Canadian Cities with the Least Snow
The lower elevations of British Columbia's southwest corner avoid the long, snowy winters found elsewhere in the country. No other Canadian city comes close in comparison to how little snow the three major BC centres get.
The BC cities average less than 65 centimetres (25.5 inches) annual snowfall, whereas the next lowest yearly snowfall is 97 cm in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Snow lands in southwest BC on fewer than 15 days a year and rarely lingers. The closest to these averages are Oshawa, Ontario with 29 days of snowfall a year, and Windsor, Ontario with 54 days a year of over 1 cm (0.4 inches) of snow on the ground.
| City | cm Snowfall | Days Snowfall | Days With Snowpack Over 1 cm |
|---|---|---|---|
| Victoria | 44 | 10 | 8 |
| Vancouver | 48 | 11 | 10 |
| Abbotsford | 64 | 14 | 15 |
Least Extreme Snow
Despite their relatively snow-free winters, the BC cities have not set any records for avoiding severe blizzards. Three Canadian cities have never had more than 30 cm (11.8 inches) of snow arrive in one day. And only three Canadian cities have never had the snowpack accumulate to more than 60 cm (23.6 inches) depth since the 1950s. Overall, Oshawa Ontario is the one place where snow hasn't gotten extreme.
| City | cm | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchener | 22.4 | December 30, 1971 |
| Regina | 26.4 | October 16, 1984 |
| Oshawa | 29.0 | December 10, 1992 |
| City | cm | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Calgary | 38 | March 18, 1998 |
| Windsor | 42 | February 9, 1982 |
| Oshawa | 51 | January 13, 1981 |
Deep Snow
Most Canadian cities average at least ten days a year when one must wade through more than 20 centimetres (8 inches) of snow. Indeed, three cities in Quebec – Quebec City, Saguenay and Trois-Rivieres – have 100 days or more a year when the snowpack's deeper than 20 cm. In eight cities across Canada though, ankle-deep snow is relatively rare.
| City | Days |
|---|---|
| Saskatoon | 1 |
| Vancouver | 1 |
| Victoria | 1 |
| Abbotsford | 2 |
| St. Catharines – Niagara | 3 |
| Windsor | 4 |
| Calgary | 5 |
| Toronto | 5 |