What are the characteristics of Canada’s climate?

Canadian climate characteristics

Canada has abundant sunshine and four distinct seasons. Spring is from mid-March to late June. Summer is from late June to mid-September, autumn is from mid-September to late December, and winter is from late December to mid-March of the following year.

Most plants in southern Canada begin to germinate in March and bloom in April and May. But spring arrives about two months earlier in Vancouver and Victoria on the West Coast, where winters are some of the shortest and mildest in Canada. Officially, summer begins on June 21st, but for most Canadians, summer is only considered summer in July and August. In southern Canada, the temperature is generally above 20C, and sometimes exceeds 30C. Autumn is also called fall. The appearance of the first frost night is designated as the beginning of autumn. Usually mid-September. Trees begin to lose their leaves in late September to October. Autumn can also be rainy at times. Snow generally begins to fall in November in most areas, except along the southwestern coast. Vancouver and Victoria only have a few days of sub-zero temperatures in December and January, and other areas are generally covered with snow from December to mid-March.

Due to Canada’s vast territory, the climate varies greatly from place to place. Toronto, Canada's largest city, occupies a unique position due to its unique geographical conditions, historical and economic reasons. Toronto has four distinct seasons. Spring is short; summer is hot and humid; autumn is sunny and pleasant, with midday temperatures sometimes rising to summer levels; winter is cold, with the season extending until mid-April. If you go to Toronto in the summer and need loose, thin clothing, you will need a sweater in the morning and evening. If you go to Toronto in the winter, you will need a thick jacket or coat (preferably hooded), waterproof boots, gloves, and a woolen hat.

About half of Quebec's land is covered by forests, and 80% of the population lives along the St. Lawrence River in the south. The climate there is pleasant and the four seasons are distinct. The wind is mild in spring, the sun is shining brightly in summer, the colors are colorful in autumn, and the winter is covered with snow.

Canada has six climate zones, each with different climate characteristics:

(1) The Arctic region is the Yukon and most of the Northwest Territories, which is the coldest in Canada Region;

(2) The Northern Region, consisting of the northern part of the Prairie Provinces and most of Ontario, Quebec, and the Atlantic Coast Provinces. There are long winters and short summers, four distinct seasons, and moderate rainfall;

(3) In the grassland area, winter is cold for about 5 months, and summer is cool for 5 months, with most of the rainfall occurring in summer;

(4) In mountainous areas, the weather is changeable, with wind and snow blowing most of the time, and the temperature decreases as the terrain increases;

(5) The Pacific Coast has a mild and pleasant climate, and Wengehua is located in this area;

(6) The southeastern region includes the southeastern parts of Ontario and Quebec, Nova Scotia, eastern Newfoundland, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, where it is warm in the east and cool in summer. , is the most densely populated place in Canada.

Geographical environment

Location and realm

Canada is located in the northern part of North America, bordering the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, approximately 41° north latitude~

Between 83° and 52° to 141° west longitude, it borders the U.S. state of Alaska to the northwest, faces Greenland (actually controlled by Denmark) in the northeast across the Davis Strait, and is connected to the south by The continental United States stretches from the Arctic Ocean to the Arctic Circle in the north. Canada is the country with the longest coastline in the world, with a coastline of more than 240,000 kilometers and a national border of 8,892 kilometers, the longest undefended border in the world. With a land area of ​​approximately 9,984,670 square kilometers (the second largest in the world), it is a sparsely populated country with a vast territory.

Topography

Eastern Canada is a hilly area, and the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Land bordering the United States in the south

Canadian Scenery

area, The terrain is flat with many basins. To the west is the Cordillera Mountains, the highest region in Canada, with many peaks above 4,000 meters above sea level. In the north are the Arctic Islands, mostly hills and mountains. The central part is a plain area. The highest mountain, Logan Peak, is located in the Rocky Mountains in the west, with an altitude of 5,951 meters.

Climate

Due to the influence of westerly winds, most of Canada has a continental temperate coniferous forest climate. The temperature is slightly lower in the east, the climate in the south is moderate, the climate in the west is mild and humid, and the north has a frigid tundra climate. The Arctic Archipelago is severely cold all year round. The highest temperature in the central and western regions reaches over 40°C, and the lowest temperature in the north is as low as -60°C.

Time Zone

Canada is divided into six time zones. When Beijing time (East 8th District) is 00:00, the Canadian time is:

Newfoundland time zone (fourth western zone, such as St. John's) 12:30 The six time zones in Canada have a time difference of 4.5 hours from east to west. Under normal circumstances, Vancouver is 16 hours behind Beijing time; Canada implements daylight saving time from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November, and the time is set forward one hour.

Atlantic Time Zone (West Zone 4, such as Halifax) 12:00

Eastern Time Zone (West Zone 5, such as Ottawa) 11:00

Central Time Zone (West Zone 6, such as Winnipeg) 10:00

Mountain Time Zone (West Zone 7, such as Edmonton) 09:00

Pacific Time Zone (Western Zone District eight, such as Vancouver) 08:00