Weather and climate of Canada

In most parts of the world, Canada is associated with snow and extremely cold weather. In fact, the Canadian climate varies greatly from one region to another and from one season to another. Even in mid-winter, a good sweater is all you need to keep you warm when you visit Victoria. But go to Churchill in the same season and you'll need to dress like a real Inuit. (In fact, you'll need to dress much more warmly than the Inuit, unless you are as used to icy winds as they are!) Return to this corner of the Far North in mid-summer and you'll find that the afternoons are as mild as they are long.

To help you plan your trip, we have put together information on the climate and weather of the major regions of Canada that VIA Rail serves. For each region, you'll find short-term weather forecasts for our main destinations, plus a description of the climate. You'll also find tables showing average temperatures throughout the year, the probability of rain and snow by region, and the approximate duration of winter. View our pages on the weather and climate of:

• Rockies and Pacific
• Prairies and northern Manitoba
• Ontario
• Quebec
• Atlantic region

An important detail: temperatures are shown in centigrade, or degrees Celsius (°C). Don't confuse these with degrees Fahrenheit (°F) used in the United States and elsewhere! A winter temperature of 0 °C is the same as 32 °F. And if the meteorologists forecast 32 °C in summer, that's the same as 90 °F! If you need to, you can use this Celsius (°C) to Fahrenheit (°F) converter.

You can also go to the Environment Canada web site for much more detailed information on the Canadian climate and weather forecasts.