What Is Hamilton’s Climate Generally Like?
Hamilton is classified as a humid continental hot summer climate, or Dfa climate, according to the Koppen Climate classification.
The D in Dfa refers to continental climate, which is between temperate and Polar. The definition of continental climate means that there is at least one month where temperatures average below 0 C (32 F), and at least one month averaging above 10 C (50 F). Continental climates have a large distinction between their four seasons in that winters are cold and snowy, with summers being notably warmer than other seasons. It is also the only type of climate where leaves changing colour in the fall is the norm. These aspects are often taken for granted by people who live in these areas, who are taught early in school that leaves change colour in the fall. However, this is not a global phenomenon and is rarely seen outside of places listed as continental. Things such as summers where it is hot enough to wear shorts on most days, and winters cold enough to snow, are also taken for granted. Continental climates are prone to extremes in more ways than just temperatures and beautiful leaves. These areas are also more prone to storms coming seemingly out of nowhere, such as thunderstorms and even tornadoes. It should be noted, however, that although Hamilton does have a clear distinction between each of the four seasons, it is not nearly as extreme as it is in the prairies, where the distinction is even greater.
The f in Dfa refers to humid, meaning that neither summer nor winter is considered a dry season. It should be noted that in this instance, summer refers to April through September, and winter refers to October through March. This means that the amount of precipitation that the area receives is consistent year-round. On the plus side, this means that the place isn’t very prone to droughts. However, it does mean that having rain (or snow) in the middle of the day is relatively common.
The a in Dfa refers to having a hot summer. This means that at least one month in the year averages above 22 C (72 F), and at least four months where the temperature averages above 10 C (50 F).
What Is Everyday Weather Like In Hamilton?
When compared to other Dfa cities, Hamilton has more moderate temperatures. Although each of the four seasons has clear, distinct differences between them, it is not nearly as extreme as the prairies. It also has a relatively moderate amount of rain, having significantly more than most cities in the prairies, while also having much less rain than cities close to the ocean, such as Vancouver. The proximity to Lake Ontario also means that the city has an above-average amount of wind. Although it’s not quite enough to make it one of the windiest cities in Canada, it comes quite close. If you’re looking for a place that has distinct seasons, but not to the extremes of the prairies, a moderate amount of precipitation, and an above-average amount of wind, Hamilton might be the city for you.
What Is Spring Like In Hamilton?
Spring in Hamilton has a lot of variance between the beginning and end of the season, mostly due to the very clear differences between winter and summer. At the beginning of spring, it is not unusual to get small amounts of snowfall, although this does not happen every year. However, after this, the temperature will often warm up very quickly. Even when there is snow, it will often melt quickly, as most days, even in early, will have a high in the positives. Usually, by April, snow will have both stopped falling entirely and be completely melted.
Transitioning into mid-spring, the temperature will usually warm quickly, with any temperatures at all, even lows, rarely sinking into the negatives, and highs usually between 10 C (50 F) and 15 C (59 F). Cloud cover also becomes slightly less common, as it goes from having cloud cover about 70% of the time, to closer to 60% by the middle of the season, and 50% by the end of spring. Contrary to popular wisdom, April isn’t particularly rainy. In fact, it averages less precipitation than most of the summer months, although this is usually by only a few millimetres of rain per month, and is nearly identical when it comes to the number of rainy days per month. Most months in spring will average out to just over 100 mm of rain each.
By late spring, the weather begins to look a lot like summer, with highs reaching above 20 C (68 F) almost being the norm, and days even reaching 25 C (77 F) not being completely unheard of by the end of the season. Even lows are usually above 10 C (50 F).
For most of the season, humidity will be around 65-70%, with the end of the season being slightly lower than the beginning, and wind speeds consistently remaining between 10km/h and 15 km/h.
What Is Summer Like In Hamilton?
Hamilton, being so far south compared to the rest of Canada, has some of the warmest summers in the country. However, with Lake Ontario being so close to the city, it has both the wind and the rain needed to stop it from becoming uncomfortably hot. Throughout most of the season, highs will be around the area of 25 C (77 F) and 30 C (86 F), with lows of around 15 C (59 F) throughout the entire season.
Temperatures will often feel at almost these exact amounts, as it will usually feel a couple of degrees warmer than it is, due to the humidity being around 65% throughout the entire summer. Wind speeds will consistently remain in the general vicinity of 10 km/h, and rain remains at the same levels as it was in spring, with the monthly average being around 100 mm. Clouds will usually cover the sky 40-50% of the time, meaning you should still get plenty of sun.
What Is Fall Like In Hamilton?
Similar to spring, fall in Hamilton has a large difference between the beginning and the end of the season. The beginning of fall will be very warm, like summer, and the temperature will drop very quickly, and it will be at winter levels by the end of the month. However, unlike spring, it will have less rain, only averaging around 75 mm of rain per month, while also being more humid than spring, with humidity hovering around 75 – 80%. Humidity will be on the lower end of that scale at the beginning of the season and rising slowly throughout the entirety of the fall.
At the beginning of the season, daily highs will be around 20 C (68 F) to 25 C 77 F), with daily lows around 10 C (18 F) lower than that. Cloud cover will be around 50% at the beginning of fall. However, by the end of fall, daily temperatures will have dropped to having highs at around 10 C (50 F) and lows around freezing, and the sky will be covered in clouds around 70% of the time. Due to the end of the month having some sub-zero temperatures, it will occasionally have snow, although it will rarely be very much.
What Is Winter Like In Hamilton?
Winter in Hamilton will almost always have subzero temperatures, and there will generally be a lot of snow. There will generally be around 15 cm of snow per month, although February is a notable exception, with the total amount of snow coming closer to 30 cm. Still, there is sometimes much more, and there will often be several feet all at once, often causing a snow day.
Temperatures will often have highs within a few degrees of freezing, with lows close to -10 C. However, there can be a large variance in this as well, as there will often be lows near or below -20 C. Cloud cover and humidity will both range between 75% and 80% throughout the season.
Is Hamilton For Me?
Like all cities, Hamilton has its pros and cons. It sees a variety of weather conditions, as it has warm summers and cold winters. Its proximity to Lake Ontario helps stop it from having the extremes of places like the prairies, but each season is still distinct. While it has an above-average amount of both precipitation and wind, it’s not very extreme. Combined with being a relatively moderately sized city, Hamilton is a good place to go if you like notable differences in temperatures, but not extremes.
