Saskatoon is in the aspen parkland biome and experiences warm summers and very cold winters (plant hardiness zone 2B). Its climatic zone is humid continental (Köppen climate classification Dfb).
The city has four distinct seasons. The average high on July 31st is 25.8C (78.4F) and the average low is 11.7C (53.1F). On January 11th the average high is -11.6C (11.1F) and the average low is -22.1C (-7.8F). Saskatoon is fairly dry, with the summer being the wettest season. A positive aspect of the low precipitation is that Saskatoon is sunnier than average in Canada as a result, averaging 2,380.8 hours of bright sunshine annually. The extreme temperatures are also more tolerable on account of the typically low humidity. Thunderstorms are common in the summer months and can be severe with torrential rain, hail, high winds, intense lightning and, on rare occasion, tornados. The frost-free growing season generally lasts from mid-May to mid-September, but due to Saskatoon's northerly location, damaging frosts have occurred as late as June 14 and again as early as August.
The lowest temperature ever recorded in Saskatoon was −50°C (-58°F) in 1893. The lowest wind chill ever recorded was −62°C (-80°F). The highest temperature ever recorded in Saskatoon was 40.6°C (105.1°F) on 5 June 1988.
The "Blizzard of 2007" was described by many residents as the worst they had seen and paralyzed the city with its low visibility, extreme cold and large volume of snow. Winds rose to over 90 kilometres per hour and an estimated 25 centimetres (9.8 inches) of snow fell throughout the day. Many area residents took refuge overnight at area work places, shopping centres, hospitals and the university
