The Climatic Regions of Canada
Key Definitions:
Rain Shadow: An area having relatively little precipitation due to the effect of a barrier, such as a mountain range, that causes the prevailing winds to lose their moisture before reaching it.
Relief Precipitation: Precipitation which results from the lifting of moist air over an orographic barrier such as a mountain range.
Polar Front Jet Stream: A high-speed, meandering wind current, generally moving from a westerly direction at speeds often exceeding 400 kilometers (250 miles) per hour at altitudes of 10 to 15 kilometers (6 to 9 miles).
Convectional Precipitation: Convective rain, or showery precipitation, occurs from convective clouds. It falls as showers with rapidly changing intensity. Convective precipitation falls over a certain area for a relatively short time, as convective clouds have limited horizontal extent.
Information:
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.
Taiga Climate Region
Long, severe winters (up to six months with mean temperatures below freezing) and short summers (50 to 100 frostfree 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.
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.
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.
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.
Sites: http://mail.tldsb.on.ca/~t.dingman/S0220A5F0.36/Climate%2520Regions%2520of%2520Canada%2520QS%2520full%2520page
.pdf http://www.radford.edu/~swoodwar/CLASSES/GEOG235/biomes/taiga/taiga.html
By: Stephanie Iu and Amanda Richard
Worksheet
Name: ______________
Date: ______________
Please answer the following questions:
1.
Name the 8 climate regions of Canada.
2.
Is the Pacific Maritime region located along Canada’s west coast or east coast?
3.
Why do many people move to the west coast?
4.
Describe the weather conditions of the South-eastern climate region.
5.
Why is precipitation low in the Arctic climate region?
6.
When does precipitation mainly occur in the Taiga climate region?
7.
In the Cordilleran climate region, how long can winters last up to?

8.
What kind of climate does the Boreal region have?
9.
Name the three provinces which make up the Prairie region.
10.
Describe the Atlantic Maritime climate region.
Answers:
1.
The 8 climate regions in Canada are: Arctic, Boreal, Taiga, Cordilleran, Prairie, Southeastern, Atlantic Maritime and Pacific Maritime.
2.
The Pacific Maritime region located along Canada’s west coast.
3.
People move to the west coast because they want to escape the harsh winters of the
Canadian interior.
4.
The weather conditions of the South-eastern climate include both continental and maritime characteristics although most of the region has a continental climate with a wide range of temperature.
5.
Precipitation is low in the Arctic region because the Arctic Ocean and other bodies of water are frozen for most of the year, and there is very little evaporation.
6.
Precipitation mainly occurs in the Taiga climate region in the summer from convectional precipitation.
7.
Winters can last up to 8 months in the Cordilleran region.
8.
The Boreal region has a continental climate, where winters are cold and summers are warm.
9.
The three provinces which make up the Prairie region are Alberta, Saskatchewan and
Manitoba.
10.
The Atlantic Maritime region has winters which 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.