Your first winter: cold, but you can do this.

1. How cold it really gets

• January averages −13.4 °C over a whole day, with average lows of −19.2 °C. February and December are close behind.
• In an average year, Thunder Bay has about 42 nights colder than −20 °C and about 7 colder than −30 °C. The coldest reading from 1991 to 2020 was −43.2 °C.
• Snow: about 188 cm a year on average, based on the official 1971–2000 figures. The newer averages don't include snowfall.

Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020, Thunder Bay

2. Wind chill and frostbite

Wind makes the cold feel much colder, and the forecast shows this as the wind chill. Thunder Bay averages about 28 days a year with a wind chill below −30. Watch the wind chill, not just the temperature. It tells you how fast bare skin can freeze:

−28 to −39

Bare skin can freeze in 10 to 30 minutes.

−40 to −47

5 to 10 minutes.

−48 to −54

2 to 5 minutes.

−55 or colder

Under 2 minutes. Stay inside.

Wet skin and strong wind make it happen even faster.

Source: Government of Canada, "Wind chill index" and the climate normals above

3. How to dress

• Layers, with a wind-resistant layer on the outside. Several thin layers keep you warmer than one thick one, and you can take one off before you sweat.
• Cover your head, hands and neck: a warm hat (toque), gloves or mittens, and a scarf. Wear warm socks and winter boots.
• Change out of wet clothes quickly.

Source: Health Canada, "Extreme cold"

4. Know the danger signs

• Frostbite: skin turns white or yellowish. In bad cases it darkens. Warm the area slowly in water just above body temperature. Do not rub it.
• Hypothermia (body too cold): first shivering and numb hands, then strong shivering and clumsiness. If the shivering stops and the person struggles to speak or think, it is life-threatening. Call 911 if someone has strong shivering or worse.
• Babies, older people, outdoor workers and people with diabetes are at higher risk.

Source: Health Canada, "Extreme cold"

5. Walking on ice

Sidewalks and parking lots get icy. The health unit says to "walk like a penguin": feet wide apart, knees a little bent, arms out to your sides, short steps, slowly. Wear boots with good grip.

Source: Thunder Bay District Health Unit, "Walk like a penguin"

6. Safe and warm at home

• Carbon monoxide (CO) is a gas you can't see or smell, and it comes from furnaces, fireplaces and cars. Ontario homes with a fuel-burning appliance, a fireplace or an attached garage must have a CO alarm next to each sleeping area. Since January 1, 2026, they also need one on every floor. In a rental, the landlord must install and maintain them.
• Signs of CO poisoning: headache, nausea, dizziness, confusion or sleepiness. If the alarm sounds, get everyone outside and call 911 from there.
• Never warm up a car in a closed garage, or heat your home with a barbecue or a gas oven.

Source: Government of Ontario, "Carbon monoxide safety"

7. Winter driving

• Use winter tires: look for the mountain-and-snowflake symbol. Ask your insurer whether they give a discount for them.
• Keep your gas tank at least half full, and use washer fluid rated to −40 °C.
• Keep an emergency kit in the car: a charged phone, water and food, a flashlight, a blanket and warm clothes, booster cables, a shovel, sand or traction mats, and candles with matches.
• Check road conditions at ontario.ca/511 or dial 511 before a highway trip.

Source: Government of Ontario, "Winter driving"

8. Snow, plows and parking

• Overnight parking ban: no parking on priority routes from 2 a.m. to 7 a.m. every night from November 15 to April 30, snow or no snow. Your car can be ticketed or towed.
• Calendar parking: from early winter to March 31, on streets with calendar-parking signs, you park on the side the sign shows for that date, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. The City announces each year when it starts.
• Plowing: main roads first, after 5 cm of snow, and local streets after 10 cm. Residential streets can take up to 72 hours. See the plow map at thunderbay.ca/snow.
• Your driveway is your job, including the ridge of snow the plow leaves across the end. Don't push snow onto the road. The City clears sidewalks after 5 cm.

Source: City of Thunder Bay, "Snow removal", "Parking regulations" and "Calendar parking"

9. Short days and vitamin D

Winter days are short, and your skin makes less vitamin D when there is little sun. That applies to many people living in Canada. Health Canada recommends eating foods with vitamin D every day, or a 400 IU supplement for ages 2 to 50, and a daily 400 IU supplement for adults over 50. Ask a pharmacist if you're not sure.

If the dark months leave you feeling low for weeks, talk to a doctor or call 811. You don't have to push through it alone.

Source: Health Canada, "Vitamin D"

10. Enjoy it: free winter fun

• Outdoor skating rinks open around mid-December to mid-March, depending on the weather, and the City posts which are open. The rink at Prince Arthur's Landing has free skating aids for beginners, and Vickers Park has a 500-metre skating trail.
• Winter FunDays: every Sunday from January 3 to March 14, 2027, 2 to 4 p.m., at Marina Park and the Baggage Building Arts Centre. All activities are free.

Source: City of Thunder Bay, "Arenas and outdoor skating" and "Winter FunDays"

Then warm up with wakenya: see Jamhuri Day on December 12 and our other events.

Next guide: Groceries and food →