When thinking about the environment of Montreal, you need to consider both the weather patterns and the fact that it's an island! This city has four seasons, with extreme temperatures during the summer and the winter.
Montreal experiences a little bit of everything in terms of seasons. A common misconception about Canada is that it's always cold and snowy. But that's not true! While we do get long, cold winters here in Montreal, we are also experiencing hotter and hotter summers as a result of climate change. Last summer we had several heat waves, during which the city got so hot that it became dangerous. In fact, there were 66 deaths in the city attributed to the heat, much like in parts of Europe and around the world.
The fact that Montreal is on an island is actually why the city was founded, because it provided such a strategic location for the settlers. Sitting in the middle of a major waterway meant plenty of water for irrigation and farming, as well as easy access to trade and transport of goods between Montreal and other parts of the world. These benefits continue to help the community today.
