50 TRANSACriONS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. [VOL. V. 



In glancing over the mean temperatures of the various winter months 

 — December, January and February — at Calgary and Edmonton, the first 

 thing that must strike one is the very large difference between the 

 highest and lowest means of corresponding months in different years ; 

 for example, in 1891 the January average at Edmonton was 20.9°, and 

 Calgary 27.0°, which former temperature is approximately equal to the 

 Toronto normal, and the latter several degrees above, while in 1890 

 Edmonton shewed a monthly average of 6.8° below zero, and Calgary 

 3.5" below, both of which are not far from the mean at Moose Factory on 

 James's Bay. At Edmonton, January 1886 was even colder than 1890, 

 shewing an average of 13.7" below zero. A normal deduced from the 

 eleven years' observations at Edmonton gives 2.7°, and the nine years' 

 observations at Calgary give 9.4° for that station. 



February means shew the same tendency to extremes. »In 1889 the 

 February mean temperature was 21.9° at Edmonton and 20.3° at Calgary, 

 while in 1887 it was 10.4° below zero at the former station, and 4.0° below 

 at the latter. The February normal at Edmonton is 5.4°, and at Calgary 

 12.0°. The December means do not shew quite so wide a range, but 

 December 1890 shews a mean of 22.6° at Edmonton, and 25.4° at Cal- 

 gary, while in 1884 it was 1.0° at Edmonton, and 3.5° at Calgary. 



' While at both stations the winter months are in some years exces- 

 sively cold, scarcely a month goes by without one or perhaps several 

 breaks when the temperature exceeds 40°, and at times in some months 

 is upwards of 50'^. The highest temperature registered at Calgary 

 in January was 58° on the 23rd, 1892, and at Edmonton 52° on the 

 22 nd, 1892. 



At Edmonton, on the average out of the 59 days in January and 

 February the temperature exceeds 32" on 17 days, and at Calgary on 23 

 days. On the other hand, at neither station has there been a January in 

 which the temperature has not fallen to 20° below zero, and 57° below 

 has been recorded at Edmonton and 48° below at Calgary. 



March shews a very marked improvement in the temperature, the 

 normal for Calgary being 26.8°, with an average maximum of 39.2°, and 

 at Edmonton 23.7", with an average maximum of 35.3°. The lowest 

 March temperature recorded at Calgary was 28.7° below on the 2nd, 

 1888, and at Edmonton 39.5° below on 3rd in the same year. 



April shews a normal of 39.3° at Calgary, with an average maximum of 

 52.5'', and Edmonton shews the same temperature with an average 

 maximum of 51.5". Scarcely a year goes by without temperatures ex- 

 ceeding 70° being recorded. 



