Province and Territory Weather Winners

Next to bragging about which community enjoys or endures the most extreme weather, Canadians like nothing more than to boast how their province or territory's weather compares to others. And now, the facts you need to win the argument are online.

To settle arguments about which parts of Canada can legitimately lay claim to being tops in weather, Environment Canada's Senior Climatologist, David Phillips, analyzed 30 years of recent weather data for each of Canada's ten provinces and three territories.

This study shows each province or territory in 70 different weather categories, including hottest summer, coldest winter and sunniest year-round, and shows how they rank amongst the rest of the country. These results 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 comfort.

If moderation is what you are looking for, British Columbia may be the province for you. Boasting the fewest snow days, lightest winds and the warmest springs, this province is neither too hot in summer nor too cold in winter.

Clear skies and sunny days is the theme in central Canada. Manitoba came in first with the clearest skies year round, averaging 2565 hours of clear skies. Saskatchewan is the province with the most sunlight year-round, 2206 hours, while Alberta has the greatest number of sunny days, 312.

Looking for a little heat? Surprisingly, New Brunswick is the province with the hottest summers, averaging temperatures of 23 °C while Prince Edward Island boasts the most humid summers. Of course, Canadian obsession with weather does not come from talks of easy weather but of extreme and harsh weather.

Ontario holds the record for the most thunderstorm days with about 22 per year. Southern Ontario is the known hotspot for lightning too.

A place with little light is Newfoundland and Labrador with the least amount of sunlight per year, 1563 hours. Even on sunlit days it could be difficult to see through snow covered windows in this province, the snowiest region of Canada. Maybe these harsher days allow these residents to appreciate a fine day more than the rest of the country.

It is not so bright either in the foggiest and wettest province, Nova Scotia. But this province is still the warmest overall, with an average temperature of 6.31 °C. Nunavut is the coldest year round, followed by the Northwest Territories and the Yukon Territory. With that said, the Northwest Territories still proved to have the sunniest spring and summers.

Canada is a country of extremes and so are her provinces and territories. To find out more about 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.