Hey, It’s North, It’s Cold, Right?

Well, no. Actually we like to think we have some of the best weather in Canada – warm summers with plenty of daylight, wonderful long spring days, and spectacular, sun-filled, crisp, winter days. For example, a hot summer day on the continental Northwest Territories might reach 30º C or around 86ºF, and an average winter daytime temperature is often in the minus 20s, or about five to ten degrees below zero F. In fact our long sunny summer days appear to induce a kind of collective memory loss, so that residents often find it hard to recall winter in mid-summer (and sometimes vice-versa)!

Environment Canada rates our territorial weather tops in Canada for sunniest spring, sunniest summer, and second in such categories as driest winter air, longest snow cover season and more snow than rain. Of course, we also rate second for most cold days, and most high wind chill days (Brrrr). The best news is we rate last for wettest weather.

But climate is not all about temperature and precipitation. In our vast landscape we have a huge sky, where fascinating and awe inspiring natural phenomena occur. There’s the aurora borealis, sun dogs, mirages and even white outs and blizzard.

• Tundra and Treeline




• Natural Features of the North




• Arctic Phenomena




• Plant Life of the Northwest Territories