Climate in Canada

Canada has four distinct seasons all of which occur right across the country although their arrival times vary. The single most significant factor in climate, and even day-today weather, is latitude. In just a few hours travelling north by road, a drop (sometimes a considerable one) in temperature can often be felt.

The warmest area of Canada is along the US border. It’s no accident that nearly everybody lives in this southernmost region. The overall warmest areas of the country are British Columbia’s south and central coast and southern Ontario particularly around the Niagara Peninsula. These districts have the longest summers and the shortest winters.

July and August are the warmest months across the country and generally they are reasonably dry. Along the US border, summer temperatures are usually in the mid and upper 20°C. Each year there are a few days in the 30°C Manitoba through to central British Columbia gets the hottest summer temperatures as well as the most sunshine. The west and east coasts are very wet with 2500 mm of precipitation a year but much of that is through the winter months. The prairies are fairly dry all year but south-eastern Canada including Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto can be quite humid in summer and damp in winter.

Ontario and Quebec have warm summers without a lot of rain. Southern Ontario can be hot in midsummer. The east coast is generally cooler than the rest of the country and can have more summer rain as well.

Summers in the Yukon and Northwest territories (NWT) can be pleasantly warm and have the added benefit of extremely long daylight hours.

Outside the main cities, anywhere in Canada, nights are cool all year round.

Canadian winters are long. In more than two-thirds of the country the average January temperature is -18°C. The major cities are not consistently this cold but temperatures are generally below freezing. Except in the warmest areas, snowfall can be heavy especially from Toronto east. As a rule of thumb the further north, the more snow. But only to a point, once past the central part of the country, the dry conditions prevent snow fall of major accumulation.

Climate in Australia

Australian seasons are the antithesis of those in Europe and North America. It’s hot in December and many Australians spend Christmas at the beach, while in July and August it’s midwinter. Summer starts in December, autumn in March, winter in June and spring in September.

The climatic extremes aren’t too severe in most parts of Australia. Even in Melbourne, the southernmost capital city on the mainland, it’s rare occasion when the mercury hits freezing point, although it’s a different story in Canberra, the national capital. The poor Tasmanians, farther to the south, have a good idea of what cold is.

As you head north the seasonal variations become fewer until, in the far north around Darwin, you are in the monsoon belt where there are just two seasons – hot and wet, and hot and dry. In the Snowy Mountains of southern New South Wales and the Alps of north-east Victoria there’s a snow season with good skiing. The centre of the continent is arid – hot and dry during the day, but often bitterly cold at night.

Unit 4.