Geography, Climate, and Wildlife
Kapuskasing lies in the heart of the Great Clay Belt. The topography of the region is very flat, dotted with numerous small lakes and muskeg bogs. Also in the heart of Canada's boreal forest the region is drained by rivers running north to James Bay. The district is heavily forested, mostly by thick stands of black spruce that have commercial value as pulpwood.
The area has long, very cold winters. The summer growing season is short and often punctuated by killing frosts. Visitors often comment on the deep blue of the sky during clear weather.
Wildlife is abundant. Species such as moose, black bear, lynx and red fox are commonly seen in the area. Lakes and rivers are well populated with pickerel, northern pike and yellow perch. Fishing and hunting are very popular recreational activities locally.
| Climate data for Kapuskasing CDA | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 8.3 (46.9) |
11.7 (53.1) |
19.4 (66.9) |
29.5 (85.1) |
33.3 (91.9) |
37.0 (98.6) |
37.8 (100.0) |
35.0 (95.0) |
32.8 (91.0) |
27.8 (82.0) |
20.0 (68.0) |
15.6 (60.1) |
37.8 (100.0) |
| Average high °C (°F) | −12.8 (9.0) |
−8.9 (16.0) |
−2.3 (27.9) |
6.5 (43.7) |
15.5 (59.9) |
20.8 (69.4) |
23.5 (74.3) |
21.9 (71.4) |
15.5 (59.9) |
8.0 (46.4) |
−0.8 (30.6) |
−9.2 (15.4) |
6.5 (43.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −18.9 (−2.0) |
−15.7 (3.7) |
−8.8 (16.2) |
0.4 (32.7) |
9.0 (48.2) |
14.4 (57.9) |
17.2 (63.0) |
15.9 (60.6) |
10.5 (50.9) |
4.0 (39.2) |
−4.4 (24.1) |
−14.2 (6.4) |
0.8 (33.4) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −24.9 (−12.8) |
−22.5 (−8.5) |
−15.3 (4.5) |
−5.8 (21.6) |
2.4 (36.3) |
7.9 (46.2) |
10.9 (51.6) |
9.9 (49.8) |
5.4 (41.7) |
−0.1 (31.8) |
−8 (17.6) |
−19.2 (−2.6) |
−4.9 (23.2) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −47.2 (−53.0) |
−46.7 (−52.1) |
−42.8 (−45.0) |
−30.6 (−23.1) |
−13 (8.6) |
−6.7 (19.9) |
−1 (30.2) |
−3.9 (25.0) |
−7 (19.4) |
−15.6 (3.9) |
−36.1 (−33.0) |
−47.2 (−53.0) |
−47.2 (−53.0) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 52.1 (2.051) |
33.8 (1.331) |
51.9 (2.043) |
52.1 (2.051) |
68.2 (2.685) |
85.1 (3.35) |
99.7 (3.925) |
79.7 (3.138) |
93.5 (3.681) |
83.7 (3.295) |
62.9 (2.476) |
49.9 (1.965) |
812.5 (31.988) |
| Rainfall mm (inches) | 0.5 (0.02) |
3.1 (0.122) |
12.2 (0.48) |
27.6 (1.087) |
61.9 (2.437) |
84.9 (3.343) |
99.7 (3.925) |
79.7 (3.138) |
92.5 (3.642) |
65.9 (2.594) |
21.6 (0.85) |
4.1 (0.161) |
553.6 (21.795) |
| Snowfall cm (inches) | 55.4 (21.81) |
33.3 (13.11) |
39.3 (15.47) |
22.8 (8.98) |
6.0 (2.36) |
0.2 (0.08) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0.9 (0.35) |
17.2 (6.77) |
41.4 (16.3) |
49.6 (19.53) |
266.0 (104.72) |
| Avg. precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 16.7 | 11.9 | 12.0 | 10.1 | 13.2 | 15.6 | 15.7 | 14.5 | 19.5 | 17.6 | 16.5 | 16.7 | 180 |
| Avg. rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 0.37 | 0.73 | 2.7 | 5.5 | 12.6 | 15.6 | 15.7 | 14.5 | 19.4 | 14.4 | 4.5 | 0.93 | 106.93 |
| Avg. snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) | 16.2 | 11.3 | 10.1 | 5.7 | 1.4 | 0.10 | 0 | 0 | 0.47 | 5.4 | 13.1 | 16.1 | 79.87 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 80.3 | 113.1 | 145.4 | 181.7 | 220.1 | 224.9 | 252.4 | 227.6 | 126.9 | 82.1 | 53.2 | 59.3 | 1,766.7 |
| Source: Environment Canada | |||||||||||||
Read more about this topic: Kapuskasing
Famous quotes containing the word wildlife:
“Russian forests crash down under the axe, billions of trees are dying, the habitations of animals and birds are layed waste, rivers grow shallow and dry up, marvelous landscapes are disappearing forever.... Man is endowed with creativity in order to multiply that which has been given him; he has not created, but destroyed. There are fewer and fewer forests, rivers are drying up, wildlife has become extinct, the climate is ruined, and the earth is becoming ever poorer and uglier.”
—Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860–1904)