Quebec City, the capital of the province of Quebec, sits on the St Lawrence River in eastern Canada, inland from the Gulf of St Lawrence, at approximately 46.81°N, 71.21°W. Its northerly, continental position gives it a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) with warm summers and long, cold, very snowy winters — among the snowiest of any major city in the world — and a large seasonal temperature range.

Summer, from June to August, is warm and pleasant, with July the warmest month — average highs around 25°C and mild nights — and occasional humid spells that push temperatures into the low 30s. It is the wetter season for rainfall, with afternoon thunderstorms, but also the sunniest and greenest time of year, with long daylight hours after the long winter finally releases its grip.

Winter, from December to March, is long, cold and extremely snowy, with January the coldest month — average highs around -8°C and lows near -18°C, and cold snaps that can plunge below -25°C, sharpened by the wind. Snow blankets the city for months and accumulates heavily, and the deep, reliable snowpack is the backdrop to the city's famous Winter Carnival.

Quebec City receives on the order of 1,150–1,250 mm of precipitation a year, spread fairly evenly through the year, but its most striking feature is snowfall: it receives around three metres of snow in an average winter, among the highest totals of any large city, blanketing the ground from December through March. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.

Quebec City's defining feature is its winter: prodigious snowfall of around three metres a year and months of sub-freezing cold make it one of the snowiest major cities on earth, a character celebrated in its renowned Winter Carnival and ice-based attractions. The transitions between the long cold winter and the warm summer are rapid, so spring and autumn are short and changeable.

To follow any single measurement in Quebec City more closely, use our live instruments: the online barometer for atmospheric pressure, the thermometer for temperature, the hygrometer for humidity, the anemometer for wind speed, the wind vane for wind direction, and the rain gauge for rainfall.