La Macaza is a weather station located 244 m above sea level, 9 km from Rivière-Rouge. Its records go back to 1957: 55 years of temperature are available up to 2019, along with rainfall and a comparison with two reference normals. Closed series: the records of this station end in 2019. Over 1991–2020 the annual mean temperature there is 4.4 °C, much higher than over 1961–1990 (3.2 °C): a difference of 1.2 °C. The warmest year of the series is 1998 (6.0 °C) and the coldest 1976 (0.7 °C). The last complete year, 2019, ranks 43 out of 55, from warmest to coldest. Over 1961–2019, the annual mean temperature changes by +0.38 °C per decade. The station ranks 22 out of 240 stations, from the fastest rise to the slowest.
Annual mean temperature since 1957
The first ten years of the series (1957–1971) average 2.8 °C; the last ten (2007–2019) average 4.3 °C, a difference of +1.5 °C. Of the ten warmest years in the series, 7 fall after 1999. The warmest is 1998 (6.0 °C). The ten-year running mean peaks at 4.4 °C (2014) and bottoms out at 2.5 °C (1972).
Annual rainfall since 1957
On average 1160 mm of rain falls per year over the 36 documented years. The wettest year, 1996, received 1444 mm; the driest, 2002, only 954 mm, which is 1.5 times less. Over 1961–1990, December is on average the wettest month (119 mm) and March the driest (75 mm). Between 1978 and 2008, 10 years out of 20 exceeded the series average.
Monthly normals: 1961–1990 against 1991–2020
The table compares, month by month, the mean temperature and the rainfall total of two thirty-year reference periods. The difference column shows what the recent period changes compared with the earlier one.
| Month | Temp. 1961–1990 | Temp. 1991–2020 | Difference | Rain 1961–1990 | Rain 1991–2020 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −14.2 °C | −12.6 °C | +1.6 °C | 89 mm | 105 mm | +16 mm |
| February | −12.5 °C | −10.7 °C | +1.8 °C | 80 mm | 71 mm | −9 mm |
| March | −5.0 °C | −4.4 °C | +0.6 °C | 75 mm | 75 mm | 0 mm |
| April | 3.3 °C | 3.5 °C | +0.2 °C | 75 mm | 82 mm | +7 mm |
| May | 10.4 °C | 11.5 °C | +1.1 °C | 86 mm | 92 mm | +6 mm |
| June | 15.3 °C | 16.7 °C | +1.4 °C | 113 mm | 119 mm | +6 mm |
| July | 17.9 °C | 19.1 °C | +1.2 °C | 107 mm | – | – |
| August | 16.4 °C | 18.0 °C | +1.6 °C | 114 mm | 114 mm | 0 mm |
| September | 11.8 °C | 13.6 °C | +1.8 °C | 98 mm | 120 mm | +22 mm |
| October | 5.8 °C | 6.6 °C | +0.8 °C | 90 mm | 100 mm | +10 mm |
| November | −1.0 °C | −0.5 °C | +0.5 °C | 103 mm | 97 mm | −6 mm |
| December | −10.2 °C | −8.1 °C | +2.1 °C | 119 mm | 100 mm | −19 mm |
The largest temperature change is in December (+2.1 °C) and the smallest in April (+0.2 °C); over the year the mean difference is +1.2 °C, and 12 months out of twelve are warmer than before.
Records at La Macaza
- Warmest year: 6.0 °C, in 1998
- Coldest year: 0.7 °C, in 1976
- Driest year: 954 mm, in 2002
- Wettest year: 1444 mm, in 1996
- Warmest month: 21.6 °C, in July 2020
- Coldest month: −21.3 °C, in January 1994
- Wettest month: 309 mm, in July 1996
- Hottest day: 36.0 °C, on 15 June 2001
- Coldest day: −45.0 °C, on 4 January 1981
- Heaviest rain in one day: 141.0 mm, on 9 August 2024
5.3 °C separate the warmest year of the series from the coldest. Between the hottest and the coldest day on record, the range reaches 81.0 °C.
Temperature trend over 1961–2019
The regression line of annual mean temperature changes by +0.38 °C per decade between 1961 and 2019, about +2.2 °C over the whole period. That is faster than the median of the 240 stations (+0.25 °C per decade), by 0.13 °C per decade: the station ranks 22 out of 240.
Data source and licence
Data source: Environment and Climate Change Canada (dataset “AHCCD (ahccd-monthly) + climate-daily”), licence Open Government Licence – Canada. Last updated: 29 October 2026.
The data for La Macaza are shown as the source publishes them; this site does not correct them. A year is kept only if at least eleven months of measurements are available, and a normal is computed only with at least twenty years of data out of its thirty. Temperatures are rounded to 0.1 °C and rainfall to the millimetre. The station is one of 240 stations in Canada: the overview page lets you compare them.
Frequently asked questions
What is the annual mean temperature at La Macaza?
Over 1991–2020, the annual mean temperature at La Macaza is 4.4 °C. It was 3.2 °C over 1961–1990, a difference of +1.2 °C.
What is the warmest year ever measured at La Macaza?
Since records began in 1957, the warmest year at La Macaza is 1998, at 6.0 °C on average. The coldest is 1976 (0.7 °C).
Is the climate at La Macaza getting warmer?
Yes: at La Macaza, the annual mean temperature rises by 0.38 °C per decade between 1961 and 2019, +2.2 °C in total. 7 of the 10 warmest years in the series fall after 1999.
Towns near this station
Neighbouring stations