Climates of Western Canada: Factors Affecting Temperature What does climate mean?

Climate refers to the temperature and amount of precipitation in an area Most of Western Canada has a continental climate, which means that there is a large difference between summer and winter temperatures. Continental climates have low precipitation

What is precipitation? Precipitation is the amount of water that falls in an area You will learn about different types of precipitation later this week

Winter in a Continental Climate

Summer in a Continental Climate

Coastal areas in British Columbia have a maritime climate Maritime climates have small changes in temperature between seasons Maritime climates have high precipitation (lots of rain)

Maritime Climate

Latitude Latitude measures distance from the equator The higher the latitude, the greater the variation in the length of day and night The higher the latitude the small the amount of sunlight that reaches the earth. Would a city at a latitude of 51 N be warmer or colder than a city at 62 N? Why?

Altitude The higher the altitude, or height, the colder the temperature. In general, for every 150 meter rise in altitude the temperature drops by 1 City A is 1 kilometer higher than City B. How much colder will the temperature be in city A?

Distance From the Sea The surface of land heats and cools more quickly than the surface of water Large land masses vary between high and low temperatures Places close to large bodies of water have less of a variation in temperature

Wind Direction Winds blowing from over the ocean have a moderating effect, meaning they keep the temperature from changing much This is why West Coast cities are the only ones in Canada with winter temperatures above 0

Prevailing Winds Prevailing winds are winds that blow most often in an area In Western Canada these winds are usually westerlies, which blow from the west, or northerlies, which blow from the north. How do westerlies affect the temperature of coastal BC?

Ocean Currents Ocean currents are either warm or cold, depending on where they came from Ocean currents can affect temperature by warming the air that travels over them Coastal BC has a warm climate because the westerlies blow over warm currents and carry the warm air over the land.