Geography and Climate
Fredericton is located at the bottom of the Saint John River valley, with most of the city's post-war suburban development occurring on the gently sloping hills on either side of the river (although the downtown core is flat and lies low to the river).
At an altitude of about 17 metres above sea level, Fredericton is nestled in the Pennsylvanian Basin. It contrasts markedly from the older parts of the province. There are prominently two distinct areas in the region that are divided around the area of Wilsey Road, in the east end of the city. In the west side, the bedrock underneath the earth is topographically dominant, whereas the other is controlled by Pleistocene and recent deposits leading to the rivers (resulting in the area being shallow and wide). Fredericton and its surroundings are rich in water resources, which, coupled with highly arable soil, make the Fredericton region ideal for agriculture. The Saint John River and one of its major tributaries, the Nashwaak River, come together in Fredericton. The uninhabited parts of the city are heavily forested.
Fredericton has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb) and has a mild climate compared to most of Canada, although its location away from the coast means it is more prone to extreme temperatures than most other major cities in Atlantic Canada. The average January low temperature is -16 °C; while the average high in July high is 26 °C.
The city gets a fair amount of precipitation, although major paralyzing snow and rain storms such as blizzards and hurricanes are uncommon compared to more coastal cities like Saint John, New Brunswick or Halifax (but do happen on occasion). On average, Fredericton receives approximately 1100 mm of precipitation per year. Snowfall is common between late November and early April, and snow usually stays on the ground beginning in December. Flooding occurs during the spring of most years on area rivers and affects the city's low-lying neighbourhoods.
| Climate data for Fredericton | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Humidex | 16.8 | 17.3 | 21.1 | 33.3 | 38.1 | 43.5 | 44.5 | 43.3 | 39.6 | 32.0 | 25.0 | 19.5 | 44.5 |
| Record high °C (°F) | 14.1 (57.4) |
18.6 (65.5) |
22.2 (72.0) |
30.3 (86.5) |
35.2 (95.4) |
35.3 (95.5) |
36.7 (98.1) |
37.2 (99.0) |
33.9 (93.0) |
27.8 (82.0) |
21.1 (70.0) |
15.9 (60.6) |
37.2 (99.0) |
| Average high °C (°F) | −4 (24.8) |
−2.3 (27.9) |
3.0 (37.4) |
9.7 (49.5) |
17.5 (63.5) |
22.8 (73.0) |
25.6 (78.1) |
24.7 (76.5) |
19.5 (67.1) |
12.8 (55.0) |
5.6 (42.1) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
11.2 (52.2) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −9.8 (14.4) |
−8.2 (17.2) |
−2.4 (27.7) |
4.3 (39.7) |
11.1 (52.0) |
16.2 (61.2) |
19.3 (66.7) |
18.4 (65.1) |
13.1 (55.6) |
7.0 (44.6) |
1.1 (34.0) |
−6.3 (20.7) |
5.3 (41.5) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −15.5 (4.1) |
−14.1 (6.6) |
−7.8 (18.0) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
4.7 (40.5) |
9.6 (49.3) |
13.0 (55.4) |
12.1 (53.8) |
6.7 (44.1) |
1.2 (34.2) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
−11.4 (11.5) |
−0.5 (31.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −35.6 (−32.1) |
−37.2 (−35.0) |
−28.9 (−20.0) |
−15.1 (4.8) |
−6.7 (19.9) |
−0.6 (30.9) |
1.7 (35.1) |
1.3 (34.3) |
−3.9 (25.0) |
−8.9 (16.0) |
−20.2 (−4.4) |
−33.8 (−28.8) |
−37.2 (−35.0) |
| Wind chill | −45.1 | −46.4 | −38 | −26.1 | −12.5 | −4.3 | −0.2 | −1.2 | −6.6 | −13.1 | −26.5 | −42.2 | −46.4 |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 109.6 (4.315) |
79.2 (3.118) |
102.7 (4.043) |
87.4 (3.441) |
95.9 (3.776) |
88.6 (3.488) |
87.1 (3.429) |
89.8 (3.535) |
94.5 (3.72) |
97.7 (3.846) |
103.2 (4.063) |
107.8 (4.244) |
1,143.3 (45.012) |
| Rainfall mm (inches) | 46.2 (1.819) |
32.2 (1.268) |
48.1 (1.894) |
64.1 (2.524) |
94.2 (3.709) |
88.6 (3.488) |
87.1 (3.429) |
89.8 (3.535) |
94.5 (3.72) |
96.0 (3.78) |
85.5 (3.366) |
59.4 (2.339) |
885.5 (34.862) |
| Snowfall cm (inches) | 70.2 (27.64) |
50.6 (19.92) |
54.4 (21.42) |
22.5 (8.86) |
1.5 (0.59) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
1.5 (0.59) |
18.5 (7.28) |
57.3 (22.56) |
276.5 (108.86) |
| % humidity | 74.0 | 72.9 | 76.0 | 79.4 | 83.1 | 85.9 | 87.8 | 89.4 | 90.0 | 86.0 | 83.1 | 78.9 | 82.2 |
| Avg. precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 15.0 | 11.5 | 14.2 | 13.2 | 14.0 | 12.8 | 12.7 | 11.4 | 11.4 | 12.3 | 13.4 | 14.6 | 156.6 |
| Avg. rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 5.9 | 4.3 | 7.9 | 10.6 | 13.9 | 12.8 | 12.7 | 11.4 | 11.4 | 12.1 | 11.1 | 7.1 | 121.1 |
| Avg. snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) | 12.6 | 9.6 | 9.3 | 5.3 | 0.50 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.63 | 4.8 | 10.9 | 53.6 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 119.9 | 132.6 | 145.8 | 158.3 | 204.6 | 217.9 | 238.1 | 227.8 | 170.0 | 141.7 | 101.0 | 98.9 | 1,956.5 |
| Source #1: Environment Canada | |||||||||||||
| Source #2: Environment Canada (sun only). | |||||||||||||
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