daylight mid-month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | -11.1°C | -18.9°C | -56.2°C | 29 | 6 h 30 min |
| February | -7.1°C | -16.6°C | -51.2°C | 18 | 9 h 05 min |
| March | -1.1°C | -12.4°C | -40.6°C | 16 | 11 h 45 min |
| April | 7.1°C | -4.0°C | -29.4°C | 7 | 14 h 40 min |
| May | 14.2°C | 1.6°C | -12.9°C | 3 | 17 h 20 min |
| June | 19.3°C | 6.2°C | -5.7°C | 0 | 19 h 05 min |
| July | 20.5°C | 8.5°C | -0.5°C | 0 | 18 h 15 min |
| August | 18.5°C | 7.2°C | -4.4°C | 0 | 15 h 45 min |
| September | 12.3°C | 2.7°C | -19.4°C | 4 | 12 h 55 min |
| October | 4.3°C | -2.8°C | -31.1°C | 17 | 10 h 05 min |
| November | -5.4°C | -11.8°C | -41.0°C | 28 | 7 h 20 min |
| December | -9.1°C | -16.5°C | -47.8°C | 25 | 5 h 40 min |
Averages hide the swings. A January week can sit at -35°C to -40°C, and the next week a Pacific air mass can push the temperature above freezing. The highest January temperature on record is 10.9°C.
Winter (November to March)
December, January and February together average -13.3°C, but that average mixes mild spells with cold snaps. Cold snaps come when clear, still Arctic air settles over the valley. Nights then drop below -30°C for a week or longer, and the wind chill can feel like -50°C.
Recent winters show how much they vary:
- 2025 to 2026: a long cold spell in December brought 10 nights below -30°C by December 23, and Whitehorse reached -44°C before Christmas. On March 2, 2026, the airport recorded -40.2°C, only 0.4°C short of the March record. It was also the wettest winter on record, with 77 cm of snow on the ground at the end of February.
- 2024 to 2025: milder. The coldest reading of 2025 was -31.0°C on January 3, and on January 10 and 11 it was above freezing.
- 2024: the coldest day of the year was -34.4°C on November 30, after -32.6°C in January.
The all-time record is -56.2°C in January 1906, recorded when the weather station was still downtown.
Snow usually stays on the ground from late October or November until April. It is dry and light, about 150 cm falls in an average winter, and roads are cleared quickly. Winter daylight is short: on December 21 the sun rises around 11:10 AM and sets around 4:45 PM.
Spring (April and May)
The days get long fast, gaining more than 5 minutes a day in March and April. In April afternoons reach about 7°C while nights still freeze, and the snow in town is usually gone by late April. Frost is possible until early June.
Summer (June to August)
July afternoons average 20.5°C and nights 8.5°C. Days in the high 20s are common in a warm summer, and the record is 34.4°C. June, July and August bring most of the year's rain, usually as afternoon showers. Around June 21 the sun rises at about 4:30 AM and sets at about 11:35 PM, and it never gets fully dark. Smoke from forest fires can cover the city for days in dry summers.
Fall (September and October)
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Leaves turn yellow in late August and September. The first snow can fall in September, and October nights are usually below freezing. Aurora season starts again in late August, once the nights are dark.
Why the sun rises so late in winter
The Yukon stopped changing its clocks in 2020 and stays on UTC-7 all year. In summer that matches British Columbia. In winter it puts Whitehorse an hour ahead of Vancouver, which is why sunrise comes after 11 AM in December.
What to wear
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Winter:
- Layers you can open indoors: thermal base layer, fleece or wool, and a warm parka that covers your hips.
- Boots rated for -40°C with room for thick socks. Ordinary winter boots from the south are not warm enough on cold nights.
- Mitts rather than gloves, a hat that covers your ears, and a neck warmer or face mask for wind chill.
- If you drive: plug in the block heater when it is colder than about -20°C, keep the tank at least half full, and carry a blanket, warm clothes, a scraper, a shovel and a phone charger.
Below -30°C, exposed skin can freeze within minutes in wind. Cover your face and keep outdoor time short.
Summer: a light jacket for the evenings, a rain shell, bug spray, sunscreen and sunglasses. If you need dark to sleep, bring an eye mask.
Weather in the mountains around Whitehorse changes quickly. Check the forecast for your route before a day trip to Carcross, Haines Junction or Atlin.