How Warm Is Canada?
Canada has a reputation for being a very cold country. In many movies and TV shows made by our American friends, Canada is often portrayed as a place covered entirely in snow all the time. Even the warmest cities in Canada are often seen as year-long winter-wonderlands. While a lot of this is obviously exaggeration done for the sake of comedy (and be honest, we probably get a better laugh out of it than Americans) it does add to our perception of being one of the coldest countries in the world.
However, Canada is not as cold as many people seem to think. About two-thirds of Canadians live within 100km (62 miles) of the American border, and about 90% of Canadians live within 160 km (99 miles) of the American border, meaning that Canada can be much warmer than many people seem to think. Even though our winters can be very cold, summer will often have temperatures over 30 C (86 F) in Canada’s warmest cities, making the country warmer than people think.
Which Areas Of Canada Are The Warmest
British Columbia is generally seen as the warmest province in Canada, and the southern part of the province is seen as the warmest part of the country, with most of Canada’s warmest cities being found in this area. Southern Ontario, as well as New Brunswick, PEI and Nova Scotia, are also seen as very warm compared to everywhere else in Canada.
Why Are Some Areas Of Canada Warmer Than Others?
There are many reasons why some areas of Canada are warmer than others. The largest and most obvious is proximity to the equator. Being in the northern hemisphere means that the warmest cities in Canada tend to be the ones furthest to the south.
Another factor in how warm a city can be is the proximity to oceans. This is especially true in the western part of the country, where the warmer winds blow in from the large Pacific Ocean. While Atlantic Canada has this impact to some extent with the Atlantic Ocean, the northern part of the Pacific Ocean is warmer than the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean. In both cases, being closer to the ocean makes them warmer and more temperate, especially in the winter.
The prairies, due to being far from any large bodies of water, generally have warmer summers than the rest of the country, but with the trade-off of colder winters.
Do The Territories Ever Get Warm?
Even though the territories are generally very cold, even when compared to the rest of the country, the Canadian territories can get relatively warm during the summer. Both Yellowknife and Whitehorse can reach over 20 C (68 F) regularly in the summer. Even Iqaluit, the most northern city in the entire country can have regular highs of over 15 C (59 F) at least a couple of months throughout the year, and a few days of hitting 20 C (68 F) throughout the year.
Warmest Cities In BC
Cities in BC, especially the warmest cities in the province, are generally seen as the warmest cities in Canada. This is because they are located in the most southern parts of the country and gain all the benefits of being warmed up by the ocean.
Abbotsford, BC
Being one of the closest cities to the US border, while also being quite close to the coast, it’s unavoidable that Abbottsford will be one of the warmest cities in Canada. During the summer, it will tend to have highs well into the 20’s. However, one of the reasons that Abbotsford is considered quite warm is that it will very rarely have highs in the negatives. Even during the winter, most of its highs will be above 5 C (41 F), meaning that large amounts of snow tend to be rare.
Kamloops, BC
Although it is northeast of Abbotsford, Kamloops, while being slightly cooler, is still quite warm by Canadian standards. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that it’s right by Lake Kamloops. Kamloops will often get slightly hotter in the summer than Abbotsford. However, it doesn’t always have the milder winters, as some months the high will average out slightly into the negatives. However, the average high for any month usually doesn’t go below a couple of degrees below zero, meaning Kamloops is generally free from being blanketed in heavy snow.
Kelowna, BC
Located directly to the East of Okanagan Lake, and still somewhat close to the US border, Kelowna is able to maintain a relatively warm climate year-round. It has some of the warmest summers in the country, with the temperature often hitting 30 C (86 F) for long periods of time. It has winters similar to Kamloops, where seeing a high below zero isn’t completely unusual, but average monthly highs rarely hit the negatives.
Nanaimo, BC
Located on the Eastern part of Vancouver Island, Nanaimo borders the Pacific Ocean. While the temperature barely breaks 20 C (68 F) highs even in the summer, it has one of the warmest winters in the country, as even the coldest months of the year have a high of at least 5 C (41 F).
Vancouver, BC
The largest city in BC is also one of the warmest. Being right by the southern point of the mainland, Vancouver is in the perfect scenario to be one of the warmest cities in Canada. Temperatures often reach a high of 25 C (77 F) in the summer. However, they might have the warmest winters in the country, as it’s not uncommon to experience average highs in the double digits during some winter months. There will very rarely be a month where the average high will be zero, and in many years, there will never be a month with an average high below 5 C (41 F).
Victoria, BC
If there is any city in Canada that has warmer winter conditions than Vancouver, it’s Victoria. The southeastern tip of Vancouver Island, and the province’s capital. Doble-digit highs in the winter are not unheard of here. However, one place where Victoria can’t beat Vancouver is in summer temperatures, as Victoria rarely sees highs that are far above 20 C (68 F).
