Canadians always talk about the weather and there is a reason for it. Canada is a very big country with varied weather in relation to its provinces and territories. Secondly, the weather is an easy topic to talk about in which everyone can have a say without causing any grudges or hard feelings.
Canada is the second largest country in the world, and its weather varies from region to region, season to season and even day to day. However, the country is mostly engulfed by long winters with bone wrecking cold. In fact, some provinces and territories experience extreme, unbearable cold. “Our temperatures vary from 40C to –50C so when you get that, there is never a dull moment,” says David Phillips, senior climatologist at Environment Canada.
The second week of February in this year was terribly cold. It reached -40C, causing havoc and desperation. When it is that cold, people envy others who live in warmer places. Because of the mercurial weather of the country, Canadians always speak about the weather. Families to talk to each other about it, the public does so, everyone talks about it. “How about this weather, eh?” is a common phrase exchanged by Canadians when greeting one another.
Truly, weather is an everyday talk in the country. Newspapers write about the weather, radios air the weather, and televisions broadcast the weather. It is an omnipresent matter and people are obsessed with it. As Phillips says, “you don’t talk about the weather in a country when tomorrow is like yesterday.” In fact, talking about the weather has become Canadian identity.
On the other hand, and unlike politics, sports or religion, everyone can chime in and weigh in when the topic at hand is about the weather. Its participation is fairly simple. No complexity or controversy. It is a theme everybody has an opinion on. In addition, discussing the weather is an icebreaker that can lead to other conversations. A common question that starts a conversation is: “How’s the weather?”
Some cities are colder than others. Winnipeg city of Manitoba province is the coldest city in the country, and Victoria of British Columbia province is the warmest one. Of course, the territories are way colder than the provinces. The coldest Canadian winter ever recorded was at -62.8° C, in the Yukon Territory, and was recorded in February 1947.
.