Ottawa is 3.4°C (6.1°F) warmer by day, Ottawa has 2.2°C (4°F) warmer nights, Quebec City gets 195 mm (7.7 in) more rain a year.
Ottawa is at its warmest in July and coolest in January, while Quebec City peaks in July and bottoms out in January. Month for month, Ottawa is the warmer of the two in 12 of 12 months.
Quebec City is the wetter of the two, collecting 1,161 mm (45.7 in) of rain a year against 966 mm (38 in) in Ottawa. The most comfortable time to visit is June, July and August in Ottawa and June, July and August in Quebec City.
| Ottawa | Metric | Quebec City |
|---|---|---|
| 🌡️ Temperature | ||
| 10.5°C | 🌡️Average daytime high | 7.1°C |
| 0.1°C | 🌙Average nighttime low | -2.1°C |
| July | 🔥Hottest month | July |
| January | ❄️Coldest month | January |
| 🌧️ Rain | ||
| 966 mm | 🌧️Annual rainfall | 1,161 mm |
| June | ☔Wettest month | July |
| February | 🏜️Driest month | February |
| 💨 Climate | ||
| 84% | 💧Average humidity | 88% |
| 0.6 m/s | 💨Average wind speed | 1.3 m/s |
Overnight, Ottawa typically falls to around 0.1°C (32.2°F) while Quebec City settles near -2.1°C (28.2°F).
Ottawa is hottest in July and coldest in January, whereas Quebec City peaks in July and is coolest in January.
Ottawa sees the most rain in June and the least in February; Quebec City is wettest in July and driest in February.
Quebec City feels the more humid of the two, averaging 88% relative humidity against 84%.
For Quebec City, 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 | Ottawa | Quebec City | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Min | Avg | Max | Min | Avg | Max | |
| January | -17.5 | -12.4❄️ | -7.3 | -19.9 | -14.8❄️ | -9.8 |
| February | -16.1 | -10.7 | -5.4 | -18.4 | -13.1 | -7.8 |
| March | -9.1 | -3.9 | 1.2 | -12.2 | -7.5 | -2.8 |
| April | -0.6 | 5.1 | 10.8 | -3.2 | 1.3 | 5.8 |
| May | 6.4 | 12.3 | 18.3 | 4 | 9.4 | 14.7 |
| June | 12 | 17.4 | 22.8 | 9.9 | 14.7 | 19.6 |
| July | 14.9 | 20.1🔥 | 25.4 | 13.1 | 17.5🔥 | 22 |
| August | 13.9 | 19.3 | 24.7 | 12.2 | 16.7 | 21.2 |
| September | 9.5 | 15.2 | 20.8 | 7.8 | 12.5 | 17.1 |
| October | 3.3 | 8.2 | 13.1 | 1.7 | 5.8 | 9.9 |
| November | -3.2 | 0.8 | 4.7 | -5.4 | -1.9 | 1.5 |
| December | -11.7 | -7.5 | -3.3 | -14.5 | -10.2 | -5.9 |
| Annual Avg | 0.1 | 5.3 | 10.5 | -2.1 | 2.5 | 7.1 |
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 Ottawa and Quebec City feel alike; where they separate, they are genuinely different places to be.
Hover or tap any point to read the exact figures. Ottawa Quebec City
See how Ottawa and Quebec City 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 Ottawa and Quebec City — each drawn straight from the climate figures above.
Ottawa is the warmer of the two. It averages daytime highs of 10.5°C (50.9°F) against 7.1°C (44.8°F) in Quebec City — roughly 3.4°C (6.1°F) warmer by day. Nights are milder in Ottawa, with average lows of 0.1°C (32.2°F) versus -2.1°C (28.2°F).
Ottawa is hottest in July, averaging highs of about 25.4°C (77.7°F), while Quebec City peaks in July at around 22°C (71.5°F). That makes Ottawa the hotter of the two at the height of summer.
Quebec City gets colder. In its coldest month (January) overnight lows average about -19.9°C (-3.8°F), compared with -17.5°C (0.5°F) at the low point of the year in Ottawa.
Quebec City is the wetter city, collecting about 1,161 mm (45.7 in) of rain a year versus 966 mm (38 in) in Ottawa. Ottawa is wettest in June and driest in February; Quebec City is wettest in July and driest in February.
Quebec City is the more humid of the two, averaging 88% relative humidity over the year against 84% in Ottawa.
The most comfortable months in Ottawa are June, July and August, when average temperatures are at their mildest.
Quebec City 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 all 12 months of the year. The gap is widest in April, about 3.8°C (6.8°F), and narrowest in October, about 2.4°C (4.3°F).
Both have a similar seasonal range — around 32.5°C (58.5°F) between the coldest and hottest months — so neither climate is noticeably more extreme than the other.
On climate alone, Ottawa comes out ahead — it offers warmer days, less rain and lower humidity than Quebec City. Quebec City is the better fit only if you'd actually prefer cooler weather, more rainfall and a more humid climate.
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 Ottawa and Quebec City, not a single year's weather or a short-range forecast.
