Coldest Temperature Ever Recorded in Nova Scotia: -43.2°C at Lynn Lake

The official record for Nova Scotia's lowest temperature is −43.2 °C (−45.8 °F), recorded at **Lynn Lake** on **February 12, 1935**.

Context & Verification

• Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) – National Climate Archive.
• Location: Lynn Lake – former mining community, now uninhabited, in **Guysborough County**, northeastern mainland (not Cape Breton).
• Elevation: ~150 m (490 ft) – not high elevation; radiative cooling in snow-covered valley.

Other Notable Cold Records

Why Lynn Lake?

• Topographic bowl – cold air drainage.
• Deep snow cover (high albedo, insulation).
• Clear, calm, long February night – ideal radiative cooling.
• Far from ocean moderation (50+ km).

Climate Change Note

Extreme cold events decreasing in frequency/intensity. 1935 record unlikely to be broken; Nova Scotia winters warming ~1.5°C since 1948.

Data Access

ECCC Historical Data – search "Lynn Lake" / Station ID 8202590 (closed 1970s).