When to Visit Churchill

Belugas, polar bears or the northern lights — the year month by month, with weather, crowds and prices.

When to come to Churchill depends entirely on what you want to see — belugas, polar bears and the northern lights each have their own season. Here's the year, month by month: weather, what's on, prices and crowds. There's no road in, so plan around the twice-weekly train or a flight.

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January

The heart of aurora season — long, dark, clear nights under the auroral oval. Brutally cold; come dressed for −30 and it rewards you.

Weather: Deep winter; around −25 °C, often −35 °C or colder. Bay frozen.
Prices: low
Crowds: quiet

The year at a glance

Month	In short
January	The heart of aurora season — long, dark, clear nights under the auroral oval. Brutally cold; come dressed for −30 and it rewards you.
February	Prime northern-lights season: the clearest, driest nights of the year. Cold but spectacular — the main reason to come in winter.
March	Aurora season at its best, with a little more daylight for dog-sledding and the tundra. The bay is still frozen solid.
April	A quiet shoulder month. The lights can still show early on, but the deep-winter trips wind down as daylight returns.
May	The in-between month — too late for reliable aurora, too early for belugas and bears. The first birders arrive.
June	Birding peaks (the famous Ross's Gull), wildflowers green the tundra, and the first belugas may arrive late in the month under near-endless daylight.
July	Beluga season — thousands of whales fill the river estuary. The brief, busy summer: warmest weather and long days, though the bugs are out.
August	Belugas linger early on, birds are about, and as the nights darken the first aurora can appear — the best overlap of the year. Books up early.
September	A calm, golden shoulder month: the tundra turns red, crowds thin, and the aurora returns on clear nights before bear season.
October	Polar bear season begins — bears gather on the coast waiting for the sea ice. Books up far ahead; dress for hard cold.
November	Peak polar-bear viewing through about mid-month as the bears head out onto the new ice. The signature Churchill trip — and the busiest.
December	The bears have gone to the ice and deep cold sets in, but aurora season opens again on the long, dark nights. Quiet in town.

When to Visit Churchill

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January

When to Visit Churchill

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January

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The year at a glance