WHITEHORSE is in the Cordilleran climate region, the Complex Soils of Mountain Areas soil region, the Cordilleran vegetation region, and the Boreal Cordillera ecozone.
Like most of the Yukon, Whitehorse has a dry subarctic climate. However, because of the city’s location in the Whitehorse valley, the climate is milder than other comparable northern communities such as Yellowknife. At this latitude winter days are short and summer days have 20 hours of daylight.
Whitehorse experiences an annual temperature average with daily highs of 20.5 °C (68.9 °F) in July and average daily lows of −22 °C (−7.6 °F) in January. The record high temperature was 34 °C (93.2 °F) in June 1969 and the lowest was −52 °C (−61.6 °F) in January 1947. Whitehorse has little precipitation with an average annual snowfall of 145 cm (57.09 in) and 163 mm (6.4 in) of rainfall.
According to Meteorological Service of Canada, Whitehorse has the distinction of being Canada’s driest city, mainly because it lies in the rain shadow of the Coast Mountains. Whitehorse was ranked 14th among Canadian cities with the most comfortable climate.
