The climate of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, a French overseas collectivity, is
cold oceanic, with cold winters, in which the temperature is often below freezing, and mild summers. Saint-Pierre and Miquelon is a small archipelago located south of the Canadian island of Newfoundland.
We are in an area where the
clash between sea and air currents (the Gulf Stream and the mild wind from the south-west on one side, the Labrador current and the cold wind from the north on the other) gives rise to
frequent rains (and snowfalls in winter) but also to frequent
fogs. In addition, the islands are
windy.
Due to the lack of mountains and rivers, there is a certain scarcity of water available, so water is collected from rain, desalinated from the sea or produced by an incinerator.
The climate in detail
Temperature and rain
Saint-Pierre
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Climate chart - St Pierre
In the capital, Saint-Pierre, the
average temperature of the coldest month (February) is of -2.9 °C (26.9 °F), that of the warmest month (August) is of 16.8 °C (62.2 °F). Summer is particularly cool because of fogs.
On the coldest days of the year, the temperature can drop to -10/-14 °C (7/14 °F) or even below. In February 1994, it dropped to -17 °C (1.5 °F).
On the warmest days of the year, in general the temperature does not exceed 23/24 °C (73/75 °F), even though the record is 28.5 °C (83 °F).
St Pierre - Average temperatures (1991-2020) | Month | Min (°C) | Max (°C) | Mean (°C) | Min (°F) | Max (°F) | Mean (°F) |
|---|
| January | -4.9 | 0.2 | -2.4 | 23 | 32 | 27.8 |
|---|
| February | -5.5 | -0.4 | -3 | 22 | 31 | 26.7 |
|---|
| March | -3.5 | 1.4 | -1 | 26 | 35 | 30.1 |
|---|
| April | -0.5 | 4.8 | 2.2 | 31 | 41 | 35.9 |
|---|
| May | 2.8 | 8.9 | 5.8 | 37 | 48 | 42.5 |
|---|
| June | 6.8 | 12.9 | 9.8 | 44 | 55 | 49.7 |
|---|
| July | 11.6 | 17.1 | 14.4 | 53 | 63 | 57.8 |
|---|
| August | 14.2 | 19.4 | 16.8 | 58 | 67 | 62.2 |
|---|
| September | 11.3 | 16.6 | 14 | 52 | 62 | 57.1 |
|---|
| October | 6.9 | 11.7 | 9.3 | 44 | 53 | 48.7 |
|---|
| November | 2.5 | 7.2 | 4.8 | 36 | 45 | 40.7 |
|---|
| December | -1.5 | 3.1 | 0.8 | 29 | 38 | 33.4 |
|---|
| Year | 3.4 | 8.6 | 6 | 38.1 | 47.5 | 43 |
|---|
amounts to 1,295 millimeters (51 inches) per year. The rainiest season is autumn.
St Pierre - Average precipitation| Month | Millimeters | Inches | Days |
|---|
| January | 104 | 4.1 | 16 |
|---|
| February | 98 | 3.9 | 14 |
|---|
| March | 97 | 3.8 | 12 |
|---|
| April | 88 | 3.5 | 10 |
|---|
| May | 101 | 4 | 10 |
|---|
| June | 94 | 3.7 | 10 |
|---|
| July | 98 | 3.8 | 10 |
|---|
| August | 101 | 4 | 10 |
|---|
| September | 130 | 5.1 | 10 |
|---|
| October | 134 | 5.3 | 13 |
|---|
| November | 132 | 5.2 | 14 |
|---|
| December | 117 | 4.6 | 15 |
|---|
| Year | 1295 | 51 | 145 |
|---|
On average, there are around 1,390
sunshine hours per year. So, the sun doesn't shine often.
St Pierre - Sunshine hours| Month | Average | Total |
|---|
January | 1.5 | 40 | February | 2 | 60 | March | 3.5 | 115 | April | 4.5 | 140 | May | 5.5 | 175 | June | 5.5 | 165 | July | 5 | 150 | August | 5.5 | 170 | September | 5.5 | 160 | October | 4 | 115 | November | 2 | 60 | December | 1 | 40 | Year | 3.8 | 1395 |
Sea temperature
The
sea temperature ranges between 1 °C (34 °F) and 16 °C (61 °F). So, it never becomes warm for swimming.
St Pierre - Sea temperature| Month | Celsius (°C) | Fahrenheit (°F) |
|---|
January | 2 | 36 | February | 1 | 34 | March | 1 | 34 | April | 1 | 34 | May | 4 | 39 | June | 7 | 45 | July | 12 | 54 | August | 16 | 61 | September | 14 | 57 | October | 11 | 52 | November | 7 | 45 | December | 4 | 39 | Year | 6.7 | 44.1 |
Hurricanes
From August to October, the archipelago can occasionally be hit by hurricanes of the Atlantic, which, after affecting the Caribbean, turn north-east. They generally arrive weakened because they have to cross a cold sea, however they can still bring abundant rains and strong winds.
When to go
The best months to visit Saint Pierre and Miquelon are
July and August, as they are the mildest of the year.
What to pack
In
winter: pack very warm clothes, a fleece, a down jacket, a hat, gloves, a scarf, and a raincoat or umbrella.
In
summer: pack clothes for spring and autumn, but also a jacket and a sweater, and a raincoat or umbrella.
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