Quebec Climate Patterns

Southern Quebec, including Montreal and Quebec City, has a humid continental climate with four clearly defined seasons -- cold, snowy winters and warm, humid summers.

Quebec City is one of the snowiest major cities in North America, regularly receiving more than 3 meters (about 10 feet) of snow over a winter season, with average January temperatures well below freezing.

Moving north into the Canadian Shield, the climate shifts toward subarctic and eventually arctic conditions, with a much shorter growing season and permafrost present in the province's far north.

Fall foliage is driven by the province's abundant sugar maples and typically peaks in late September in the north and the Laurentians, moving to early-to-mid October around Montreal and Quebec City.