Climate
Like the rest of southern Ontario, Barrie has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb), with warm, humid summers and cold winters.
In late spring and summer months, the Barrie area is known for heavy thunderstorm activity and the occasional funnel cloud or tornado sighting, due to its location within a convergence of breezes originating from Georgian Bay, Lake Ontario and Lake Erie.
In the winter months, the proximity to the Great Lakes moderates winter temperatures but also results in significant snowfall in the general area. Barrie is on the southern edge of Ontario's snowbelt region, where lake-effect snow, primarily from Georgian Bay, falls throughout the winter. An average of 238 centimetres (95 inches) of snow falls annually, with at least 50% due to the lake effect. Since the snowfall gradient is tight, snowfall totals tend to be significantly higher just north of the city as compared with the south end.
| Climate data for Barrie | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 14 (57) |
14 (57) |
24 (75) |
30 (86) |
32 (90) |
35 (95) |
36 (97) |
36 (97) |
33 (91) |
28 (82) |
21.5 (70.7) |
19.5 (67.1) |
36 (97) |
| Average high °C (°F) | −3.2 (26.2) |
−2 (28) |
3.2 (37.8) |
10.6 (51.1) |
18.1 (64.6) |
23.4 (74.1) |
26.0 (78.8) |
24.8 (76.6) |
20.1 (68.2) |
13.2 (55.8) |
6.1 (43.0) |
0.0 (32.0) |
11.7 (53.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −8.1 (17.4) |
−7.1 (19.2) |
−2.2 (28.0) |
5.3 (41.5) |
12.3 (54.1) |
17.7 (63.9) |
20.5 (68.9) |
19.5 (67.1) |
14.9 (58.8) |
8.5 (47.3) |
2.4 (36.3) |
−4 (25) |
6.7 (44.1) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −12.8 (9.0) |
−12.1 (10.2) |
−7.5 (18.5) |
0.0 (32.0) |
6.5 (43.7) |
12.0 (53.6) |
15.0 (59.0) |
14.2 (57.6) |
9.6 (49.3) |
3.7 (38.7) |
−1.4 (29.5) |
−7.9 (17.8) |
1.6 (34.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −35 (−31) |
−33 (−27) |
−30.5 (−22.9) |
−13 (9) |
−3 (27) |
1 (34) |
6 (43) |
3 (37) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
−6.5 (20.3) |
−19.5 (−3.1) |
−32 (−26) |
−35 (−31) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 95.4 (3.756) |
52.8 (2.079) |
57.0 (2.244) |
62.9 (2.476) |
77.3 (3.043) |
86.6 (3.409) |
73.4 (2.89) |
92.6 (3.646) |
97.6 (3.843) |
76.8 (3.024) |
82.6 (3.252) |
83.7 (3.295) |
938.5 (36.949) |
| Rainfall mm (inches) | 15.3 (0.602) |
13.3 (0.524) |
28.9 (1.138) |
57.8 (2.276) |
77.2 (3.039) |
86.6 (3.409) |
73.4 (2.89) |
92.6 (3.646) |
97.6 (3.843) |
74.3 (2.925) |
62.1 (2.445) |
21.3 (0.839) |
700.2 (27.567) |
| Snowfall cm (inches) | 80.2 (31.57) |
39.5 (15.55) |
28.1 (11.06) |
5.0 (1.97) |
0.1 (0.04) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
2.5 (0.98) |
20.6 (8.11) |
62.4 (24.57) |
238.4 (93.86) |
| Avg. precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 15.3 | 11.6 | 11.1 | 12.0 | 12.1 | 11.4 | 10.7 | 12.4 | 13.6 | 15.0 | 14.5 | 14.5 | 154.0 |
| Avg. rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 2.7 | 2.8 | 5.2 | 11.0 | 12.1 | 11.4 | 10.7 | 12.4 | 13.6 | 14.8 | 10.6 | 4.3 | 111.5 |
| Avg. snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) | 13.0 | 9.4 | 6.6 | 1.4 | 0.04 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.54 | 4.4 | 10.8 | 46.3 |
| Source: Environment Canada | |||||||||||||
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