Obviously Canada's
climate
is varied and changeable, but it's
a safe generalization to say that
the areas near the coast or the
Great Lakes have milder winters
and cooler summers than the
interior.
July and August
are reliably warm throughout the
country, even in the far north,
making these the hottest but also
the busiest months to visit.
November
to March , by contrast, is an
ordeal of sub-zero temperatures
almost everywhere except on the
west coast, though winter days in
many areas are clear and dry, and
all large Canadian towns are
geared to the challenge of cold
conditions, with covered walkways
and indoor malls protecting their
inhabitants from the worst of the
weather.
More specifically, the Maritimes
and eastern Canada have four
distinct seasons: chill, snowy
winters; short, mild springs; warm
summers (which are shorter and
colder in northern and inland
regions); and long crisp autumns.
Summer is the key season in the
resorts, though late September and
October, particularly in New
Brunswick, are also popular for
the autumn colours. Coasts
year-round can be blanketed in
mist or fog.
In Ontario and Quebec
the seasons are also marked and
the extremes intense, with cold,
damp and grey winters in southern
Ontario (drier and colder in Québec)
and a long temperate spring from
about April to June. Summers can
be hot, but often uncomfortably
humid, with the cities often empty
of locals but full of visitors.
The long autumn can be the best
time to visit, with equable
temperatures and few crowds.
The central provinces of
Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta
experience the country's wildest
climatic extremes, suffering the
longest, harshest winters, but
also some of the finest, clearest
summers, punctuated by fierce
thunderstorms. Winter skiing
brings a lot of people to the Rockies
, but summer is still the busiest
time, especially in the mountains,
where July and August offer the
best walking weather and the least
chance of rain, though this often
falls in heavy downpours, the
mirror of winter's raging
blizzards.
The southwestern parts of
British Columbia enjoy some of
Canada's best weather: the
extremes are less marked and the
overall temperatures generally
milder than elsewhere. Much of the
province, though, bears the brunt
of Pacific depressions, so this is
one of the country's damper
regions - visiting between late
spring and early autumn offers the
best chance of missing the rain.
Across the Yukon, the
Northwest Territories and Nunavut
winters are bitterly cold, with
temperatures rarely above freezing
for months on end, though
precipitation year-round is among
the country's lowest. Summers, by
contrast, are short but
surprisingly warm, and spring -
though late - can produce
outstanding displays of wild
flowers across the tundra.
