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

2. 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

3. 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

4. Winter in a Continental Climate

5. Summer in a Continental Climate

6. 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)

7. Maritime Climate

8. 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?

9. 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?

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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?

14. 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.