What Is Climate Like In Yellowknife?
Even though Yellowknife is within the Northwest Territories, which is known for being very cold, Yellowknife is not considered to be a “polar” climate. On the Koppen Climate Classification, it is officially stated as a Dfc climate, defined as being a continental climate (D), with no dry season (f), and having a cold summer (c).
A continental climate is one of the five classifications of the Koppen Climate Classification, with the others being tropical (A), dry (B), temperate (C), and polar (E). Tropical climates are the warmest, dry climates represent places such as deserts, and polar regions are towards the far north and far south with plenty of snow throughout most of the year, making each of them distinct. However, temperate and continental both have a lot in common. Both of them generally have distinct differences between the four different seasons, both of them have extreme weather events pretty often, such as thunderstorms and even tornadoes, while lacking the extremes of the other three regions.
Tropical climates have temperatures of over 18 C (64 F) every month, dry climates fail to reach a certain precipitation threshold, and polar climates, have no month where the temperature reaches 10 C (50 F), or warmer. Both temperate and continental climates reach none of these requirements, with the difference between the two being that continental climates have at least one month where the average temperature is below 0 C (32 F). Since Yellowknife’s hottest month averages over 10 C (50 F), and its coldest month averages less than 0 C (32 F), it is considered continental.
The (f) refers to having no major difference in the amount of precipitation in summer (defined as April – September) and winter (defined as October – March). The (c) refers to a cold summer, which means that only 1-3 months will average above 10 C (50 F) in an average year, with no month averaging below -38 C (-36 F) in an average year.
The classification of a continental climate instead of a polar climate shows that Yellowknife, despite still being relatively cold, is still warmer than people think.
What Is Every Day Weather Like In Yellowknife?
One thing that might surprise people about Yellowknife is the lack of snow. This is partially because summers can still be somewhat warm, with much of spring and fall still averaging temperatures above freezing. The city also has very little precipitation compared with many other cities in the country, with most months averaging 25 mm of precipitation or less, with winters being especially devoid of anything falling from the sky. The city also has relatively steady winds, with an average of 10-12 km/h year-round. The city also tends to have higher cloud cover and humidity than most other places, but these are a lot more relaxed during the warmer months than during the cooler months.
What Is Spring Like In Yellowknife?
Spring in Yellowknife (March-May) starts with the type of weather that most people are likely to expect in the territories. March will have highs averaging in the general area of -10 C (14 F) and lows of around -20 C (-4 F), with it feeling about 5 C (9 F) degrees colder, with cloud cover and humidity ranging around 90%. However, there will be a major lack of precipitation, with March generally having fewer than 5 days of snow, with each of those days having only a few centimetres each. However, things warm up surprisingly quickly, as temperatures in April will generally be about 10 C (18F) degrees warmer than in March, with similar levels of precipitation, cloud cover and humidity. The warming will continue even more in May, with highs often ranging from 5 C (41 F) to 10 C (50 F), and even lows of about freezing, with rain and snow still being rather sparse. Cloud cover and humidity however would have both dropped, with numbers averaging at about 60%-75% depending on the year.
What Is Summer Like In Yellowknife?
Summer in Yellowknife is similar to what spring is like in some of the much warmer places in the warmer parts of the country. Highs will generally range from 15 C (59 F) to 20 C (68 F), with most lows around 10 C (50 F) from June to August, with only 5-10 days of rain per month, with more than 50 cm of rain in a month being seen as unusual. Cloud cover and humidity will generally hover from around 50% – 60% in June and July, with them approaching or even exceeding 70% in August. It should also be noted that risks such as wildfires are becoming much more common in the summer in this area, as a result of global warming.
What Is Fall Like In Yellowknife?
Fall, while very cool in Yellowknife, can also seem relatively warm, at least at the beginning of the season, with highs of around 10 C (50 F), and lows of around 5 C (41 F) in September. October will have highs and lows that are both near freezing, and by November, highs will be around -5 C (23 F) and -10 C (14 F), and lows close to -15 C (5 F). Cloud cover and humidity start in the 75% – 80% range in September, and by November, both of these numbers average above 90%. There will once again be single-digit numbers of days with precipitation, in each month, with September having almost exclusively rain, November having almost exclusively snow, and October being in between, in having a mix of both types of precipitation.
What Is Winter Like In Yellowknife?
Winter in Yellowknife is probably just how you remember it: cold. Highs tend to be around the general vicinity of -15 C (5 F), with lows of -20 C (-4 F). Despite being so cold, the lack of precipitation, often barely or not even reaching 10 cm within each month, meaning that the landscape probably won’t be the snowbank-filled winter wonderland that you might imagine it as. It should also be noted that the humidity hovers around 85-90%, with could cover often averaging out to over 90% in every month.
Is Yellowknife For Me?
Those who thought that Yellowknife is covered in plenty of snow all the time will likely be surprised by how warm it can become at certain times. If you can stand the very cold winters, and don’t like precipitation, like mild summers and moderate winds year-round, Yellowknife might make a great place.