In which month does the most snow fall?

Meteorological winter

For most Canadians, winter begins on December 21 at the solstice. For meteorologists however, they consider the cold season to begin on December 1st. It is indeed the start of the coldest three-month period of the year. This discrepancy is justified when we take a look at the statistics.

December or January?

In Quebec and Val-d’Or for example, it is in December that we receive the most snow. It is therefore normal to consider that winter does not only occupy the last 10 days of the month, but the entire month. In Montreal, Gatineau and Sept-Îles, January receives the most snow. But be careful: in the case of Montreal, it’s almost a draw between January and December. The metropolis receives an average of 50.8 cm of snow in January, and 50.2 cm in December. This is another argument in favor of considering December 1 as the date of the start of winter.

Earlier for some

We would be led to believe that the Far North is covered in snow all winter long. And yet, in Iqaluit, the two months that see the most snow are… September and October! One of the reasons for the reduction in snowfall the rest of the winter is that the large bodies of water which feed the clouds with moisture in the north are colder, or even completely frozen from November onwards. There is much less evaporation to feed the clouds from November to March. Whitehorse in the Yukon and Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories confirm this trend, as it is in November that they see the most snow accumulation.

More in Quebec than in Yukon

Another surprise, it snows a lot more in Quebec than in cities in the Far North like Whitehorse in the Yukon or Churchill in Manitoba. It is the systems coming from Texas and Colorado that bring so much snow to Quebec and Ontario. They’re saturated with moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, and the jet stream isn’t directing them toward those northern parts of the country at all.

January for most

For most large Canadian cities such as Montreal, Toronto, Halifax, Saskatoon and Winnipeg, January is the peak time for shovels and snow plows. The Pacific Ocean plays a determining role in Vancouver’s climate. December is when North Hollywood receives the most snow. This is obviously much less than other large cities in the country. Vancouver receives a paltry 13.9 cm of snow on average during this month. This is very little compared to the 52.7 cm that Prince George, less than 600 km to the north, receives during the month of January. Among large Canadian cities, St. John’s in Newfoundland and Labrador takes the prize with an average of 95.4 cm of snow in January.

February for our neighbors

In our southern neighbors, snowfall is most abundant in February. New York normally receives 10 inches during the shortest month of the year. In Washington, the average is 5 inches. Chicago fears January more though. The Windy City receives an average of 29.7 cm of snow during the month. Further south, Atlanta receives its share of flakes. There is an average of 2 cm of snow per year. For a city where the average temperature in November is 18°C, this is still surprising.

With the collaboration of Nicolas Lessard, meteorologist.

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