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  News Release

Who Takes the Cake on Weather in Canada?
Find Out Which Province or Territory is the Windiest,
the Coldest or the Sunniest and More!


TORONTO, Ontario, August 23, 2005 - - A new study of who’s tops and who’s not in Canadian weather has now been completed by Environment Canada’s senior climatologist David Phillips.

This study analyzes Canada’s 13 provinces and territories using over 30 years of weather data, ranking them in 70 weather categories. “Some of the results will be sure to surprise you,” said David Phillips, author of the study.

This analysis is a follow-up to the highly popular Weather Winners study that compared 100 largest cities in Canada in over 70 similar weather categories, released in 2003. Likewise, this new study of the provinces and territories provides a wealth of information, which will not only make for interesting dinner conversations and provide bragging points for provincial and territorial governments but will also be useful to industry, the tourism and recreation sector and for those seeking weather havens for retirement or health purposes.

Hightlights:

  • Nunavut came in first the most times in the 70 weather categories, followed by Nova Scotia and then Newfoundland and Labrador.

  • Alberta is the province with the most comfortable weather overall, while Nunavut has the toughest weather, followed by Quebec.

  • Ontario has the most thunderstorm days and is also the province for “all seasons” where weather-wise, they get a bit of everything!

  • Nova Scotia is the province with the most foggy days and is the wettest.

  • Saskatchewan is the sunniest province year round, but New Brunswick has the sunniest winters.

  • Quebec has the most snow days where British Columbia has the fewest snow days annually and the warmest springs.

  • Ontario does not have the hottest summer, but it’s no mystery that Nunavut has the coldest winters, followed by the Northwest Territories and the Yukon Territory.

  • Prince Edward Island has the most freezing rain days and the most humid summers.

  • Manitoba has the clearest skies year-round.

To find out more regarding which province or territory can lay claim to being the windiest, the wettest, having the warmest summer or coldest weather year round, visit the Weather Winners website at: http://www.on.ec.gc.ca/weather/winners/provincial-territorial-home-e.html

The data used for this study comes from Environment Canada’s National Climate Data and Information Archive website. This website consists of a collection of over 200 million weather observations from over 7,000 sites, some dating as far back as 1840: http://www.climate.weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/Welcome_e.html

For more information about Environment Canada’s Meteorological Weather Service and to obtain the latest weather forecasts and severe weather warnings, please visit: http://weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/canada_e.html.

For more information, please contact:

David Phillips
Senior Climatologist
Environment Canada
(416) 739-4316

To receive automatic e-mail notification of all Environment Canada news releases, media advisories, and statements, please click on this URL to subscribe: http://www.ec.gc.ca/mediaroom/newsrelease/e/subscribe_e.cfm


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