Canadian Climate Comparison: What are the sunniest cities in Canada?

After comparing temperature and precipitation in the 41 largest urban areas in Canada (those with at least 100,000 population), we'll now look at sunshine.

The chart below ranks the average annual hours of sunshine in the 41 largest cities in Canada, from highest to lowest.  The 7 sunniest cities are all located in the southern Prairies, but with 2,198 annual hours, Victoria comes in a very respectable 8th place out of the 41 cities.  Put another way, Victoria gets more sunshine than 82% of Canada's urban population.

Victoria is by far the sunniest of the British Columbia cities included in the ranking: Kamloops, the next sunniest B.C. city, ranks 16th out of 41, while Kelowna in the "sunny Okanagan" ranks 28th.  The other coastal B.C. cities are all near the bottom of the ranking, taking up the 37th through 40th spots.  Only St. John's Newfoundland ranks lower in terms of annual sunshine.  The difference between Victoria and the other coastal B.C. cities is striking, and again points to the importance of the Olympic Mountain rainshadow in impacting Victoria's climate.

Average Annual Sunshine Hours for Urban Areas in Canada

As with precipitation, seasonal variations are also important in comparing Canadian cities.  The chart below ranks summer (June to August) sunshine hours in Canadian cities.  Victoria moves up to rank as the third sunniest summer, after Lethbridge and Regina.  Victoria has sunnier summers than 97% of Canada's urban population.  Though well behind Victoria, the other coastal B.C. cities fare better on summer sunshine than they do on annual sunshine, with Nanaimo in 24th and Vancouver in 29th.  Cities in Atlantic Canada hold the bottom 4 spots.

Average Summer Sunshine Hours for Urban Areas in Canada

In addition to having the 3rd sunniest summers among Canadian cities, Victoria ranks as the 8th sunniest for both springs and falls.  Winter, however, is quite different.  The chart below ranks winter (December to February) sunshine hours for Canadian cities.  The top 10 sunniest winter cities include a mix of cities in the Prairies, as well as New Brunswick and Quebec.  Victoria ranks a lowly 33rd, although that is still better than any of the other B.C. cities, which fill the bottom 6 spots.  It might surprise some that Kelowna - in the "sunny Okanagan" - has the cloudiest winters among Canadian cities, but B.C.'s Interior valleys are very prone to low cloud and fog in the winter.   

Average Winter Sunshine Hours for Urban Areas in Canada