Road Travel › Drive weather

Winnipeg to Thunder Bay drive weather

700 km (435 miles), about 8 hours of driving via Hwy 1 and Hwy 17. The high point is Hwy 17 northwest of Thunder Bay at 511 m (1,676 ft), about 7 h 11 min in.

Distance
700 km
Drive time
~8 hours
High point
511 m
Provinces
MB · ON

Next 7 departures

Leaving Winnipeg at 7 AM each day · Updated · Forecast: MET Norway

  1. SatOct 3

    ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 9–11°C along the way.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    Winnipeg7 AM CDTCloudy10°C
    Manitoba–Ontario line8:45 AM CDTCloudy11°C
    Vermilion Bay10:30 AM CDTCloudy10°C
    Dryden11 AM CDTCloudy10°C
    Ignace12:15 PM CDTCloudy10°C
    Hwy 17 southeast of Ignace2:15 PM EDTCloudy10°C
    Hwy 17 northwest of Thunder Bay3:15 PM EDTCloudy9°C
    Thunder Bay4:15 PM EDTRain11°C
  2. SunOct 4

    ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 6–15°C along the way.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    Winnipeg7 AM CDTSunny6°C
    Manitoba–Ontario line8:45 AM CDTMostly sunny7°C
    Vermilion Bay10:30 AM CDTLight rain10°C
    Dryden11 AM CDTPartly sunny10°C
    Ignace12:15 PM CDTMostly sunny11°C
    Hwy 17 southeast of Ignace2:15 PM EDTLight rain showers12°C
    Hwy 17 northwest of Thunder Bay3:15 PM EDTMostly sunny12°C
    Thunder Bay4:15 PM EDTMostly sunny15°C
  3. MonOct 5

    ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 4–10°C along the way.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    Winnipeg7 AM CDTPartly sunny4°C
    Manitoba–Ontario line8:45 AM CDTPartly sunny7°C
    Vermilion Bay10:30 AM CDTPartly sunny8°C
    Dryden11 AM CDTMostly sunny9°C
    Ignace12:15 PM CDTMostly sunny9°C
    Hwy 17 southeast of Ignace2:15 PM EDTPartly sunny10°C
    Hwy 17 northwest of Thunder Bay3:15 PM EDTPartly sunny9°C
    Thunder Bay4:15 PM EDTPartly sunny10°C
  4. TueOct 6

    ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 9–15°C along the way.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    Winnipeg7 AM CDTPartly sunny9°C
    Manitoba–Ontario line8:45 AM CDTCloudy12°C
    Vermilion Bay10:30 AM CDTCloudy13°C
    Dryden11 AM CDTCloudy13°C
    Ignace12:15 PM CDTMostly sunny14°C
    Hwy 17 southeast of Ignace2:15 PM EDTCloudy15°C
    Hwy 17 northwest of Thunder Bay3:15 PM EDTCloudy15°C
    Thunder Bay4:15 PM EDTCloudy15°C
  5. WedOct 7

    ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 9–14°C along the way.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    Winnipeg7 AM CDTSunny9°C
    Manitoba–Ontario line8:45 AM CDTSunny10°C
    Vermilion Bay10:30 AM CDTSunny12°C
    Dryden11 AM CDTSunny12°C
    Ignace12:15 PM CDTLight rain showers13°C
    Hwy 17 southeast of Ignace2:15 PM EDTRain showers14°C
    Hwy 17 northwest of Thunder Bay3:15 PM EDTRain showers13°C
    Thunder Bay4:15 PM EDTLight rain showers14°C
  6. ThuOct 8

    ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 7–12°C along the way.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    Winnipeg7 AM CDTPartly sunny7°C
    Manitoba–Ontario line8:45 AM CDTSunny8°C
    Vermilion Bay10:30 AM CDTSunny10°C
    Dryden11 AM CDTSunny10°C
    Ignace12:15 PM CDTMostly sunny11°C
    Hwy 17 southeast of Ignace2:15 PM EDTMostly sunny11°C
    Hwy 17 northwest of Thunder Bay3:15 PM EDTMostly sunny10°C
    Thunder Bay4:15 PM EDTCloudy12°C
  7. FriOct 9

    ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 8–11°C along the way.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    Winnipeg7 AM CDTCloudy9°C
    Manitoba–Ontario line8:45 AM CDTCloudy10°C
    Vermilion Bay10:30 AM CDTCloudy8°C
    Dryden11 AM CDTLight rain8°C
    Ignace12:15 PM CDTCloudy9°C
    Hwy 17 southeast of Ignace2:15 PM EDTCloudy10°C
    Hwy 17 northwest of Thunder Bay3:15 PM EDTCloudy10°C
    Thunder Bay4:15 PM EDTCloudy11°C

The worst conditions expected at any checkpoint, timed to when you would reach it driving without stops. Levels use Road Travel’s driving-risk scale.

The route, stop by stop

Checkpoints in order, with driving time from Winnipeg (no stops) and elevation. The forecast above is timed to these.

Hwy 17 northwest of Thunder Bay · 511 m 0 km 699 km
Elevation along the route (Terrain Tiles, sampled every 8 km).
  1. Winnipeg, MBStart 228 melevation
  2. Manitoba–Ontario lineState line · Km 159 · 1 h 44 min 375 melevation
  3. Vermilion Bay, ONKm 307 · 3 h 28 min 383 melevation
  4. Dryden, ONKm 352 · 4 h 2 min 375 melevation
  5. Ignace, ONKm 457 · 5 h 20 min 450 melevation
  6. Hwy 17 southeast of Ignace, ONKm 536 · 6 h 15 min 478 melevation
  7. Hwy 17 northwest of Thunder Bay, ONKm 615 · 7 h 11 min 511 melevation
  8. Thunder Bay, ONKm 700 · 8 h 13 min 188 melevation

Typical weather by month

Average daily highs and lows, and days with 2.5 cm (an inch) or more of snow, at Winnipeg, Vermilion Bay and Thunder Bay.

MonthWinnipeg
239 m
Vermilion Bay
Rawson Lake station · 358 m
Thunder Bay
199 m
High / low °CSnow daysHigh / low °CSnow daysHigh / low °C
Jan-12° / -22°3.1-11° / -20°4.0-9° / -21°
Feb-8° / -19°1.3-7° / -18°2.8-4° / -18°
Mar-1° / -12°1.90° / -10°2.31° / -11°
Apr10° / -2°1.18° / -2°1.29° / -4°
May18° / 4°0.216° / 5°0.316° / 2°
Jun23° / 11°022° / 11°021° / 8°
Jul25° / 13°024° / 14°024° / 11°
Aug25° / 12°023° / 13°024° / 10°
Sep19° / 6°017° / 8°019° / 5°
Oct10° / -1°0.28° / 1°1.310° / -1°
Nov0° / -9°2.5-1° / -7°3.12° / -7°
Dec-8° / -17°2.7-8° / -16°3.6-4° / -15°

1991–2020 averages computed from NOAA NCEI daily station records (GHCN-Daily): WINNIPEG RICHARDSON INT'L A (CAN05023222, 239 m); RAWSON LAKE (CAN06036904, 358 m); THUNDER BAY A (CAN06048261, 199 m). Snow days are days with at least 2.5 cm (1 inch) of new snow. “—” means the station does not publish that normal.

Road conditions

Closures and chain rules change by the hour, so we link to the official reports for Manitoba and Ontario rather than repeat them.

Check the official forecast from Environment Canada and each road report before you leave.

Get alerts timed to where you’ll be when you get there

Road Travel plans the drive from Winnipeg to Thunder Bay with the forecast at every stretch for the hour you’ll reach it, then warns you about weather ahead while you drive.

Questions about this drive

How long is the drive from Winnipeg to Thunder Bay?

700 km (435 miles), about 8 hours of driving without stops, by way of Hwy 1 and Hwy 17. Fuel, food and rest stops add to that.

What is the highest point on the drive?

Hwy 17 northwest of Thunder Bay, at 511 m (1,676 ft). It comes at km 615, about 7 h 11 min of driving after you leave Winnipeg.

How cold is Thunder Bay in January?

Thunder Bay averages a high of -9°C and a low of -21°C in January (1991–2020 averages).