[b112]

I live in the Ottawa region, and it was indeed -40C for a week where I live. My Jetta screaming "warning extreme cold!" at start, and the kitchen window thermometer I have doubly validate that.

I'm also 20 minutes to downtown, outside of rush hour, so I stand by the ease of saying "Ottawa".

No you don't get my address, but temperatures in cities and at airports are warmer than rural areas in winter. Where I live, I'm also higher up by several hundred feet, and it all matters. I don't blame you for checking, but the city of Ottawa encompasses a lot of rural land.

It can rain torrents in part of southern Ottawa, but Ottawa weather stations could remain dry.

My point about snow and leaves, is that if there is snow cover, they're completely happy, insulated, nestled in the leaves.

I don't doubt you read an article, and from a reputable source, I just don't buy their assertions. Lack of snow cover would be a bigger predictor than overall temp.

[cmrdporcupine]

Dude, weather stations record actual temperatures both in and outside the city. Environment Canada peppers the whole province with them. There's nowhere in southern or eastern Ontario that gets as cold as -40C. It simply doesn't happen. -35C is the lower bound and that is extreme.

I know this because I farm and grow grapes and have meticulously poured over weather charts for the whole province. (Survival cut off for hybrid and wild grapes is really around -32C or so. Vinifera... maybe -20C)

[b112]

And yet, it was colder than -40C.

I think you believe temperatures are far more homogeneous than they are. On my way home, 500M of road over a hill makes 35C turn into 31C.

And no, weather stations aren't everywhere. I think the nearest one is 20km away.