1906-7.] Mr CLIMATE OF YUKON TERRITORY. 291 
CLIMATE-OF -YUKON-TERREPORY; 
By R. F. STUPART, ESQ., DIRECTOR OF THE METEOROLOGICAL 
SERVICE OF CANADA. 
[Read 15th December, 1906. 
METEOROLOGICAL observations were begun at Fort Constantine, 
Yukon Territory, in November, 1895 by Staff Sergt. Hayne of the 
Royal North-West Mounted Police. In September, 1897, the instru- 
ments were removed to Dawson and observations were continued 
voluntarily by the police and by the Commissioner of the Yukon until 
1900 when the duty of observing was taken over by the Meteorological 
Service and an unbroken record has since been obtained at Dawson. 
Other records in Yukon in the possession of the Meteorological Office 
are as follows:—Selkirk from November, 1898, to November, 1899 ; 
Tagish Lake from August, 1898, to August, 1900, and White Horse from 
November, 1904, to the present time. In addition to these Yukon 
stations, a station at Atlin, B-C., but twenty-five miles south of the 
boundary, was opened by the Meteorological Service in August, 1905, 
and will be of assistance in determining the climatic conditions of 
southern Yukon. A study of all available data leads to the conclusion 
that while Dawson is further north than White Horse, the climate of the 
former place is much more suitable for agricultural purposes than that 
of the latter, and in general that the northern and eastern portions of 
Yukon have a warmer summer climate than have the more southern 
-portions. This is probably in part owing to the fact that the former 
are at a lower level than the latter and in part to the fact that southern 
districts are much nearer the ocean from which the westerly winds blow, 
while in the north the westerly winds are from the broader land area of 
Alaska, and the country generally is protected by mountains ranging 
from 5,000 to over 10,000 feet. The mean summer temperature at 
Dawson is fully 5° higher than at either White Horse or Atlin, B.C., 
and while frosts seem to be frequent at the latter places in both June 
and August and occur occasionally even in July; in the former both 
June and July are practically free from frost and it is not until about 
August 20th that there is much danger ‘and very frequently 
September opens with as yet no frost. After the close of August the 
downward trend of the Dawson temperature curve is very rapid and the 
