Newfoundland and Labrador Weather

Newfoundland and Labrador climate

Newfoundland and Labrador spans two dramatically different climate regions. The island of Newfoundland has a maritime climate shaped by the cold Labrador Current and warm Gulf Stream, producing cool summers, relatively mild winters, and notoriously changeable weather. Labrador's interior and northern coast experience a harsh subarctic climate with long, frigid winters.

St. John's holds the distinction of being one of the windiest, foggiest, snowiest, and cloudiest cities in Canada. The city averages over 335 cm of snowfall per year, and powerful nor'easters known locally as "weather bombs" can dump 50+ cm of snow in a single event, as the historic January 2020 blizzard demonstrated. Freezing rain is also a major hazard.

The collision of the warm Gulf Stream and cold Labrador Current off Newfoundland's coast creates the Grand Banks fog, which can blanket the island for weeks at a time during spring and summer. Labrador experiences some of the coldest temperatures in eastern Canada, with winter readings below -35°C in the interior. Icebergs drifting south along the coast are a unique weather-adjacent phenomenon visible from shore each spring.