What is the Weather Really Like in Nova Scotia?

If you’re planning a move to a new province, it’s not just small talk to want to hear about the weather. Weather impacts our daily lives and how we are used to living them. If you hate snow, you might now want to move to a province that gets a lot of it. It’s common to hear people comment about the humid summers and cold, snowy winters here in Nova Scotia but what is the weather really like here, what can you expect from season to season? Let me fill you in!

Because I grew up in Alberta and Saskatchewan, I really find the Nova Scotia winters to be quite mild with the average winter temperature sitting right around -8℃. Winter lasts from December until mid-March with the bulk of the snow and cold occurring in January and February. On average you can expect approximately 59 inches of snow per winter on the South shore and up to 157 inches on the Norther shore of Cape Breton. For some perspective the average snowfall per winter in Ontario is 47.8 inches and 131 inches in Alberta. Winter can also bring Nor’Easters which are winter storms bringing strong winds and precipitation from the Northeast.

Spring, in my opinion, is not really that remarkable. It has beautiful weather for being outside and watching the new leaves comes to life. The last frost occurs anywhere from April 21st -May 20th depending on the region.

Summers in Nova Scotia can be humid with temperatures ranging around 25℃, or 32℃ with the humidity. The summer heat, humidity and precipitation really make ideal growing conditions if you like gardening. Mosquitos and black flies can be a pest in June and July, and you’ll find most people in Nova Scotia have either a pool in their backyard or a heat pump with air conditioning...maybe even both! When you can escape the heat by taking a hike in a shady forest or hanging out by the ocean and scouring for shells it’s really not that bad.

Falls in Nova Scotia really are the showstopper. So many colors of leaves, usually peaking over Thanksgiving weekend. Fall weather ranges from around 15℃ from September-November and 5℃ from November-December. Nova Scotia is known to get the odd hurricane or tropical storm in late summer/early fall so it’s always advisable to be researched on how to prepare for one.

All in all, I find the Nova Scotia weather quite easy to live in, there are so many outdoor things to do here, and the weather really accommodates that. One will find they can enjoy being outdoors in all seasons if dressed appropriately. As the saying goes, if you don’t like the weather in Nova Scotia, just wait 5 minutes.