Countries in North America

North America Weather Overview

North America is where you will find the bright lights of Las Vegas, the ski fields of Whistler in Canada, the beach resorts of Cabo San Lucas in Mexico and the rich culture of Cuba. Spanning from the tip of icy Alaska right down to the sandy beaches of southern Mexico, North America has a lot of offer in terms of weather, culture and sights.

In the very North West you will find Alaska, the USA’s largest state by land mass. Purchased from the Russian Empire in the late 1800’s for 2 cents a square metre, Alaska is currently one of the United States most racially diverse states, and also one of the wealthiest. The state itself was only recognised as USA’s 49^th state in 1959, so it is a fairly new addition!

The climate of Alaska varies depending on proximity to the Arctic Circle, as you head further north the weather conditions become sub arctic which is a noticeable change from the oceanic climate experienced in the south west of the state.

Juneau, Alaska’s capital city, lies in the South of the state, sharing a border to the east with British Columbia. The climate in the capital is oceanic, with an average high temperature in July of 18 °C and an average low temperature in January is -7 °C.

While Juneau is the capital, Anchorage is the largest city, which lies on the coast in south central Alaska in an area of lowlands. Due to its proximity to the coast the weather is kept considerably milder than other cities of similar longitude. Average daily summer temperatures range from 13 to 25 degrees before dropping down to average daytime winter temperatures of a chilly -15 to -1 degrees Celsius.

While Anchorage weather is considered quite mild by Alaskan standards, the climate is best summed up as sub arctic climate- primarily due to the presence of short, cool summers and longer snow filled winters.

As you move away from the coast the weather conditions in Alaska become increasingly more extreme. Central Alaska sees temperature rise into the 30’s in the summer months yet fall to a blistering -50 °C in the height of winter. Because Central Alaska is not moderated by the affects of the nearby seas, it is here that the record temperature extremes have been recorded.

June 1915 saw Fort Yukon record an uncomfortable high of 38 °C, while in Prospect Creek in January 1971 the town suffered through an achingly cold -64 °C.

Lying adjacent to Alaska is Canada, the worlds fourth largest country by land mass. Taking up 3,854,085 square miles, encompassing Atlantic and Pacific Ocean coasts and spanning from the Arctic Circle down to the United States border it is understandable as to why Canada witnesses significant climatic differences from northern arctic regions down to the south of Canada.

South eastern Canada is made up of lowlands and plains while the western regions are home to a more mountainous terrain.

On the west coast is the province of British Columbia, which in itself witnesses a range of weather conditions a result of its mountainous interior and rugged coastline. In fact, 75% of BC’s land is mountainous, which means temperature extremes occur year round and snowfall is high in winter making it a very popular destination for ski and snowboard enthusiasts.

BC’s capital is the city of Victoria which lies on the picturesque and quaint Vancouver Island. Victoria sits in the north of Vancouver Island and is a year round popular tourist destination. With almost 4 million visitors annually Victoria’s tourism business accounts for one billion dollars annually of the local economy. The climate in Victoria and much of Vancouver Island is pleasant, with parts of the island being classified as Mediterranean weather and others being slightly more Marine.

The fact that Victoria sits on an island means that its climate is moderated by the affects of the nearby waters, making conditions pretty mild year round. Occasionally during summer the mercury will rise above and over 30 degrees, but this will only occur on a few days in the height of summer.

On the flipside, in the depths of winter the barometer may see absolute lows of -5 degrees Celsius, however this again only occurs a few times throughout the season. Winter generally sees daily maximums of about 7 to 8 degrees, while summer sees maximums of about 18 to 20 degrees. Rainfall in Victoria is at its highest in the winter months and snowfall is very minimal.

Victoria averages only 2 to3 days annually with at least 5 cm of snow on the ground. Victoria boasts the title of one of the sunniest places in all of the province- a result of the rain shadow effect which sees Victoria bask in 2, 223 hours of sunlight annually.

As a whole the climate across Canada varies depending on proximity to the coast and the differing topography and presence of mountain ranges. The East and west coasts see average highs of about 22 to 24 degrees, while inland Canada witnesses hights of in the late 20’s and occasionally into the 30’s. The mercury is been known to rise into the 40’s on the very odd occasion, during inland heat waves.

On the flipside winters in the interior can often get very harsh, with snow covering the ground for up to 6 months of the year and the temperatures falling to extreme lows of -30 to -40 degrees. British Columbia is really the greatest exception to Canada’s general climate, with it experience a temperate climate while much of the country is more continental.

See the weather averages for Toronto, Vancouver , Ottawa and Quebec to get an idea of what the overall climate is like in Canada.

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