, although with some Mediterranean characteristics, with cold winters and hot, fairly dry summers.
Lytton is a village of 230 inhabitants located in southwestern Canada, in British Columbia, in the valley of the
, at the point where it receives the waters of the Thompson River, at 200 meters (820 feet) above sea level and at 50 degrees north latitude.
, a subdivision of the Coast Range, which host glaciers above 2,000 meters (6,500 ft).
in Lytton is not abundant, since it amounts to 430 millimeters (17 inches) per year. The rainiest period is from November to January.
The mountains to the west partly block the moist currents from the Pacific Ocean, so the winter is not as rainy as in Vancouver and the west coast. In addition, the Pacific anticyclone often brings good weather in the summer. This type of climate, continental with dry summers, is not very common in the world, and in addition to this area of North America, between the northern part of the Great Basin (United States) and the area to the east of the coastal mountains, it is found in the highlands of Turkey, Iran and Central Asia.
fall per year. It can usually snow from November to March.
(although less intense and long-lasting than in the Great Prairies, which are further east), during which the temperature can drop to -15 °C (5 °F) or below. The coldest record is -31.7 °C (-25.1 °F), set in January 1950. In late November 1985, during one of the intense early cold spells that can occur in western North America, the temperature dropped to -27.7 °C (-17.9 °F). In recent decades, the record is -25.6 °C (-14.1 °F), set in late December 2021.
coming from the Great Basin, the arid plateau of western United States. Along with the Okanagan Valley, located further south-east, on the border with the United States, the Fraser River Valley is particularly sensitive to these hot periods.
In fact, in Lytton there are an average of 13 days a year with a temperature above 35 °C (95 °F), furthermore, the temperature reaches or exceeds 40 °C (104 °F) almost every year.
is even 49.6 °C (121.3 °F), set during the exceptional heat wave that hit large areas of North America between late June and early July 2021. This is the highest temperature ever recorded in Canada, the highest in the world north of the 50th parallel, and even higher than the records of Europe and South America.
On that occasion, the temperature exceeded 40 °C (104 °F) for six consecutive days, in addition, the heat and wind favored the spread of a fire that destroyed 90% of Lytton.
. Here are the average temperatures.
January, the coldest month of the year, is generally a very cold month. The average temperature is of
-1.1 °C, with a minimum of
-4.1 °C and a maximum of
1.9 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-15 °C. However, it dropped to
-22.9 °C in January 1998.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
11.5 °C. However, it reached
16.5 °C in January 2011.
Precipitation amounts to
58.7 mm, distributed over 9 days.
The day lasts on average 8 hours and 35 minutes.
There are on average 2 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 21% of the time.
The average humidity is 79%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
12.3 kph.
February is generally a cold month. The average temperature is of
2 °C, with a minimum of
-2.1 °C and a maximum of
6 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-9.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-18.3 °C in February 1996.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
12 °C. However, it reached
16.3 °C in February 2005.
Precipitation amounts to
43.2 mm, distributed over 6 days.
The day lasts on average 10 hours and 5 minutes.
There are on average 3 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 29% of the time.
The average humidity is 71%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
12.4 kph.
March is generally a quite cold month. The average temperature is of
5.8 °C, with a minimum of
0.8 °C and a maximum of
10.8 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-7.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-15.1 °C in March 1996.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
19 °C. However, it reached
24.7 °C in March 2013.
Precipitation amounts to
31.2 mm, distributed over 7 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 0 minutes.
There are on average 4.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 38% of the time.
The average humidity is 63%.
The average wind speed is of
17.6 kph.
April is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
10.4 °C, with a minimum of
4.3 °C and a maximum of
16.5 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-2 °C. However, it dropped to
-6.4 °C in April 2020.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
25.5 °C. However, it reached
31.3 °C in April 2005.
Precipitation amounts to
20.8 mm, distributed over 4 days.
The day lasts on average 13 hours and 55 minutes.
There are on average 6 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 45% of the time.
The average humidity is 54%.
The average wind speed is of
20.3 kph.
May is generally a very mild month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of
15.4 °C, with a minimum of
8.9 °C and a maximum of
22 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
2.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-0.2 °C in May 1992.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
32 °C. However, it reached
38.4 °C in May 2005.
Precipitation amounts to
20.6 mm, distributed over 5 days.
The day lasts on average 15 hours and 30 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 7 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 47% of the time.
The average humidity is 50%.
The average wind speed is of
20.8 kph.
June is generally a warm month. The average temperature is of
18.6 °C, with a minimum of
12.5 °C and a maximum of
24.8 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
7 °C. However, it dropped to
4.2 °C in June 1991.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
34.5 °C. However, it reached
40.2 °C in June 2015.
Precipitation amounts to
17.8 mm, distributed over 5 days.
The day lasts on average 16 hours and 25 minutes. So the days are long. June 21, the summer solstice, is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
There are on average 8 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 50% of the time.
The average humidity is 50%.
The average wind speed is of
23.7 kph.
July, the warmest month of the year, is generally a warm to hot month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of
22.6 °C, with a minimum of
15.6 °C and a maximum of
29.5 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
10 °C. However, it dropped to
7.9 °C in July 1999.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
38 °C. However, it reached
42 °C in July 2006.
Precipitation amounts to
18.7 mm, distributed over 4 days.
The day lasts on average 15 hours and 55 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 8.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 54% of the time.
The average humidity is 46%.
The average wind speed is of
22.5 kph.
August is generally a warm month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of
22.4 °C, with a minimum of
15.2 °C and a maximum of
29.5 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
10 °C. However, it dropped to
6.2 °C in August 2000.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
38 °C. However, it reached
41.8 °C in August 2004.
Precipitation amounts to
25.4 mm, distributed over 3 days.
The day lasts on average 14 hours and 25 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 8 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 55% of the time.
The average humidity is 47%.
The average wind speed is of
20.1 kph.
September is generally a very mild month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of
17.4 °C, with a minimum of
10.8 °C and a maximum of
23.9 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
4.5 °C. However, it dropped to
1.4 °C in September 1992.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
33 °C. However, it reached
38 °C in September 2017.
Precipitation amounts to
29 mm, distributed over 4 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 30 minutes.
There are on average 6 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 49% of the time.
The average humidity is 56%.
The average wind speed is of
16.4 kph.
October is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
10.1 °C, with a minimum of
5.5 °C and a maximum of
14.7 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-1.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-6.5 °C in October 1991.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
23 °C. However, it reached
27.3 °C in October 1993.
Precipitation amounts to
41.2 mm, distributed over 6 days.
The day lasts on average 10 hours and 35 minutes.
There are on average 4 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 37% of the time.
The average humidity is 70%.
The average wind speed is of
15.5 kph.
November is generally a cold month. The average temperature is of
3.6 °C, with a minimum of
0.6 °C and a maximum of
6.7 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-8.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-20.1 °C in November 2006.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
14 °C. However, it reached
17 °C in November 2007.
Precipitation amounts to
60.3 mm, distributed over 10 days.
The day lasts on average 9 hours and 0 minutes.
There are on average 2 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 21% of the time.
The average humidity is 79%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
13.6 kph.
December is generally a very cold month. The average temperature is of
-0.9 °C, with a minimum of
-3.6 °C and a maximum of
1.8 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-12.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-23.5 °C in December 2008.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
10.5 °C. However, it reached
15.1 °C in December 2013.
Precipitation amounts to
63.9 mm, distributed over 9 days.
The day lasts on average 8 hours and 5 minutes. December 21, the winter solstice, is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
There are on average 1.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 19% of the time.
The average humidity is 78%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
11.8 kph.