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Climate Regions of
Canada
What is a region?
• A region is a place where there
are similar characteristics
What is the difference between
weather and climate?
• Weather is the
day-to-day
conditions of the
atmosphere, over
SHORT periods of
time
• Climate is the
LONG-term pattern
of weather
Climate is what you
expect, weather is
what you get!
Remember this acronym!
LOWERN
LOWERN stands for:
Latitude
Ocean currents
Wind
Elevation
Relief precipitation
Nearness to water
• LOWERN is an acronym for
the factors that affect
climate!
To understand why Canada’s climate has so
much variety, you need to remember these four
basic facts:
• 1. Canada is a VERY large country.
2. Different elevations produce different
climate conditions.
• 3. Coastal regions
have different
climates from inland
regions.
4. Wind and pressure move weather conditions
around the country.
LATITUDE
 The most southern part of Canada is Pelee
Island and the most northern is Alert.
 The average temperature in Pelee Island is
9.1°C and the average temperature in Alert is
-18.1°C. That is a difference of almost 30
degrees!
 The further north you go from the equator (the
higher in latitude), the colder it is.
 Canada is so large that latitude is a major
factor that affects climate.
 Energy from the sun hits the earth at the
equator and covers a small area.
 The same amount of energy from the sun
hits the earth at a more northerly location
is spread out over a larger area because
of the curvature of the earth.
OCEAN CURRENTS
• The temperature of an ocean current
affects the temperature of the air that
passes over it.
• On the West Coast, the warm North
Pacific Current warms the cool, moist air
that passes over it, giving the coastal side
of British Columbia a mild climate.
• On the East Coast, the cold Labrador
Current, which flows down from the Arctic,
cools the air around Newfoundland.
(AIR MASSES)
• An air mass is a large volume of air with
the climate conditions of the area where it
formed.
• An air mass formed over water carries
moisture, and when it passes over land it
falls as some type of precipitation (rain or
snow)
• This is similar to ocean currents
WIND
• Air, like everything on earth, has weight.
This weight is called air pressure.
• Air pressure changes when the
temperature changes.
• Warm air rising creates an area of low
pressure. Cool air sinking back toward the
earth creates an area of high pressure.
• Air moves along the surface of the earth
from high pressure areas to low pressure
areas. This movement creates wind.
• Most of the winds in Canada come from
the west…these are called “westerlies.”
ELEVATION
• If you were to hike from sea level to the
top of a mountain, you would notice that
the temperature drops steadily as you
climb.
• As air rises in the atmosphere, it cools to
become water vapour and eventually
clouds. Clouds can produce precipitation.
RELIEF
• Relief means the differences in elevation.
• Mountain ranges act as barriers to the
movement of air masses…This creates
relief precipitation.
• Moist air moves up the windward slope of
a mountain, cools and then falls as rain.
On the other side of the mountain, the
leeward side, there is a rain shadow.
• This is why in Vancouver there is a mild,
moist winter climate where the
precipitation mostly falls as rain.
• On the other side of the mountain range in
Calgary, which is in the rain shadow, has
a dry and cold winter climate.
NEARNESS TO WATER
• Bodies of water have a moderating affect
on land temperatures.
• Oceans and large lakes heat up and cool
down more slowly than the land around it.
• During the summer, winds that move over
lakes cool the surrounding air. In winter,
the winds that move over lakes warm the
surrounding air.
• This is why maritime (around water)
climates have cooler summers and milder
winters
• Areas located in the interior of large land
masses, far from oceans, and far from
large lakes have a continental climate.
• Continental climates also tend to have low
precipitation due to distance from a
moisture source. Regina, Saskatchewan
has a continental climate.
• That’s all for today!!!