The Canadian Climate / Ecological Thread

[shreddog]

Originally Posted by rousseau

19 days of cold rain, 3 days of snow. Christ!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vancouver#Climate

Hey, you don't mind it, and that's great. But we can please give this ridiculous, idiotic idea that winter in Vancouver is somehow so wonderfully appealing a rest, please? It's insulting.

October 2016 supposedly set a record for the number of days with rain. Same (I believe) for November. December and January were snowy.

Yet I rode my bike to work every day (gortex and a backpack cover). My west facing office often had sunshine in the afternoon, even with early morning rain. And boy is it always green.

Perfect?? Hell no!! But better than many other places in Canada.

[Skygazer]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

Not expecting everyone to agree with this, but for me Victoria and the South Okanagan do have decent climates. Both of them considerably better than Vancouver"s (especially near the mountains) IMO.

Agreed for the most part. The main problem with the Okanagan is how ridiculously cloudy it is in the winter, even worse than Vancouver for some reason. Otherwise it is a very respectable climate. And Victoria is definitely very decent as well, they've even recorded a few winters without any frosts, which is just crazy for a climate in Canada!

I hope to talk more about some of my favorite plants and animals when I have more time. So what is you favorite / ideal weather station / location in Canada?

Having lived in Vancouver for six of the last eight years I can say that it is definitely one of my favorite climates in the country. It has some flaws and leaves a lot to be desired for me, but overall it's a very mild, stable, climate that is comfortable the vast majority of the year and relatively predictable and reliable. And that's something appreciable in a country of mostly harsh continental climates.

The other region of Canada that piques my interest is Southern Ontario, specifically the Windsor/Essex region - it has a nice proper four seasons continental climate with winters that are just cold enough to feel like real winters without being extreme or overly long-lasting, decently long summers (5 months with average highs above 20C in Windsor), solid shoulder seasons, and almost as much sunshine as the prairies.

I'd have to live there for a few years to determine whether it's really my favorite climate in the country, but on paper it definitely looks very appealing

[SaskScraper]

Here's the thing, never once in this thread have I posted one single temp (I specifically cropped out any temps in my images posted).

Some of my observations may not agree with everyone (only one person named mcminsen came to my defence once this entire thread). All the information I have provided have been factual & true. I have never once stated in this thread where i'm from or that its colder or warmer or anything as compared to anywhere else, and still I get harassed & and singly pointed out & have my posts picked apart sentence by sentence.

I think each & everyone of you need to reexamine & take a look at yourselves at what it is that outrages you so much about what I post, is it because i'm from Saskatchewan (judging from the farmer comment)? you all should view ALL posts with an open mind and think about your own climate & not look to me for your frustration with climate you have.

This may be why posts in this thread are so one sided, only posts from BC Ontario, Quebec and me since Atlantic Canada & Sask/Manitoba posters completely abandoned posting here. Is this what you call free speech?

Happy 150 Canada that likes to discriminate against other provinces you feel you are so above.

[drew]

Originally Posted by SaskScraper

Here's the thing, never once in this thread have I posted one single temp (I specifically cropped out any temps in my images posted).

Some of my observations may not agree with everyone (only one person named mcminsen came to my defence once this entire thread). All the information I have provided have been factual & true. I have never once stated in this thread where i'm from or that its colder or warmer or anything as compared to anywhere else, and still I get harassed & and singly pointed out & have my posts picked apart sentence by sentence.

I think each & everyone of you need to reexamine & take a look at yourselves at what it is that outrages you so much about what I post, is it because i'm from Saskatchewan (judging from the farmer comment)? you all should view ALL posts with an open mind and think about your own climate & not look to me for your frustration with climate you have.

This may be why posts in this thread are so one sided, only posts from BC Ontario, Quebec and me since Atlantic Canada & Sask/Manitoba posters completely abandoned posting here. Is this what you call free speech?

Happy 150 Canada that likes to discriminate against other provinces you feel you are so above.

I usually only post on these threads if the weather in Winnipeg is super awesome or really shitty. Winnipeg is usually the hot spot once or twice a year in summer, and colder than Mars on occasion in winter. But otherwise, my part of the world generally doesn't win much in terms of the climate battles.

