Warmest start to June in nearly a century for this Canadian city
An unusually consistent, southerly pattern for the first half of June has delivered impressive warmth to this major Canadian city from the Gulf Stream
You’d be forgiven for forgetting it’s still June in St. John’s, N.L.
The city kicked off June with a rare and sustained stretch of warmth, something not seen since 1936.
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The city recorded a remarkably consistent run of warmth to kick off the month, from June 5–7, a rarity for coastal St. John’s where early summer is often slow to ramp up.
Temperature trends and patterns
Mean temperature (June 1–14): 14.5°C--well above the normal for early June in St. John’s (9.3°C).
Warmest day: June 6, with a mean of 19.5°C (high of 25.0°C, low of 14.0°C).
Coolest day: June 14, with a mean of just 9.7°C (high of 16.2°C, low of 3.2°C).
Maximum temperature peak: 26.6°C on June 5.
Large, diurnal swings: Recent days have shown cool overnight lows paired with near-20°C daytime highs, signalling clearer skies and sufficient, radiational cooling.
Historic context: You’d have to go back to 1936 to find a warmer start to June (15.5°C for the first half of that month).
Precipitation: Just 20.1 mm of rain has fallen so far--a notably dry stretch that could raise concerns for wildfire risk if the dry, warm weather continues.
The great comparison
Despite its coastal location, St. John’s temperatures rivalled major, inland cities during the first half of June.
Ottawa (airport) 22.9°C (average high), 16.8°C (mean temperature)
Toronto (downtown) 20.9°C (average high), 16.9°C (mean temperature)
St. John’s (airport) 20.6°C (average high), 14.5°C (mean temperature)
That’s impressive company for a city surrounded by cold ocean currents.
It's all about the wind
The average direction of the strongest wind gusts so far in June is west-southwest, a crucial factor in warming the region up.
Offshore winds like those help cut off the onshore chill, allowing warmth to build over the Avalon Peninsula.
For context, June 2018 saw mean temperatures of just 5°C during the same period--and yes, it even included a dusting of snow.
Looking ahead
The next five days continue the streak:
Highs are expected to reach the low 20s, while seasonal normals are in the mid-teens.
The warm and dry pattern looks to hold, and that’s good news for sun lovers, but something to watch for wildfire-weather risk.
With files from Tyler Hamilton and Kevin MacKay, meteorologists at The Weather Network.