It is important to have the necessary winter survival skills when you live in Canada.
We live in southern Quebec, where the colder winter weather begins in mid-December, and lasts through mid-March.
On a typical January day in Montreal the temperature is:
Daytime High
-10.4 °C
13°F
Nighttime Low
-15°C
5.2°F
However windy conditions can make things feel much colder.
For example a wind of 30 km/h (19mi) can make -15°C (5°F) feel like -26°C (-15°F), almost twice as cold.
There are weeks where you barely see the sun.
Walking home after work in winter means walking in the dark.
The Days Become Very Short.
During December, on the shortest day of the year, sunrise is 7h30 and sunset is just after 4h00.
This commercial which aired last winter, pitches sunny tropical vacation packages to Canadians who are looking to escape winter for a couple weeks.
At the end of winter 2007-2008, a record snowfall of 558 centimeters, or over 18 feet fell on the city. I took the following pictures of a Quebec city neighborhood, when snow accumulations were at their peak.
With that much snow, street signs began to disappear.
Entire homes were covered up to the rooftops. It was impossible to see your neighbor across the street.
Can you imagine surviving a winter with this much snow?
While winter 2007-2008 was certainly one for the record books, surviving any Canadian winter poses many challenges.
There are snow scenes like this
Read more about winter survival in Canada
You will learn about the Montreal ice storm, and the five days of freezing that caused the power grid to collapse.