[urbanroo]

^ One thing that Saskscraper is right about, and sometimes gets picked on for, is his assertion that the Prairies have a varied climate and are not a uniform, frozen wasteland as another poster here tries to suggest. The difference between southern Alberta and Winnipeg is as great as between Windsor and Sudbury. It is clear Saskscraper has a chip on his shoulder (and this is why he cherrypicks some of his evidence) but it is understandable given the way some on the West Coast and in Eastern Canada denigrate the climate on the Prairies. It's definitely not the best climate in the world, but it does have positive attributes too.

[urbanroo]

In terms of trees, I really like the mayday and crabapple trees in Edmonton. Of course they grow all over Canada, but they are especially common in Edmonton and their long-lasting blossoms give off a wonderful fragrance in May. They (along with willows) are also always the first trees to come into leaf and some of the last to become bare in the fall, though they don't get much fall color. I also really like Mountain Ash, which have incredible fall color (one of the few in Edmonton to turn Red) and also keep their leaves very late (until the end of October or in good years even into November in Edmonton). I also like the PJM Rhododendrons, a hardy broadleaf evergreen which can actually be grown in Edmonton (zone 4a); as you can imagine they provide a very welcome shot of green in a garden that remains brown for much of the year. As you might be able to tell, I'm interested in extending a comparatively short growing season as far as possible. (Edmonton, on average, is only frost free from May 10 to September 19--compare that to Vancouver's March 27 to November 11 http://www.almanac.com/content/frost-chart-canada).

[geotag277]

Originally Posted by shreddog

First winter "this time" - been here before. Now that said, FTR one of the reasons I left Ontario for Calgary was i couldn't stand the dreary winters in Ottawa and Toronto (my opinion only!). All the other places I have lived (except England) were more sunny that Calgary and thus I never thought I could do a grey winter again.

I purposely "tried to be depressed" in Vancouver since it "rained" so often since October, but like I said, the fact that it wasn't all day long, there were sunny breaks and green everywhere really softened the lack of all day sun in Calgary.

Or maybe i was just having so much fun watching locals deal with snow that it made the grey invisible

Well, to be fair, having the pessimistic assumption that the weather is going to be soul crushingly brutal, and then being pleasantly surprised when it stops short of that, is probably a good attitude to have anywhere in Canada

[someone123]

Originally Posted by urbanroo

^ One thing that Saskscraper is right about, and sometimes gets picked on for, is his assertion that the Prairies have a varied climate and are not a uniform, frozen wasteland as another poster here tries to suggest.

A general issue on this forum is that people​ tend to have a negative bias toward the areas they're not familiar with. There's also a crab mentality or tall poppy syndrome. If your goal is to get others to appreciate a smaller area for what it is (or more than what it is), you will face an uphill battle.

It's tiresome but the good news is it also doesn't really matter.

[dreambrother808]

Originally Posted by geotag277

If this is your first winter season there, "not that bad" might just be a bit of your honeymoon period there. It took me about 5 years to realize that I didn't want to spend another winter there, and in the process it completely reduced my tolerance for expanded periods of cold rain and grey to almost zero.

This was the worst winter I've ever experienced here though. 💁🏼♂️

If America wasn't the political shitshow it currently is, my ideal would be California climate-wise.

[shreddog]

Originally Posted by dreambrother808

This was the worst winter I've ever experienced here though. 💁🏼♂️

If America wasn't the political shitshow it currently is, my ideal would be California climate-wise.

that's what everyone has said (even blamed me for it) but yet it wasn't that bad. I don't remember feeling depressed and sun deprived. And since I'm from that snowy part of Canada, all the white stuff on the ground looked awesome! (Trout lake was cool too).

And having lived in California (just outside Ventura) it's not all it's cracked up to be. You have to put sun block on all the time and if you live on the beach, sand gets everywhere!

[blueandgoldguy]

Can we all just agree that Saguenay has the worst weather of any moderately sized city in Canada?

In my admittedly brief research that amounts to nothing more than stats watching and no personal experience, I discovered this city has winter temps that rival Winnipeg in coldness (average -10 C highs in january) with annual snowfalls that compare to many cities in Atlantic Canada (330 cm). Basically the worst of both worlds.

Summers are not particularly warm either (avg 24 C highs in July) with a significant amount of rain.

Ok, now that I have said this I am expecting a deluge of comments, probably deserved, from the folks of Saguenay.

[DrJoe]

Originally Posted by dreambrother808

This was the worst winter I've ever experienced here though. 💁🏼♂️

If America wasn't the political shitshow it currently is, my ideal would be California climate-wise.

You arent alone, California is truly amazing. You could take almost anyones perfect climate, setting, you name it, and find them a spot in California where they would be happy.