Warmest Cities In The Prairies
The prairies have some of the warmest summers in the entire country. However, due to the fact that their winters are cold, not very many of them are among the warmest cities in Canada.
Calgary, Alberta
Like the rest of the prairies, seeing a high in the negatives in the winter is not unusual, especially in the winter. However, it does regularly hit temperatures in the area of 25 C (77 F) in the summer, making it relatively warm that time of year.
Emerson, Manitoba
Emerson is probably the warmest city in the province of Manitoba. Despite having highs in the negative in winter, with lows often at or near -20 C (-4 F), the summers are very warm, still able to get well into the 20s most days, with occasional days over 30 C (86 F).
Lethbridge, Alberta
In addition to being known as Canada’s windy city, Lethbridge is also one of the warmest cities in the prairies. Like much of the area, the city will often reach a high of 25 C (77 F) in the summer, but unlike much of the area, temperatures are often above zero even during the winter months. It should be noted, however, that this is only true when measuring absolute temperature, as the windchill will often make it feel like over 10 C colder than it is.
Medicine Hat, Alberta
Medicine Hat is also a warm city that will feel cold like Lethbridge. Like the aforementioned windy city, Medicine Hat can reach up to 25 C (77 F) in the summer and maintain a high of above 0 C (32)in the winter. Still, the windchill can make it feel like -15 C (59 F) at its coldest, so remember that this city might not feel as warm as it is.
Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is rarely considered a particularly warm province, but Moose Jaw is likely the warmest city in the province, which makes it worthy of a mention on this list. Even though the temperature will rarely reach above 0 C in the winter and often feel like -20 C (-4 F) with the wind chill, the temperature will often rise to 25 C (77 F) in the summer.
Warmest Cities In Ontario And Quebec
Southern Ontario is home to some of the warmest cities in Canada, as it is very far south compared to much of the rest of the country. Also, the proximity to the Great Lakes helps keep them more tolerable than any non-coastal city in the country. Quebec isn’t the warmest province overall, but the southern portion of the province can still have warm spurts.
Montreal, Quebec
The warmest city in Quebec is also the most well-known and largest city in the province. Highs often reach 25 C (77 F) in the summer, and go to -5 C (23 F)in the winter, similar to many of the warmest prairie cities. However, due to the softer winds, it will often feel slightly warmer than anywhere in the prairie provinces, especially in the winter.
Toronto, Ontario
Highs of 30 C (86 F) in the summer aren’t at all unusual in Canada’s largest city, with highs in the 20s not that unusual in the spring. Highs will often reach the positives in the winter, even though being so close to Lake Ontario and relatively windy will still mean there is lots of snow. However, because the temperature will likely recover soon, the snow often melts before the next major fall.
Windsor, Ontario
Windsor is often given the title of Canada’s warmest city. Highs in the 30s are not at all unusual in the summer, with highs reaching the 20s common in the spring and even the fall to some extent. Highs often remain in the positive for parts of the winter, with lows rarely hitting lower than -10 C (14 F).
Warmest Cities In Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada is usually pretty warm due to it being next to the ocean. However, since the northern Atlantic is usually slightly cooler than the north Pacific, and many of these provinces are slightly more north, it will generally be slightly cooler than cities in BC.
Alliston, PEI
PEI is farther north than many of the other places on this list. However, the fact that it’s surrounded by water keeps it relatively temperate. Throughout the entire island, summer temperatures will generally hit 25 C (77 F) , with highs being in the general area of 0 C (32 F) in the winter. However, Alliston’s temperature is often a degree or two higher than the rest.
Fredericton, New Brunswick
Similar to PEI, Fredericton is small enough for most cities in the province to be very similar to each other weather-wise. However, Fredericton is slightly warmer than the rest of New Brunswick. The temperature often hits 25 C (77 F) in the summer, similar to most cities in PEI. However, not being surrounded by water means that it will have a less temperate winter, with highs often closer to -5 C (23 F).
Harbour Grace, Newfoundland
Harbour Grace is located to the East of Newfoundland, meaning that despite it being so far north, the warmth of the Atlantic Ocean is able to keep it milder, making it the warmest city in the province. Highs rarely go much below 0 C (32 F), even in the winter, with some winter months even having a positive high. However, due to it being so far north, the highs in the summer often average around 20 C (68 F).
Liverpool, Nova Scotia
Similar to Harbour Grace, Liverpool is located to the south of its province and borders the Atlantic. However, due to belonging to a more southern province, it is a few degrees warmer, with temperatures getting much closer to the mid-twenties rather than the low twenties in the summer, and generally being a couple of degrees warmer in the winter as well.