Winter in Canada PDF - Activities, Records & Fun Facts

Winter Across Canada Most parts of Canada experience four distinct seasons. They are spring, summer, fall and winter. A season is a period of time, lasting several months, with unique weather patterns. This affects people because a change in temperature causes them to change their clothes and what a...

Winter Across Canada Most parts of Canada experience four distinct seasons. They are spring, summer, fall and winter. A season is a period of time, lasting several months, with unique weather patterns. This affects people because a change in temperature causes them to change their clothes and what activities they can do. When many people think of Canada, images of winter scenes full of snow and ice may come to mind. Officially however, winter in Canada only spans the months of mid-December through to mid-March, though winter-like conditions may extend much longer depending on the region. Across Canada, winter is marked by decreased daylight hours, cool temperatures and increased precipitation. There are four main types of winter precipitation. They are rain, freezing rain, snow and sleet. Weather forecasters also issue extreme cold weather alerts in many parts of Canada, to warn of the dangers of prolonged exposure on bitterly cold days. Perhaps not surprisingly, the harshest winter conditions are found in the north. Parts of Canada extend into the Arctic circle, and there, temperatures average -30°C and colder. Winter temperatures can get as low as -40°C, without taking into account the windchill factor. Wind, snow, frigid temperatures and darkness are all characteristic of the long winters in Canada’s northern territories. It is, however, an opportunity to witness the Northern Lights. Of all the major cities, Winnipeg is one of the coldest. During the winter, most days’ temperatures are sub zero, with nearly 50 days, where temperatures average around −20 °C. It also has at least 1 cm of snow on the ground for nearly one third of the year! Among the mildest places to winter in Canada, are the cities of Victoria and Vancouver on the west coast of Canada. There, temperatures remain on or above freezing, and rain is much more common than snow. On the few days a year it does snow, it rarely sticks to the ground. Page 1 of 2 visit twinkl.ca  Winter Across Canada Despite the cold, many Canadians partake in a variety of winter sports including: ice skating, ice fishing, snowshoeing, skiing and snowboarding just to name a few! Winter Records: Lowest temperature: -63°C in Snag, Yukon, February 3rd, 1947 Lowest windchill reading: -79°C in Kugaaruk, Nunavut, January 13th, 1975 Coldest month: -50.1°C in Eureka, Nunavut, February 1979 Greatest snowfall in 24 hours: 145 cm in Tahtsa Lake, British Columbia, February 11th, 1999 Heaviest hailstone: 290 g in Cedoux, Saskatchewan, August 27th, 1973 Weather reports often differentiate between the actual temperature and the windchill factor. As its name suggests, windchill takes into account what the body feels, which accounts for the cumulative effect of temperature, air speed and humidity. Fun Facts Ottawa, Canada’s capital, is the seventh coldest capital city in the world. The city receives an annual snowfall average of 236 cm and every winter the Rideau Canal freezes and transforms into one of the longest outdoor skating rinks in the world! Every year from the end of January to early February, Quebec City hosts the Carnaval de Québec (Québec Winter Carnival), one of the largest winter festivals in the world! Bonhomme, a jolly snowman, is its official mascot and has been welcoming guests to the event since 1954. Québec City is also home to Hôtel de Glace, the only ice hotel in North America. Canada has hosted the Winter Olympics twice. The first was in Calgary in 1988, and the second was in Vancouver in 2010. Every year in December, there is one day which has the fewest hours of sunlight and the most darkness. This is known as the winter solstice, and is the result of the Northern hemisphere being tilted away from the sun. Groundhog Day is a holiday celebrated on February 2nd each year. It is believed that if the groundhog sees its shadow on the ground, it will be so frightened it will go back underground and there will be six more weeks of winter! If the groundhog doesn’t see his shadow, it means an early spring. Page 2 of 2 visit twinkl.ca