[1overcosc]

The California coast has what's known as a "Mediterranean climate" (so called because the largest part of Earth with that climate is along the northern & eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea), which for most people's tastes is arguably the best climate this planet has to offer. This is the map of the areas of the world with this climate:

The main drawback of Mediterranean climates is that they're fairly dry which can create water management issues if their populations get too high.


(California Water Blog)

[urbanroo]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

The California coast has what's known as a "Mediterranean climate" (so called because the largest part of Earth with that climate is along the northern & eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea), which for most people's tastes is arguably the best climate this planet has to offer. This is the map of the areas of the world with this climate:

The main drawback of Mediterranean climates is that they're fairly dry which can create water management issues if their populations get too high.


(California Water Blog)

For reasons I don't fully understand (perhaps someone could explain), Mediterranean climates are always on the west side of continents. The east-side is always too humid and continental. By some accounts (Koppen), Victoria meets the criteria for a Mediterranean climate, with dry summers and mild winters.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by urbanroo

For reasons I don't fully understand (perhaps someone could explain), Mediterranean climates are always on the west side of continents. The east-side is always too humid and continental. By some accounts (Koppen), Victoria meets the criteria for a Mediterranean climate, with dry summers and mild winters.

Given Victoria's lovely dry summers, I can see why some might say that.

[GreaterMontréal]

Victoriaville-Drummondville on the northern limit of the zone, in Canada. vineyards in Centre-du-Québec. Nova Scotia too.

http://southernquebec.ca/local-terroir/

[urbanroo]

Originally Posted by GreaterMontréal

Victoriaville-Drummondville on the northern limit of the zone, in Canada. vineyards in Centre-du-Québec. Nova Scotia too.

http://southernquebec.ca/local-terroir/

Yes, but while southern Ontario/Quebec/Nova Scotia are in the right latitudes and can grow grapes, they don't have a Mediterranean climate. The Koppen system (which has its problems) classifies them as humid continental but classifies Victoria as "warm summer Mediterranean." In the east, precipitation is distributed evenly throughout the year, winters are too cold, and summers are too humid. Like China, Japan, and the US South, this disqualifies these areas from a Mediterranean classification.

Ultimately, it doesn't mean much as Victoria barely qualifies and its climate is hardly Barcelona or LA. It is, of course, an abiding climate curiosity that southern Ontario is on the same latitude as southern France. But while its snowing in Toronto, its 15C in Nice.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by urbanroo

Yes, but while southern Ontario/Quebec/Nova Scotia are in the right latitudes and can grow grapes, they don't have a Mediterranean climate. The Koppen system (which has its problems) classifies them as humid continental but classifies Victoria as "warm summer Mediterranean." In the east, precipitation is distributed evenly throughout the year, winters are too cold, and summers are too humid. Like China, Japan, and the US South, this disqualifies these areas from a Mediterranean classification.

Nova Scotia actually has both continental and oceanic according to the Koppen classification system, because there are places where the coldest mean winter temperature is over -3 but the warmest month is below 22. Oceanic (Cfb) is the same as most of the BC coast. In a lot of ways, the climate and environment of the South Shore of NS reminds me of coastal BC more than it does, say, Northern NB.

The Barrington area (Charlesville station) around the southern tip of NS has a mean temperature of -2 during its coldest month and averages 95 cm of snow. It has the mildest climate outside of BC in Canada. The Atlantic coast in the Halifax area is just below the -3 isotherm. These places get around 75% rain in the winter.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Nova_Scotia

[someone123]

Originally Posted by DrJoe

You arent alone, California is truly amazing. You could take almost anyones perfect climate, setting, you name it, and find them a spot in California where they would be happy.

There's also so much variation over a small area that you can easily travel around to get better weather during any given part of the year. You can get hot desert weather in Palm Springs in the winter and then drive a few hours to the coast and get relatively temperate winter weather. There is nothing like that in Canada.

Of course, there isn't necessarily an interesting city or town in any given part of California. Countries like France, Spain, and Italy have great weather, culture, and cities. The good climate and easy maritime travel around the large Mediterranean sea are no doubt why that area prospered early on. The California coast is small and isolated in comparison.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by DrJoe

You arent alone, California is truly amazing. You could take almost anyones perfect climate, setting, you name it, and find them a spot in California where they would be happy.

ignoring the earthquakes, droughts and wildfires.

Seriously though, California does have generally quite amazing weather, especially in coastal San Diego.