Yellowknife (NT) Temperature by Month
The average annual maximum temperature in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada is 1°C (34°F), with daytime highs ranging from -21°C (-6°F) in January to 21°C (70°F) in July. This page covers monthly averages, day-night differences, and how Yellowknife compares to cities worldwide.
Yellowknife Monthly Temperatures
In Yellowknife, temperatures differ significantly between summer and winter months. Nighttime lows reflect this range, dropping from 13°C (55°F) in July to -28°C (-18°F) in January.
The chart below illustrates the average maximum day and minimum night temperatures in Yellowknife by month:
The minimum temperature is often recorded between 4 AM and 6 AM, while the highest temperature is usually reached at 3 PM, when the sun's heating effect is strongest. July, the warmest month, gets 358 hours of sunshine.
The chart below shows the average temperature throughout the year:
Temperature: Yellowknife vs Canada
The map below shows the annual temperature across Canada. You can also select individual months if you want to compare a specific time of year.
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Yellowknife vs World: Temperature Compared
Yellowknife's average annual maximum temperature is 1°C (34°F). To put that in context, here's how it compares to a few well-known destinations:
Rome, Italy averages 20°C (68°F) annually, with reliably warm summers and comfortable winters.
Queenstown, New Zealand averages 10°C (50°F) annually — remember seasons are flipped, so its coldest months fall in June and July.
New York City, USA averages 17°C (63°F) a year, with hot humid summers and cold winters that bring regular snowfall.
Brisbane, Australia averages 26°C (79°F) a year, with warm winters and hot, humid summers.
What Does the Temperature Feel Like in Yellowknife?
Temperature alone doesn't tell the whole story — humidity plays a big role in how warm or cold it actually feels. High humidity in summer makes the heat feel more intense, particularly once temperatures climb above 25°C. In winter, the same humidity can make cold air feel sharper than the thermometer suggests.
In the cooler months, when temperatures drop below 10°C, high humidity makes the cold feel more cutting than it would in dry conditions.
In Yellowknife, January is the coolest month, with average highs of -21°C (-6°F) and humidity around 64% — considered high. For a full picture, see our humidity page.
Climate temperature data is typically calculated as a 30-year average. This smooths out year-to-year variability and gives a more reliable picture of what a place is actually like, rather than what happened in any single unusual year.
The readings come from a range of sources — land-based weather stations, ocean buoys, ships, and satellites. That data is collected by weather services around the world, then pooled, quality-checked, and averaged to produce the climate records you see here.
For cities and regions with significant elevation, altitude is one of the biggest factors shaping local temperatures. As a rule of thumb, temperatures fall by around 6°C for every 1,000 metres gained — so a city at 2,000 metres will typically be around 12°C cooler than a city at sea level in the same region. Higher ground also tends to see more dramatic day-to-night temperature swings, since thinner air loses heat faster after sunset.
For more on Yellowknife's weather — including monthly rainfall, sunshine hours, and humidity — visit our Yellowknife climate page.
