General Climate
Manitoba is a sunny province; according to Environment Canada, Manitoba ranked first for clearest skies year round. Southern Manitoba has a fairly long frost-free season, consisting of between 120 and 140 days in the Red River Valley. It is also prone to high humidity in the summer months with the extreme of 53.0 °C (127.4 °F) in Carman, which set the highest humid-ex recorded in Canada. There are three main climatic regions.
The northern sections of the province (including the city of Thompson) fall in the subarctic climate zone (Koppen Dfc). This region features long and extremely cold winters and brief, warm summers with little precipitation. Overnight lows as low as −40 °C (−40 °F) occur on several days each winter, and the temperature may remain below −18 °C (−0 °F) for weeks.
Southern Manitoba (including Winnipeg), falls into the humid continental climate zone (Koppen Dfb). Temperatures here are similar to the semi-arid climate zone, but this region is the most humid area in the Prairie Provinces with moderate precipitation.
Southwestern Manitoba, though under the same climate classification as the rest of Southern Manitoba, is closer to the semi-arid interior of Palliser's Triangle, and as such, is drier and more prone to droughts than other parts of southern Manitoba. This area is cold and windy in the winter and frequently experiences blizzards because of the openness of the landscape. Summers are generally warm to hot, with low to moderate humidity.
The following table provides the 1971 to 2000 averages for high and low temperatures in July and January, rainfall, snowfall and precipitation for seven cities.
| City | Region | July | January | Rain(mm) | Snow(cm) | Prec.(mm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winnipeg | Winnipeg | 26/13°C (79/55°F) | −13/−20°C (9/-4°F) | 416 | 111 | 514 |
| Portage la Prairie | Central Plains | 25/13°C (77/55°F) | −12/−23°C (10/-9°F) | 389 | 125 | 514 |
| Dauphin | Parkland | 25/12°C (77/54°F) | −12/−23°C (10-9°F) | 395 | 129 | 508 |
| Brandon | Westman | 25/11°C (77/52°F) | −13/−24°C (9/-11°F) | 373 | 112 | 472 |
| The Pas | Northern | 23/12°C (73/54°F) | −16/−26°C (3/-15°F) | 324 | 155 | 443 |
| Thompson | Northern | 23/9°C (73/48°F) | −19/−31°C (-2/-24°F) | 348 | 186 | 517 |
| Churchill | Northern | 17/7°C (73/48°F) | −23/−31°C (-2/-24°F) | 264 | 191 | 431 |
Read more about this topic: Climate Of Manitoba
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