Montreal lies at the confluence of several climatic regions and enjoys four distinct seasons. Usually, its climate is classified as humid continental or hemi boreal (Köppen climate classification Dfb).
Montreal's summers are humid, and range from warm to hot, with a daily average of 21 to 22 °C (70 to 72 °F) in July; temperatures in excess of 30 °C (86 °F) are not uncommon. Conversely, cold fronts can bring crisp, windy weather in the early and later parts of summer.
Winter in Montreal begins in mid-November and usually brings cold, snowy, windy, and, at times, icy weather, with a daily average of around −10 °C (14 °F) in January. However, some winter days rise above freezing, allowing for rain on an average of 4 days in January and February each. Usually, snow cover lasts from the first or second week of December until the last week of March. On average, there are 8.2 nights below −20 °C (−4 °F), and temperatures as cold as −30 °C (−22 °F) do not occur every year, but the wind chill can reach the latter mark with little difficulty.
Spring and fall are pleasantly mild but are prone to drastic temperature changes but spring even more than fall. April tends to be mild and sunny whereas May is rather warm and also quite wet. Late season heat waves as well as "Indian summers" are possible as well as snow storms in November and March.
The lowest temperature ever recorded was −37.8 °C (−36 °F) on January 15, 1957, and the highest temperature was 37.6 °C (100 °F) on August 1, 1975.
Annual precipitation is around 980 mm (39 in), including an average 218 cm (86 in) of snowfall, which occurs from November through March. Thunderstorms are common beginning in the late spring through summer to the early fall period; additionally, tropical storms or their remnants can cause heavy rains. Montreal averages 2,029 hours of sunshine annually, with summer being the sunniest season, though slightly
