Climate
Sudbury has a continental climate. It has hot summers and long cold Canadian winters. It can get very cold during the winter with the minimum temperature dropping down to about -18° in January. It can also have very humid summers of up to +25° in July. The graph to the right displays the average temperature and precipitation in Sudbury. The highest precipitation occurs during the month of September in Sudbury with around 101 mm of rain. The month with the least amount of rain is February with 51 mm.
Factors Affecting Climate
Sudbury's climate is affected by factors such as: nearby bodies of water, arctic air masses, latitude, and altitude.
First, Sudbury is located near multiple lakes which regulate the temperature of areas near the lake. Areas near the lake are cooler during the summer and warmer during the winter. Secondly, Sudbury is near the Great lakes making it vulnerable to cold air masses. The masses lower the temperature which cause Sudbury to have its very cold winters. Third, Sudbury has a latitude of 46.4900° N which is north of the equator. The farther a place is from the equator the colder its climate gets. Since Sudbury isn't close to the equator it has a relatively cold climate. Lastly, Sudbury has an altitude of 348 m (1141 ft) contributes to the cooler weather because temperature decreases by -4° for every 304.8 m (1000 ft).
First, Sudbury is located near multiple lakes which regulate the temperature of areas near the lake. Areas near the lake are cooler during the summer and warmer during the winter. Secondly, Sudbury is near the Great lakes making it vulnerable to cold air masses. The masses lower the temperature which cause Sudbury to have its very cold winters. Third, Sudbury has a latitude of 46.4900° N which is north of the equator. The farther a place is from the equator the colder its climate gets. Since Sudbury isn't close to the equator it has a relatively cold climate. Lastly, Sudbury has an altitude of 348 m (1141 ft) contributes to the cooler weather because temperature decreases by -4° for every 304.8 m (1000 ft).
Extreme Weather
Weather
Extreme weather events are rare in Sudbury. However,due to Sudbury being located near many bodies of water Sudbury can fall victim to floods which can cause a lot of damage. Just in the past year of 2014 a flood stuck Greater Sudbury. Moreover, floods are responsible for the most damage cost over all other extreme weather events in Canada.
On the other hand, the worst extreme weather event to ever strike Sudbury was a tornado that struck the suburbs in 1970. The tornado was one of the worst natural extreme weather events ever to hit Canada.
Extreme weather events are rare in Sudbury. However,due to Sudbury being located near many bodies of water Sudbury can fall victim to floods which can cause a lot of damage. Just in the past year of 2014 a flood stuck Greater Sudbury. Moreover, floods are responsible for the most damage cost over all other extreme weather events in Canada.
On the other hand, the worst extreme weather event to ever strike Sudbury was a tornado that struck the suburbs in 1970. The tornado was one of the worst natural extreme weather events ever to hit Canada.
Growing Season
The growing season for Sudbury is between April 25th to June 15th. This time varies for different crops. For example, the growing season for potatoes is between April 25th and May 10th. However, the growing season for tomatoes is May 25th to June 5th. Similarly, Sudbury has around 150 days of snow/frost free periods in which plants can grow.
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Climate Change
The impacts climate change will have on Sudlbury Ontario is: it will cause water shortages and other complications with water treatment and distortion. This could leave the citizens of Ontario with not enough water to meet their everyday needs. Similarly, Sudbury will also suffer from power transmission issues due to climate change. Sudbury and many other cities in Ontario may be left without power due to energy not being able to be produced and transmitted. Lastly, global warming will cause hotter and dryer weather in Sudbury greatly increasing the risk of forest fire. This could be a huge hazard since Sudbury is located in a large boreal forest region.