Experiencing the Changing Canadian Seasons
How to Enjoy Inuvik, Winnipeg, and Vancouver All Year Long
Jan 8, 2009
If Canadians were asked for the most frequent topic of conversation among their family, friends, and co-workers, one subject would likely be the climate. Canadians love to talk about the latest cold spell or about how early the daffodils bloomed that spring, to congratulate themselves on missing a bad storm or commiserate with each other on the hardships brought by the weather. The changing seasons can also bring tourists to visit the towns and cities of Canada, whether for the midnight sun of Inuvik, the brilliant fall colors of Winnipeg, or the bright spring flowers of Vancouver. Whatever the weather, there is always something interesting to see in the changing Canadian seasons.
The best place to experience the changing weather is where the greatest extremes occur, such as in Canada’s northern regions. Towns north of the Arctic Circle, including Inuvik in the Northwest Territories, give visitors and residents alike a taste of warm summer weather to rival most southern towns and winters that can be brutally cold. Official town statistics have recorded a maximum summer temperature of 31.7 ºC (89.06 ºF) in summer and a minimum winter temperature of -56.7 ºC (-70.06 ºF) in winter. Summer, with its 56 days of the midnight sun, is the best time to visit, but even winter has its compensations with the northern lights, or aurora borealis, visible at almost any time of the day or night. Inuvik is too remote from major travel spots for a casual visit, but it can be worth the time and expense of a special trip.
For those who prefer larger places, a city like Winnipeg, Manitoba, may be a better place to watch the seasons. Temperatures can be extreme in Winnipeg, but each season brings something new. Winter days are short and summer days long, but all seasons allow visitors to experience the beauties of newly-fallen snow or the sight of leaves changing color from green to brilliant shades of orange and yellow.
Normally relatively dry, Winnipeg’s weather allows people to spend long hours outside, enjoying the heat of the sun on their backs as they walk or cycle through the parks in summer or ski along the many cross-country trails groomed for winter. Skating along the frozen Red and Assiniboine Rivers in winter attracts many people despite cold temperatures. When spring finally comes, the sight of crocuses peeking through the last remnants of snow can be immensely cheering.
Flowers are among the many attractions of Vancouver, British Columbia. Located on the west coast just north of the American border, Vancouver enjoys many of the benefits and detriments of a climate influenced by the Pacific Ocean. Each year, while much of the rest of Canada is still blanketed by snow, Vancouver will already be ablaze with bright yellow daffodils. Later, the rhododendrons and magnolias make even the dreariest days brighter.
Weather statistics indicate that July is the driest month and December the wettest in Vancouver, but any time of year is good to visit the huge expanse of Stanley Park, or the impressive length of the Capilano Suspension Bridge, the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in the world. Year-round rain can barely dim the grandeur of the mountains in the distance or the quiet beauty of the beaches along the city’s coastline. Kayaking or windsurfing in English Bay are only some of the activities available in Canada’s third largest city.
With so much to see around Canada, tourists can find interesting sights in even the dreariest or harshest of climates.
