Adapting to Climate Change

Climate change is already happening in Yellowknife. We are experiencing higher average temperatures, changes in precipitation patterns, and warmer winters than in the last several decades. That’s why it is important that we strategically adapt to our changing climate.

What does 'adaptation' mean?
"Actions that help to prevent or reduce climate change impacts and leverage any benefits of a changing climate." - Canadian Climate Institute

Jump to section

Current climate Projected climate Current impacts How to adapt Climate justice

Current climate

Over the 82-year period of 1942 to 2024, Yellowknife warmed by 2.02 °C (see the gradually increasing average temperature line in the graph below). That number is still climbing.

Line graph showing gradually increasing temperatures in Yellowknife 1942-2024

Projected climate

In the coming years, Yellowknife is expected to see increasingly warmer and shorter winters, more precipitation in the form of snow, further permafrost degradation, hotter and drier summers, more intense wildfires, and more extreme weather among other climate hazards.

Climate Atlas of Canada – Climate Change Estimates for Yellowknife, 2051-2080:

Change	1976-2005 Mean	2051-2080 High-Carbon Climate Change Projections
Change	1976-2005 Mean	Low	Mean	High
Typical Hottest Temperature	28.7	29.0	32.2	36.4
Typical Coldest Temperature	-43.6	-45.8	-37.3	-33.5
Number of -30^oC Days/Year	53	3	16	34
Number of below-zero days/year	227	168	192	216
Number of +25^oC Days/Year	7	9	27	54
Annual Precipitation (mm)	292	265	344	436
Frost-free season (days)	111	121	144	166

Current impacts

Much of Yellowknife's building stock and infrastructure was designed to historical building standards and may be incompatible with our future climate. In the Northwest Territories, potential loss of infrastructure from permafrost thaw alone is estimated at $1.3 billion over the next 75 years – causing infrastructure damages of $51 million per year.

Climate change in Yellowknife is also:

causing productivity losses and business disruptions (e.g., due to wildfire evacuations);
affecting peoples’ physical and mental health (e.g., from forest fire smoke); and
impacting the ecosystem and the services it provides (e.g., changes to wildlife and natural areas that impact hunting and gathering on the land).

Acting proactively can help us be better prepared for, and have increased capacity to respond to, the impacts of climate change. This will help prevent disruptions to our daily lives, service delivery, and economy, and keep our community members safe.

Prevention pays off!
According to the Canadian Climate Institute, even small investments to reduce vulnerability can deliver broad social, economic, and environmental benefits.

Decades of Canadian insurance payouts show that the number of catastrophic weather-related events is rising and that they’re becoming more costly. In July and August of 2024, extreme weather events resulted in $7 billion of insured losses in Canada– making that year the costliest in our country’s history.

Yellowknife has already begun to experience climate change impacts firsthand:

Community-wide evacuations

In 2023, wildfires in the region resulted in the evacuation of 12 communities in the NWT including approximately 20,000 people from the Yellowknife area. Insured losses in Yellowknife and Behchokǫ̀ were roughly $30 million. While no buildings were lost within the city, the evacuation of residents was costly as were the economic losses of businesses.
Wildfires in 2014 burned 3.4 M hectares of land in the NWT. Most residents of Hay River were forced to evacuate. Firefighting alone cost $56.1 M.

Infrastructure damage

Following issues with shifting land at the Yellowknife airport runway in January 2023, the GNWT commissioned a geotechnical study that determined the shifting ground conditions were caused by thawing permafrost.
In 2018, the Northern Frontier Visitor Center was forced to close due to sinking and shifting from permafrost thaw that led to structural problems.
Permafrost thaw has damaged local paved roads that required repairs.
Extreme cold weather has caused pipes and water mains to freeze.

Disrupted services

In September 2022, a tree collapsed on transmission lines at Snare Hydro during a high wind event which resulted in two days of power outages.
Wildfires have also led to power outages, such as the city-wide power outage in July 2016, when a nearby fire damaged power lines.
Climate impacts such as snowfall and freezing rain have led to delayed public transportation and dangerous driving conditions.
Ice roads are critical for connecting Yellowknife residents and neighbouring communities. Warmer temperatures are shortening the ice road season because the ice is freezing later and thawing earlier.

Check back soon to read the latest Climate Vulnerability Assessment here.

For more information on wildfires, prevention tips, and evacuation information, please visit the City’s Public Safety page.

How to adapt

What the City is doing (implemented or planned actions):

What residents can do:

*Possible for some tenants

Year-round

Improve insulation in your building to prevent heat loss in the winter and heat gain in the summer (especially in attics, crawl spaces, exterior walls, and basements)
Air seal buildings (with weather stripping or sealant) to prevent drafts and improve energy efficiency
Improve ventilation in your building to remove moisture and pollutants
Replace old windows and doors in your building to eliminate drafts and improve energy efficiency
Prepare an emergency kit*
Install a heat pump, air purifiers, ceiling fans, or air conditioners to maintain temperature and air quality indoors
Protect lower floors of buildings from flooding by installing backflow prevention valves
Install solar panels or a wood stove as a backup power source

Summer & Fall

Check out FireSmart Canada to protect your home and property*
Keep your blinds and drapes closed during the hottest part of the day*
Check Yellowknife's Air Quality Health Index and limit outdoor time when the air quality is poor (e.g., due to wildfire smoke)*
Check out the City’s Wildfire Information page*
During a heat wave, stay hydrated, wear loose-fitting clothes and stay in shaded or air-conditioned areas*
Landscape your yard and garden to encourage rain to filter into the ground and away from your building foundation
Plant trees (away from your building) to increase shade
Plant native and drought-tolerant species
Grow your own food in your home, yard, or balcony (check out our Local Food Production page)*

Winter & Spring

Check out the City’s Ice Safety Information page*
Prepare your home or business for power outages*
Check out the City’s Water Line Freeze Protection Tips to prevent your pipes from freezing
Open your blinds and drapes during the day to let in the sun and close them at night to keep the heat in*

What builders can do:

The Standards Council of Canada has created the Northern Infrastructure Standardization Initiative that consists of building standards to help northern communities adapt to climate change. The standards provide builders solutions for:

Building in permafrost;
Dealing with extreme weather; and
Designing with climate change and risk in mind.

Climate justice

The City of Yellowknife recognizes that our residents are not affected equally by climate change, nor do they have equal access to resources to adapt to climate change impacts. We aim to improve equity in our community by advancing climate justice.

What does 'climate justice' mean?
It is an approach to addressing climate change that recognizes the existing inequities that are compounded by the disproportionate distribution of climate impacts on marginalized and vulnerable populations.

Stay tuned for the release of the 2026-2036 Climate Action Plan for more information on the City’s plan to advance climate justice.