Weather - Nova Scotia,
Located at Berkeley Springs
West Virginia
USA
Described on a provincial vehicle license plate as Canada's Ocean Playground, Nova Scotia owes everything to the sea, especially its climate. Robust winters, reluctant springs, fresh summers, and lingering falls; reliable precipitation and lavish snowfalls; misty sunlight, thick fog, and expansive sea ice -- all of these, and many more, are a part of Nova Scotia's maritime climate. The influence of the sea is not surprising. The province is virtually a peninsula surrounded by seas: the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the north, the Bay of Fundy to the west, and the Atlantic Ocean to the south and east.
<table class="bodytext" width="130" border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><img align="left" src="http://www.web-max.ca/weather/trend.php?province=2"></td></tr><tr><td align="center" bgcolor="#F3F3F3">Temperature averages for Nova Scotia</td></tr></table>
Atlantic and Fundy waters are relatively cold (8-12C), and they help to keep the air temperature over southwestern Nova Scotia on the cool side in spring and summer. In January, when their temperature is between 0 and 4C, these same waters moderate the harshness of winter. Farther offshore to the east, southeast, and south are comparatively warm 16C waters of the Gulf Stream. It's warmth, especially from August through October, is credited with prolonging fall -- the season many Nova Scotians consider to be the best of the year.
Nova Scotia's north coast is exposed to Gulf waters which, in late August, have a maximum surface temperature of 18C. The contrast between air and water temperatures is enough to create onshore sea breezes and to hold back the onset of fall for a few weeks. In January, however, Gulf of St. Lawrence and Northumberland Strait waters become ice-covered, effectively cutting off any marine influence for the next three months.
The influence of the sea is felt in other ways. Ice conditions in the Gulf and, on occasion, in the Bay of Fundy retard the arrival of spring. Cool summer seas also help stabilize overriding air masses, thus suppressing local storm development. In addition, the merging of contrasting ocean currents -- warm Gulf Stream and the cold Labrador Current -- produces a great deal of sea fog that often moves far inland.
The effects of latitude and relief on climate are not as important in Nova Scotia as elsewhere. The highest mountains are the Cape Breton Highlands, part of the Appalachian mountain chain, but nowhere are they higher than 530m. Although this is not high enough to block the movement of air masses, it is sufficient to divert them and cause them to move in a direction parallel to the mountains. Locally, the Highlands help to wring additional moisture from passing weather systems and to cool temperatures by 1 or 2C.
The southwest coast around Cape Sable is frost free for over half the year, longer than any other place in Atlantic Canada and comparable to localities along the shores of Lake Erie. Most agricultural areas experience a period without frost for 120 to 130 days between late May and early October, which is the effective growing season for most crops. The Annapolis Valley has up to 140 frost-free days, but the higher highlands on Cape Breton Island have less than 100 days.
Winter temperatures are moderate along the coast. Yarmouth's average January temperature of -2.7C is the highest of any mainland station in the Maritimes. Inland, January means are between -4 and -6C. The most significant aspect of winter is the marked day-to-day variation caused by the alternation of Arctic and maritime air.
Summers are relatively cool in Nova Scotia. Afternoon summer temperatures reach 25C in the interior, but along the coast are frequently 4 to 6C cooler. At night the ocean remains a cooling source, keeping minimum temperatures along the coast about 2 to 3C below those inland. Halifax's July mean of 1 7.4C and Yarmouth's 16.3C compare closely with Vancouver's 17.3C but are somewhat cooler than Toronto's 20.6C.