# Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut

Chesterfield Inlet (Inuktitut: Igluligaarjuk, syllabics: ᐃᒡᓗᓕᒑᕐᔪᒃ) is a hamlet located on the western shore of Hudson Bay, Kivalliq Region, in Nunavut, Canada, at the mouth of Chesterfield Inlet. Igluligaarjuk is the Inuktitut word for "place with few houses", it is the oldest community in Nunavut. The community is served by air, Chesterfield Inlet Airport, and by an annual supply known as sealift.
Inuit from the Chesterfield Inlet region are called Qaernermiut, though previously, they were referred to as Kenepitic, Kenepetu or Kenepitu.

## Demographics

In the 2021 Canadian census conducted by Statistics Canada, Chesterfield Inlet had a population of 397 living in 116 of its 131 total private dwellings, a change of -9.2% from its 2016 population of 437. With a land area of 139.49 km$^2$ (53.86 sq mi), it had a population density of 2.8/km$^2$ (7.4/sq mi) in 2021.

## Broadband communications

The community has been served by the Qiniq network since 2005. Qiniq is a fixed wireless service to homes and businesses, connecting to the outside world via a satellite backbone. The Qiniq network is designed and operated by SSI Micro. In 2017, the network was upgraded to 4G LTE technology, and 2G-GSM for mobile voice.

## Climate

Chesterfield Inlet has a subarctic climate (Dfc) with short but cool summers and long cold winters.
Climate data for Chesterfield Inlet (Chesterfield Inlet Airport) Climate ID: 2300707; coordinates 63°20′49″N 90°43′52″W﻿ / ﻿63.34694°N 90.73111°W﻿ / 63.34694; -90.73111﻿ (Chesterfield Inlet Airport); elevation: 9.8 m (32 ft); 1981–2010 normals :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high humidex | −7.4 | −8.0 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 12.6 | 23.8 | 35.4 | 37.0 | 20.8 | 12.1 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 37.0 |
| Record high °C (°F) | −3.0 (26.6) | −5.5 (22.1) | 2.0 (35.6) | 3.5 (38.3) | 14.0 (57.2) | 26.0 (78.8) | 30.5 (86.9) | 27.0 (80.6) | 22.0 (71.6) | 10.0 (50.0) | 2.0 (35.6) | −2.0 (28.4) | 30.5 (86.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −27.3 (−17.1) | −26.9 (−16.4) | −20.6 (−5.1) | −11.1 (12.0) | −2.3 (27.9) | 7.9 (46.2) | 15.2 (59.4) | 12.7 (54.9) | 5.7 (42.3) | −1.8 (28.8) | −12.7 (9.1) | −21.1 (−6.0) | −6.9 (19.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −30.9 (−23.6) | −30.8 (−23.4) | −25.1 (−13.2) | −15.8 (3.6) | −5.7 (21.7) | 4.3 (39.7) | 10.6 (51.1) | 9.2 (48.6) | 3.3 (37.9) | −4.5 (23.9) | −16.7 (1.9) | −25.2 (−13.4) | −10.6 (12.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −34.3 (−29.7) | −34.2 (−29.6) | −29.4 (−20.9) | −20.1 (−4.2) | −9.0 (15.8) | 0.5 (32.9) | 5.9 (42.6) | 5.7 (42.3) | 0.9 (33.6) | −7.0 (19.4) | −20.7 (−5.3) | −29.1 (−20.4) | −14.2 (6.4) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −46.0 (−50.8) | −49.0 (−56.2) | −45.0 (−49.0) | −35.5 (−31.9) | −29.0 (−20.2) | −11.5 (11.3) | −1.5 (29.3) | −2.0 (28.4) | −9.0 (15.8) | −26.0 (−14.8) | −37.5 (−35.5) | −44.0 (−47.2) | −49.0 (−56.2) |
| Record low wind chill | −66.3 | −70.7 | −64.7 | −50.5 | −33.6 | −18.3 | 0.0 | −9.5 | −17.9 | −40.1 | −54.6 | −60.9 | −70.7 |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 10.4 (0.41) | 9.6 (0.38) | 14.9 (0.59) | 15.5 (0.61) | 15.1 (0.59) | 23.3 (0.92) | 41.2 (1.62) | 51.2 (2.02) | 37.4 (1.47) | 26.6 (1.05) | 22.0 (0.87) | 14.0 (0.55) | 281.2 (11.07) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.1 (0.00) | 6.1 (0.24) | 19.7 (0.78) | 41.2 (1.62) | 51.2 (2.02) | 33.9 (1.33) | 11.7 (0.46) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 163.9 (6.45) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 11.2 (4.4) | 10.2 (4.0) | 15.0 (5.9) | 17.0 (6.7) | 9.4 (3.7) | 3.7 (1.5) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 3.5 (1.4) | 15.0 (5.9) | 23.1 (9.1) | 15.4 (6.1) | 123.6 (48.7) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 4.2 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 5.0 | 4.9 | 6.0 | 7.9 | 9.9 | 9.7 | 8.8 | 7.6 | 5.4 | 77.3 |
| Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.6 | 5.4 | 7.9 | 9.9 | 8.4 | 3.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 36.6 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) | 4.2 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 4.9 | 3.3 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 5.7 | 7.7 | 5.4 | 41.4 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 79.0 | 67.6 | 74.9 | 82.0 | 84.4 | 70.9 | 68.0 | 72.5 | 77.4 | 87.3 | 83.0 | 75.3 | 76.9 |
| Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010 ||||||||||||||