Dates of formation and loss of snow cover

The map shows isolines on four different dates: 1) the day of the year when there are less than or equal to 2.5 centimetres of snow that occurs and remain absent for 7 or more days; 2) the standard deviation of the mean date of snow cover loss; 3) the day of year when greater than or equal to 2.5 centimetres of snow occur and remain for more than 7 days; and 4) the standard deviation of the mean date of snow cover formation. The beginning and end of the winter season in Canada is usually identified with the formation and disappearance of snow cover in autumn and spring respectively. The duration of snow cover varies considerably from year to year in the southern fringes of the country and adjacent to the east and west coasts. However, even in northern continental areas early and late snowfalls which leave an ephemeral snow cover are common. The beginning and end of the Canadian snow season is the earliest and latest dates when 2.5 centimetres or more snow was measured. However, this definition is difficult to apply to the Prairie Provinces, where snow cover is relatively shallow and is subjected to sudden melting and new accumulations at the season extremities. For the Prairie…

Publisher

Natural Resources Canada

Resources

4

Catalogue metadata updated

2022-02-22