Ottawa is situated on the south bank of the Ottawa River, and contains the mouths of the Rideau River and Rideau Canal. The older part of the city (including what remains of Bytown) is known as Lower Town, and occupies an area between the canal and the rivers. Across the canal to the west lies Centretown and Downtown Ottawa, which is the city's financial and commercial hub. As of June 29, 2007, the Rideau Canal, which stretches 202 km (126 mi) to Kingston, Fort Henry and four Martello towers in the Kingston area was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Located on a major, yet mostly dormant fault line, Ottawa is occasionally struck by earthquakes. Examples include a magnitude 5.2 earthquake on January 1, 2000, a magnitude 4.5 earthquake on February 24, 2006, a magnitude 5.0 earthquake on June 23, 2010., and a magnitude 5.2 earthquake on May 17, 2013.
Across the Ottawa River, which forms the border between Ontario and Quebec, lies the city of Gatineau, itself the result of amalgamation of the former Quebec cities of Hull and Aylmer together with Gatineau. Although formally and administratively separate cities in two separate provinces, Ottawa and Gatineau (along with a number of nearby municipalities) collectively constitute the National Capital Region, with a combined population exceeding 1.4 million residents, which is considered a single metropolitan area. One federal crown corporation (the National Capital Commission, or NCC) has significant land holdings in both cities, including sites of historical and touristic importance. The NCC, through its responsibility for planning and development of these lands, is an important contributor to both cities. Around the main urban area is an extensive greenbelt, administered by the National Capital Commission for conservation and leisure, and comprising mostly forest, farmland and marshland.
Climate The Rideau Canal looking south from Laurier Avenue Bridge.Ottawa has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) with four distinct seasons. The average July maximum temperature is 26.5 °C (80 °F). The average January minimum temperature is −14.8 °C (5.4 °F).
Summers are warm and humid in Ottawa. Daytime temperatures of 30 °C (86 °F) or higher are commonplace. Ottawa averages many days with humidex (combined temperature & humidity index) between 30 °C (86 °F) and 40 °C (104 °F) annually. Snow and ice are dominant during the winter season. Ottawa receives about 224 centimetres (88 in) of snowfall annually. Days above freezing and nights below −20 °C (−4 °F) both occur in the winter.
Spring and fall are variable, prone to extremes in temperature and unpredictable swings in conditions. Hot days above 30 °C (86 °F) have occurred as early as March (as in 2012) or as late as October, although such events are unusual and brief. Annual precipitation averages around 940 millimetres (37 in). There are about 2,130 hours of average sunshine annually (46% of possible).
Climate data for Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport (1981–2010) Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high Humidex 13.9 12.7 27.2 35.1 41.8 44.0 46.0 47.0 42.5 33.9 26.1 18.4 47.0 Record high °C (°F) 12.9 (55.2) 12.4 (54.3) 26.7 (80.1) 31.1 (88) 35.8 (96.4) 36.1 (97) 36.7 (98.1) 37.8 (100) 35.1 (95.2) 27.8 (82) 23.9 (75) 16.3 (61.3) 37.8 (100) Average high °C (°F) −5.8 (21.6) −3.4 (25.9) 2.5 (36.5) 11.6 (52.9) 19.0 (66.2) 24.1 (75.4) 26.5 (79.7) 25.3 (77.5) 20.4 (68.7) 12.7 (54.9) 5.4 (41.7) −2.3 (27.9) 11.3 (52.3) Daily mean °C (°F) −10.3 (13.5) −8.1 (17.4) −2.3 (27.9) 6.3 (43.3) 13.3 (55.9) 18.5 (65.3) 21.0 (69.8) 19.8 (67.6) 15.0 (59) 8.0 (46.4) 1.5 (34.7) −6.2 (20.8) 6.4 (43.5) Average low °C (°F) −14.8 (5.4) −12.7 (9.1) −7.0 (19.4) 1.0 (33.8) 7.5 (45.5) 12.9 (55.2) 15.5 (59.9) 14.3 (57.7) 9.6 (49.3) 3.3 (37.9) −2.4 (27.7) −10.1 (13.8) 1.4 (34.5) Record low °C (°F) −35.6 (−32.1) −36.1 (−33) −30.6 (−23.1) −16.7 (1.9) −5.6 (21.9) −0.1 (31.8) 5.0 (41) 2.6 (36.7) −3.0 (26.6) −7.8 (18) −21.7 (−7.1) −34.4 (−29.9) −36.1 (−33) Wind chill −47.8 −47.6 −42.7 −26.3 −10.9 0.0 0.0 0.0 −6.4 −13.3 −29.5 −44.6 −47.8 Precipitation mm (inches) 65.4 (2.575) 54.3 (2.138) 64.4 (2.535) 74.5 (2.933) 80.3 (3.161) 92.8 (3.654) 91.9 (3.618) 85.5 (3.366) 90.1 (3.547) 86.1 (3.39) 81.9 (3.224) 76.4 (3.008) 943.4 (37.142) Rainfall mm (inches) 25.0 (0.984) 18.7 (0.736) 31.1 (1.224) 63.0 (2.48) 80.1 (3.154) 92.8 (3.654) 91.9 (3.618) 85.5 (3.366) 90.1 (3.547) 82.2 (3.236) 64.5 (2.539) 33.5 (1.319) 758.2 (29.85) Snowfall cm (inches) 53.9 (21.22) 43.3 (17.05) 38.3 (15.08) 11.3 (4.45) 0.2 (0.08) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 3.7 (1.46) 20.2 (7.95) 52.5 (20.67) 223.5 (87.99) Avg. precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) 16.6 13.1 12.7 12.4 13.4 13.2 11.9 11.0 12.3 14.3 15.2 17.4 163.5 Avg. rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) 4.4 3.9 6.7 10.9 13.4 13.2 11.9 11.0 12.3 13.7 11.0 6.0 118.4 Avg. snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) 16.1 12.1 8.8 3.5 0.2 0 0 0 0 1.1 6.8 14.7 63.3 % humidity 76.5 74.9 73.7 73.5 76.1 81.1 84.4 87.9 89.6 86.1 83.5 81.8 80.8 Mean monthly sunshine hours 122.4 114.1 168.5 187.5 210.5 274.0 301.4 231.9 211.5 148.8 92.4 68.8 2,131.7 Percent possible sunshine 43.1 39.0 45.7 46.3 45.7 58.6 63.7 53.1 56.1 43.7 32.2 25.2 46.0 Source: Environment Canada
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