What Is Humidity?
Simply put, humidity is the amount of moisture or water vapour in the air. There are two ways to measure humidity: absolute humidity and relative humidity. Absolute humidity works in a grams per cubic meter range. For example, if the average is 3 grams of water vapour per cubic meter, it will say that. However, the more common measurement that is heard in everyday weather reports is relative humidity, which is expressed as a percentage. In this scenario, 100% humidity means that the air is holding as much water vapour as it can. When the humidity is 50%, it means that the air is holding half as much water vapour as it can.
How Does Humidity Impact Weather?
The most well-known impact of humidity is the fact that it can make a hot summer’s day feel hotter. That might seem confusing, as intuitively you would think that having water in the air would make things feel cooler. However, it means that it is more difficult to sweat, which makes you feel warmer. Areas with high humidity are also more likely to experience precipitation. This doesn’t mean that if it is currently humid, even if there is 100% humidity, that rain is imminent. It also doesn’t mean that a place with low humidity will be dry. It means that it is more likely to rain or snow if there is high humidity. For that reason, the places below will generally have less precipitation than other cities in Canada. They are also some of the sunniest cities in Canada.
Why Are Some Cities More Humid Than Others?
The main factor in determining humidity is proximity to water. This is the reason many of the most humid cities in Canada are near water. The larger the body of water, the more of an impact it will have on humidity. This means that although being near a large lake will certainly increase humidity, it won’t be as prominent as being near an ocean. Being on the dry side of the mountains will also lower humidity, as all the earlier precipitation would have lowered the humidity before the air hit your location.
Below are some of the least humid cities in Canada, listed alphabetically.
Calgary, Alberta
Calgary is known for having very low humidity and is often seen as the least humid city in Canada. Calgary’s location just east of the Rockies means that much of the moisture just fell as rain. That combined with the powerful Chinook winds from the mountains makes the air dry. The city averages just over 70% humidity in the morning, and less than 50% humidity in the afternoon. If you stop by in July, you might be able to take part in the Calgary Stampede. If not, you can always check out the Heritage Park or the Calgary Zoo.
Edmonton, Alberta
Calgary’s football and hockey rival, Edmonton, also rivals the city in low humidity, getting around 75% humidity in the morning, and close to 55% humidity in the afternoon. Edmonton’s distance from the ocean means that most of the moisture was generally removed from the air long ago, and its northern location means that the air contained little moisture to begin with, leading to these low numbers. When there, you can visit the world-famous West Edmonton Mall, which is large enough to feature a waterpark inside it.
Kelowna, BC
Being in the Okanagan Valley makes Kelowna more arid than the rest of this usually humid province. Despite being near a lake, Kelowna is dry, especially compared to other places in BC, with humidity averaging around 80% in the morning and 50% in the afternoon. While there, check out the Myra Canyon Park or the Kangaroo Creek Farm.
Montreal, Quebec
Due to the cool dry air coming from the north in the winter, Montreal has less humidity than most other cities around it. Perhaps people just like living in places where there’s less humidity. With around 80% humidity in the morning and 60% in the afternoon, Montreal’s humidity is pretty low. While there, see if you can visit the Montreal Botanical Garden, Biodome De Montréal, and Mount Royal Park.
Ottawa, Ontario
Ottawa, our nation’s capital, also averages around 80% in the morning and 60% in the afternoon. These low numbers are often due to the city’s distance from oceans and lakes, meaning that there’s not much air to evaporate and make the air moist. When there, check out BATL AXE training and Rideau Carlton Raceway & Casino.
Regina, Saskatchewan
Yet another city with humidity that averages around 80% in the morning and 60% in the afternoon, Regina is the least humid city in Saskatchewan. The entire province has low humidity due to its distance from water. Due to how the winds blow, it’s usually even drier than Alberta, since the rain that fell as the wind blew through Alberta makes the air even colder. While there, check out Stone Hall Castle and the Royal Saskatchewan Museum.
