THE CLIMATIC REGIONS OF CANADA

KEY DEFINITIONS: Weather: is the day to day condition of the atmosphere. This includes temperature, rainfall and wind. Climate: is the average weather condition of a place, usually measured over one year. This includes temperature and rainfall.

ARCTIC CLIMATE REGION Has a very harsh climate; the summer is very short and cool plus in the most northerly locations winter lasts as long as ten months. Precipitation is low because the Arctic Ocean and other bodies of water are frozen for most of the year, and there is very little evaporation. This region includes most of Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

PACIFIC MARITIME REGION The Pacific Maritime region lies along British Columbia's coast and its border with Alaska. Being so close to the Pacific Ocean, the climate is extremely altered. Summers are cooler, winters more mild. Relief precipitation along the coast is very high, especially in winter when the polar-front jet stream moves southward allowing moist Pacific winds to reach this area.

CORDILLERAN CLIMATE REGION The climate found in this area varies greatly because of the mountains. Coastal temperatures tend to be warmer than those inland, and northern climates are cooler than southern climates. Winters can last up to 8 months in the northern part of the region. Locations only a few kilometres apart may have very different temperatures and precipitation patterns. West facing windward slopes receive a great deal of relief precipitation while leeward slopes and interior valleys are dry because of rain shadow conditions. This region includes British Columbia and parts of Yukon.

TAIGA CLIMATE REGION Long, severe winters (up to six months with mean temperatures below freezing) and short summers (50 to 100 frost-free days), as is a wide range of temperatures between the lows of winter and highs of summer. Precipitation occurs mainly in the summer from convectional precipitation.

BOREAL CLIMATE REGION This region forms a continuous belt from Newfoundland and Labrador west to the Rocky Mountains and north to Alaska. This has a continental climate, where winters are cold and summers are warm. In the summer, convectional precipitation also occurs when the land heats up.

PRAIRIE CLIMATE REGION It is a continental climate and the Prairie Provinces comprise the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, as they are much covered by prairie. Winters are very cold and summers are very hot. It is quite dry in this region because it is in the rain shadow of the western Cordillera.

SOUTH-EASTERN CLIMATE REGION This area has both continental and maritime characteristics although most of the region has a continental climate with a wide range of temperature. The prevailing winds bring storms from the west and storms from the south move up from the Gulf of Mexico. The slight summer maximum is due to convectional precipitation. This region includes Ontario and Quebec also parts of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

ATLANTIC MARITIME CLIMATE REGION The winters are neither as cold, nor the summers as hot as continental locations, because the Atlantic Ocean moderates the temperatures. This includes New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and southeastern Quebec. The Atlantic Ocean and its currents have created a cool and humid maritime climate.

REFERENCES  mmh.ycdsb.ca/teachers/fmmh_alphonso/FOV /FOV F25/Topic%25239.doc+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ca mmh.ycdsb.ca/teachers/fmmh_alphonso/FOV /FOV F25/Topic%25239.doc+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ca  20Regions%20Map%20coloured.jpg 20Regions%20Map%20coloured.jpg  a4X0g/TdbCXLM9JfI/AAAAAAAAAOw/8BXhtvzHtu8/s1600/iStock_ice berg.jpg a4X0g/TdbCXLM9JfI/AAAAAAAAAOw/8BXhtvzHtu8/s1600/iStock_ice berg.jpg    3/stock-photo-winter-and-summer-hot-and-cold-temperature-icon- over-blue-background jpg 3/stock-photo-winter-and-summer-hot-and-cold-temperature-icon- over-blue-background jpg   gTOmBm3Ewzk/TwQY24I0VEI/AAAAAAAAIRE/0O6NVhjBk6E/s1600/c ordillerablancaperu.jpg gTOmBm3Ewzk/TwQY24I0VEI/AAAAAAAAIRE/0O6NVhjBk6E/s1600/c ordillerablancaperu.jpg

 tanelandscappe.jpg.w300h216.jpg tanelandscappe.jpg.w300h216.jpg   PG PG   es/borealforest.jpg es/borealforest.jpg  r_Yellow_Prairie2.jpg r_Yellow_Prairie2.jpg    07.jpg 07.jpg 

/watch?v=t8vAe4HcbAA ch?v=QeRiKtgC5y0