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CANADA'S ENVIRONMENT
Weather and Climate
Most of Canada has four distinct seasons: spring, summer,
autumn and winter. Temperatures and conditions differ from
season to season in most parts of the country. In summer,
Canada can be very hot. Winter can be so cold that you could
freeze if you are not properly dressed.
Be Prepared
The best way to cope with Canada's changing weather is to
be prepared. Read or listen to weather reports in newspapers
or on radio and television. (If you have cable television,
you may have a channel that broadcasts weather information
all day and night.) You can then dress yourself and your children
for comfort no matter what the day brings.
Canada measures temperature using the Celsius (Centigrade)
thermometer. The United States uses the Fahrenheit scale.
Spring
Spring is a rainy season in most parts of Canada. Average
daytime temperatures rise steadily, but nights remain cool.
In southern Canada, the first flowers usually bloom in March.
New leaves do not appear on the trees until April or May.
However, spring may arrive up to two months earlier in Vancouver
and Victoria. These cities on the southern West Coast have
the shortest and mildest winter in Canada.
Summer
Summer officially begins on June 21. However, July and August
represent summer for most Canadians. In summer the weather
is usually very warm in most parts of the country. In southern
Canada, daytime temperatures normally stay above 20 degrees
Celsius, and can sometimes rise above 30 degrees.
Autumn
Autumn in Canada is also called fall. You will know that
autumn has begun when the first frost occurs overnight. Frost
is common after the middle of September. In late September
and October, the leaves of trees change colour and fall to
the ground. Only trees with needles (coniferous trees) stay
green all year around.
Autumn can be very rainy. Snow begins to fall during November
in many areas except the southern West Coast.
Winter
During the winter months of December, January, February
and March, the temperature usually stays below freezing (0
degrees Celsius) day and night. Temperatures in some parts
of the country drop below -25 degrees Celsius.
In Vancouver and Victoria, the temperature drops below freezing
for only a few days in December and January. In the rest of
Canada, snow will probably be on the ground from late December
to the middle of March. Winter is colder and lasts longer
the further north you go.
In the winter the wind-chill temperature is often much lower
than the actual air temperature. The wind-chill temperature
tells you how cold the air feels when it is windy. The wind-chill
temperature is the one you should prepare for.
Winter conditions may last from November through April in
many parts of Canada. You should be prepared for cold rain
as well as snow in early and late winter.
For further information:
Weather fact sheets are available from Environment Canada.
The following are the most sought after:
- Climate and Canadians (AES-FS-9);
- WeatherWatches, Warnings and Advisories (AES-FS-47);
- Blizzards and Winter Hazards (AES-FS-49);
- Windchill (AES-FS-53).
Contact Environment Canada, Enquiry Centre, Ottawa, Ontario,
Canada K1A 0H3. Telephone: 1-800-668-6767. Internet: http://www.ec.gc.ca
Environment Canada supplies weather forecasts each day to
radio and television stations. This information is also published
in newspapers
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