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Some livability studies show that the climate in Whitehorse is one of the nicest in Canada despite the fact it's at 61N. Travel east or even west from Whitehorse, and you'll experience much colder winters.
Whitehorse, Yukon has an average daily minimum winter temperature of 0.05F (-17.75C). Here are a few places colder than that:
Dease Lake, British Columbia
Lake Louise, Alberta
Regina, Saskatchewan
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Thunder Bay, Ontario
Ville Marie, Quebec
Goose Bay, Newfoundland
Kedgwick, New Brunswick
Fairbanks, Alaska
Big Falls, Minnesota
Leeds, North Dakota
La Barge, Wyoming
Fort Kent, Maine
Fraser, Colorado
Petersburg, North Dakota
Stanley, Idaho
Didn't expect Maine to show up on the list, though by maximums it wouldn't be as cold.
Same here. Whitehorse is above 2000 ft, and the Maine spot listed is only at 600-ish ft. They are 14 degrees latitude difference, which would be the difference between extreme northern Maine and Phoenix. Imagine if winters in Phoenix or Atlanta were colder than northern Maine!
It is interesting how Whitehorse has a colder record low than Yellowknife, even when it has a January low 10.3C (18.5F) warmer. Any reasons for this?
I could be wrong but I think it's because Whitehorse sits in a valley surrounded by mountains that traps cold air that pools in the valley bottom. When it gets very cold in Whitehorse, the air is quite still.
It is interesting how Whitehorse has a colder record low than Yellowknife, even when it has a January low 10.3C (18.5F) warmer. Any reasons for this?
Whitehorse is subject to Chinook winds so while it can get colder in the Yukon than anywhere else in Canada, the average winter temperatures in the Yukon are tropical compared to the NWT and Nunavut because of Pacific airmasses that blow over the mountains from time to time. Yellowknife gets cold and stays cold all winter long with very few temperature changes.
Yellowknife is also moderated somewhat by one of the world's largest lakes, and gets more wind which keeps the extreme temperatures at bay. Both Yellowknife and Whitehorse set their all time record lows during the same cold snap in January/February 1947. They were brutally cold then, but nothing compared to other places in the Yukon. We're talking just past -60F in the capital cities verses -80F or colder in other spots.
Potential cold does have a lot to do with geography. Places here in BC as far south as 52N have been colder than the all time low in Whitehorse. Whitehorse doesn't get as cold as elsewhere in the Yukon because it's in a flat open area, and up on a bench above the river. The low spots are the places that really get cold, the higher up those low spots, the colder it gets.
Check out this graph of the Alaska highway. Notice that often the places warmest in the summer are coldest in the winter. This is due to being low spots. (Guess which town sites right near the all time record low for North America - Hint: it starts with the word Beaver.)
The low spots are the places that really get cold, the higher up those low spots, the colder it gets.
Cool graph!
It's like that here too. Conversely, low- or medium-elevation mountain tops often record the warmest lows. For example during the heatwave this month: http://i.imgur.com/yYVUO5c.png (picture by Guajara)
many mountain tops in that list. Germany's all-time warmest low was also recorded at a mountain top.
Interesting note: Fort Nelson, BC is the lowest point on the Alaska highway, and the highest point is just past Tetsa River.
The ridges above valleys tend to have warmer nights. That's why the best orchards and vineyards around here are up on hillsides and ridge tops.
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