Weather Facts and Trivia In Canada
Weather is a shared subject. It's -12 °C,
but with the windchill it feels more like -30 °C. Yes, it's cold out but it could be a lot worse. Bundle up
and make friends with your longjohns because here are some Canadian facts and other weather trivia to put the cold in perspective.
- The lowest temperature recorded in Canada was -63 °C at Snag, Yukon Territory, on February 3, 1947.
- On November 10, 1986, Winnipeg dug out from beneath 35.8 cm of snow left by a 32-hour storm. Clean-up costs were $2.5 million, a quarter of the city's
annual snow-removal budget.
- Between December 31, 1993 and January 19, 1994, Yellowknife endured a record 20 consecutive days when the minimum temperature was less than
or equal to -37 °C.
- On December 15th, 1964, the Great Blizzard struck parts of the Prairie provinces with heavy snow, sustained winds of 50 to 90 km/h,
and - 34 °C temperatures. Over 1,000 livestock were lost and three people froze to death.
- On December 29th, 1794, Peter Fidler, a Hudson's Bay Company employee and one of the first weather observers in Canada, recorded that
Holland gin froze solid at -27 °C, English brandy at -32 °C and rum at -35 °C.
- 1999 was the third warmest year in Canada. That's according to Environment Canadas Meteorological Service of Canada. That was the last year
Canadian temperatures were above normal by at least 1.5 ° C for almost all of the country.
- The century long record for southern Canada shows 1996 as the wettest year.
Victoria
Victoria is the city with the lowest annual average snowfall of 47 cm.
Terrace
The heaviest snowfall in one day was 118.1 cm at Lakelse Lake in Terrace on January 17, 1974.
Winnipeg
Winnipeg has the sunniest winters with the most hours of sunshine during December, January and February with 358 hours.
Windsor
The most humid city is Windsor with the highest average vapour pressure of 1.78 kilopascal during June, July and August.
Corner Brook
Corner Brook is the snowiest city with an annual average snowfall of 422 cm. There are several smaller places also in Newfoundland and Labrador,
St. Anthony (505 cm), Churchill Falls (465 cm), Happy Valley-Goose Bay (459 cm), Gander (443 cm) and Deer Lake (425 cm) have higher annual snowfall averages.
Vancouver
The city with fewest days below freezing is Vancouver, which has an average of 51 days per year with freezing temperatures.
Kamloops
Kamloops has the warmest summers with an average daytime temperature of 27.2 °C during June, July and August.
Estevan
The sunshine capital is Estevan with the greatest number of hours of sunshine per year being 2500 hours. Estevan also has the highest
annual number of hours per year with clear skies (between zero and two tenths sky cover) totalling 2979 hours.
Pincher Creek
The most extreme change in temperature took place in January 1962 in Pincher Creek when a warm, dry wind known as a chinook, brought the temperature up
from -19 °C to 22 °C in an hour.
Medicine Hat
Medicine Hat is the driest city with 271 days without measurable precipitation.
Gander, Newfoundland
Is the snowiest city, with an average of 443 cm (174 inches) of snow annually (1971-2000 averages).
