Ottawa is 1.6°C (2.9°F) warmer by day, Ottawa has 1.6°C (2.9°F) warmer nights, Ottawa gets 442 mm (17.4 in) more rain a year.
Edmonton is at its warmest in August and coolest in January, while Ottawa peaks in July and bottoms out in January. Month for month, Ottawa is the warmer of the two in 9 of 12 months.
Ottawa is the wetter of the two, collecting 966 mm (38 in) of rain a year against 524 mm (20.6 in) in Edmonton. The most comfortable time to visit is June, July and August in Edmonton and June, July and August in Ottawa.
| Edmonton | Metric | Ottawa |
|---|---|---|
| 🌡️ Temperature | ||
| 17.5°C | 🌡️Average daytime high | 19.1°C |
| -10.7°C | 🌙Average nighttime low | -9.1°C |
| August | 🔥Hottest month | July |
| January | ❄️Coldest month | January |
| 🌧️ Rain | ||
| 524 mm | 🌧️Annual rainfall | 966 mm |
| July | ☔Wettest month | June |
| February | 🏜️Driest month | February |
| 💨 Climate | ||
| 77% | 💧Average humidity | 84% |
| 2.9 m/s | 💨Average wind speed | 0.6 m/s |
Overnight, Edmonton typically falls to around -10.7°C (12.7°F) while Ottawa settles near -9.1°C (15.6°F).
Edmonton is hottest in August and coldest in January, whereas Ottawa peaks in July and is coolest in January.
Edmonton sees the most rain in July and the least in February; Ottawa is wettest in June and driest in February.
Ottawa feels the more humid of the two, averaging 84% relative humidity against 77%.
For Ottawa, the pick of the year is June, July and August.
Month by month, here is the coldest night, the average day and the hottest afternoon each city can expect. Switch Compare to read rainfall, humidity, wind or solar instead, and Period to move between the long-term 45-year average and any single year — the shading is a quick warm-to-cool guide.
| Month | Edmonton | Ottawa | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Min | Avg | Max | Min | Avg | Max | |
| January | -30.7 | -13.8❄️ | 3 | -32.5 | -15❄️ | 2.6 |
| February | -26.6 | -10.7 | 5.2 | -29.8 | -13.5 | 2.9 |
| March | -19.8 | -3.3 | 13.1 | -23.2 | -5.1 | 12.9 |
| April | -8.9 | 6 | 20.8 | -7.6 | 7 | 21.6 |
| May | -2.6 | 11.5 | 25.6 | -1.2 | 12.9 | 26.9 |
| June | 3.6 | 15.3 | 27 | 5.5 | 17.6 | 29.7 |
| July | 6.8 | 18.2🔥 | 29.7 | 9.6 | 20.2🔥 | 30.9 |
| August | 4.8 | 17.3 | 29.7 | 8.2 | 19.4 | 30.6 |
| September | -1.4 | 12.3 | 26 | 2.5 | 15.3 | 28 |
| October | -8.3 | 5.6 | 19.4 | -3.9 | 9.4 | 22.6 |
| November | -18.6 | -5.5 | 7.6 | -11.2 | 1.9 | 14.9 |
| December | -27 | -12.2 | 2.7 | -25.8 | -9.9 | 6 |
| Annual Avg | -10.7 | 3.4 | 17.5 | -9.1 | 5 | 19.1 |
Min / mean / max temperature (°C). 🔥 marks each city's hottest month, ❄️ its coldest; shading runs cool blue to warm red.
The same figures plotted out, so the shape of a typical year is easier to see than in a grid. Where the two lines run close together Edmonton and Ottawa feel alike; where they separate, they are genuinely different places to be.
Hover or tap any point to read the exact figures. Edmonton Ottawa
See how Edmonton and Ottawa stack up against other cities. Swipe for more.
Choose which city to keep, then search for any other city in our database — we'll build the comparison for you.
Quick answers to the questions people ask most when comparing Edmonton and Ottawa — each drawn straight from the climate figures above.
Ottawa is the warmer of the two. It averages daytime highs of 19.1°C (66.4°F) against 17.5°C (63.5°F) in Edmonton — roughly 1.6°C (2.9°F) warmer by day. Nights are milder in Ottawa, with average lows of -9.1°C (15.6°F) versus -10.7°C (12.7°F).
Edmonton is hottest in August, averaging highs of about 29.7°C (85.5°F), while Ottawa peaks in July at around 30.9°C (87.6°F). That makes Ottawa the hotter of the two at the height of summer.
Ottawa gets colder. In its coldest month (January) overnight lows average about -32.5°C (-26.5°F), compared with -30.7°C (-23.2°F) at the low point of the year in Edmonton.
Ottawa is the wetter city, collecting about 966 mm (38 in) of rain a year versus 524 mm (20.6 in) in Edmonton. Edmonton is wettest in July and driest in February; Ottawa is wettest in June and driest in February.
Ottawa is the more humid of the two, averaging 84% relative humidity over the year against 77% in Edmonton.
The most comfortable months in Edmonton are June, July and August, when average temperatures are at their mildest.
Ottawa is at its most pleasant around June, July and August, based on the mildest average temperatures of the year.
Ottawa is the warmer city in 9 of the 12 months of the year. The gap is widest in November, about 7.4°C (13.3°F), and narrowest in April, about 1°C (1.8°F).
Ottawa has the bigger seasonal swing, about 35.2°C (63.4°F) between its coldest and hottest months versus 32°C (57.6°F) in Edmonton — so Edmonton has the steadier, more even climate.
It depends what matters most to you: choose Ottawa for warmer weather, pick Edmonton if you prefer drier conditions and go for Edmonton if you want lower humidity. There is no single "better" climate — it comes down to whether you value warmth, dryness or comfort most.
Every figure on this page is calculated from NASA POWER satellite climate data spanning 1981–2025 (45 years). The averages describe the long-term climate of Edmonton and Ottawa, not a single year's weather or a short-range forecast.
