When to shut off outdoor taps
Use your place's average first-frost date as a reminder to check outdoor water lines before cold weather. It is a climate normal, not a hard-freeze date or a forecast. Check your current forecast and fixture instructions before shutting off or reopening the water.
Annual planning reminders, not freeze alerts.
Use the dates as reminders, not forecasts
Water left in an outdoor faucet or the pipe behind it can freeze and expand, damaging the faucet or pipe. Disconnecting hoses and draining the line can reduce that risk; the right shutoff steps depend on the fixture and plumbing layout.
The tool uses average first and last frost dates as local seasonal cues. Frost normals do not tell you when the first hard freeze will happen this year. Check the current forecast and follow your fixture instructions before acting, especially before reopening in spring.
Shut-off and reopen dates for major cities
| City | Average first fall frost | One week after average last spring frost | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Victoria | BC | November 5 | April 14 |
| Vancouver | BC | November 10 | March 25 |
| Kelowna | BC | September 28 | May 17 |
| Calgary | AB | September 16 | May 28 |
| Edmonton | AB | September 12 | May 31 |
| Saskatoon Diefenbaker | SK | September 15 | May 28 |
| Regina | SK | September 12 | May 27 |
| Winnipeg Richardson | MB | September 22 | May 30 |
| Sudbury | ON | October 1 | May 24 |
| Ottawa Cda | ON | October 6 | May 7 |
| Toronto Lester B. Pearson | ON | October 16 | May 7 |
| Windsor | ON | October 30 | April 24 |
| Montreal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau | QC | October 12 | May 6 |
| Quebec/Jean Lesage | QC | October 4 | May 18 |
| Fredericton | NB | September 25 | May 24 |
| Halifax Stanfield | NS | October 18 | May 14 |
| Charlottetown | PE | October 17 | May 23 |
| Whitehorse | YT | August 25 | June 12 |
| Yellowknife | NT | September 18 | June 1 |
Questions, answered plainly
When should I prepare outdoor taps for winter?
Use the displayed average first-frost date as a planning reminder to check the outdoor line, not as a first-hard-freeze date or forecast. Disconnect hoses, shut off and drain the line if your fixture has an indoor valve, and use your current local forecast and fixture instructions to decide when.
Do I need to drain the line or just close the valve?
Close the indoor shutoff valve if you have one, then open the outdoor tap to drain any remaining water. Trapped water expands when it freezes and can split the pipe inside the wall, where the leak may not show until spring.
When can outdoor taps be turned back on?
The displayed date is a planning cue based on the average last spring frost, not a guarantee that freezing weather has ended. Check your current forecast and the fixture instructions before turning the water back on.
How this page was made
Data source: Environment and Climate Change Canada 30-year climate normals via the site dataset. The table and reminders show the average first fall frost and one week after the average last spring frost. Those dates are planning cues only, not forecasts of a hard freeze or proof that freezing weather has ended. Check the current forecast and fixture instructions. Content reviewed 2026-09-27. BC Emergency Management pipe-prevention guidance and City of Toronto frozen-pipe guidance. Full notes on the methodology page.
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