Ottawa (ON) Sunshine Hours by Month

Sunshine plays a big role in understanding the climate of a city. This page shows the total number of hours of direct sunlight per month and the average hours per day in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The numbers reflect climate data gathered over a 30-year period, from 1990 to 2020.

Monthly hours of sunshine

Those who love seasonal contrasts will appreciate Ottawa. Expect long, bright days with 280 hours in July and darker periods with just 83 hours in December. The total annual amount of sun is 2087 hours.

Daily hours of sunshine

Seasonal changes in sunshine hours are quite obvious in Ottawa. While July receives considerable daily sunshine with up to 9.3 hours, December marks the darkest time of the year, where sunshine is scarce with only 2.8 hours of sunlight per day.

Average percent of sunshine

On average the sun shines 59% of the time during the day in July, the highest percentage of any month. November has the lowest percentage at 29%.

Ottawa enjoys an average of 2087 hours of sunshine annually. Let’s compare this with some popular tourist destinations:

In Barcelona, Spain, there are 2530 hours of sunshine annually and is a city that can be visited year-round.

Manchester, UK, experiences just around 1420 hours of sunshine annually.

In Shanghai, China, the annual average sunshine is 1780 hours, with cloudier weather in summer.

In Tokyo, Japan, the average annual sunshine is 1930 hours, with sunny periods between rainy seasons.

June, Ottawa’s wettest month, receives 102 mm (4 in) of rainfall and has a maximum daytime temperature of 25°C (77°F). During the driest month February you can expect a temperature of -2°C (28°F).

For more detailed insights into the city’s temperatures, check out our Temperature page. To explore more about precipitation patterns, visit our Ottawa Precipitation page.