Ranked: Canada's best (and worst) summer cities

Sunday, July 5, 2015, 1:06 PM - June 1 is the start of what forecasters call meteorological summer, which consists of the months of June, July and August.

So as far as they're concerned, summer has already started, ahead of this year's "official" start date of June 21, the summer solstice and longest day of the year.

As summer-like weather really gets going, you may be wondering how your city stacks up against others across Canada when it comes to how good (or bad) a summer you're supposed to get.

We trawled weatherstats.ca for data to show who has the hottest summer days, who has the most humid, and other indicators for you to decide who to be envious of (if you're not at the top of the list altogether).

Hottest summer: Kamloops, B.C.

The B.C. Interior city of Kamloops has statistically the hottest average afternoon high temperature in the summer, just shy of 27^oC.

The rest of the top 15 is rounded out by other B.C. communities, along with honourable mentions for cities in Ontario, Quebec and the Prairies.

Maritimers, we're afraid you're out of luck, as no East Coast city's average summer temperature exceeds the 25.21^oC of Saint-Hyacinthe, Que.

Coolest summer: Prince Rupert, B.C.

For true summer warmth, it seems Prince Rupert, B.C., has been shortchanged, with an average summer temperature of a little over 15^oC.

Latitude has as much to do with it as the weather, as you can see from the presence of Yellowknife and Whitehorse on the list, but Vancouver and Victoria make a surprise entrance, although with average afternoon highs in the low 20s.

Less surprising are the East Coast entries, including Halifax and no less than three communities in Newfoundland.

Sunniest summer: Yellowknife, N.T.

Yes, we know this is cheating a bit: It's easy to claim the sunniest summer in Canada when your city is on the doorstep of the land of the midnight sun.

The next one down, Medicine Hat, Alta., is probably a bit more fair, but all the cities on the list are at relatively northerly latitudes, and that has an effect on sunlight hours.

Consequently, there isn't a single city in the top 15 east of Manitoba in this category.

Most humid summer: Windsor, Ont.

To the surprise of exactly nobody who actually lives there, Windsor, Ont., tops the list in this category.

Its Great Lakes location, not to mention the fact it's one of the southern-most cities in the country, certainly helps, but Ontario and neighbouring Quebec are super humid in the summer, and it shows.

All of the top-15 entries are in those two provinces, and they include Montreal at number 13 and Toronto at 15.

Driest summer air: Whitehorse, Yukon

We're not sure how much summer heat you can expect in Whitehorse, Yukon, but you can be guaranteed it'll be a dry heat, according to this list.

Aside from an appearance by Yellowknife in the neighbouring Northwest Territories, all the other cities on the list are from western Canada.

Most thunderstorm days: Windsor, Ont

Windsor claims another crown, and that's directly related to its position at the top of most humid summer cities list.

We've ranked these 15 cities according to the most thunderstorm days year-round, not just the summer, but the humidity of the summer months is a key ingredient in sparking thunderstorms, and when severe thunderstorm watches and warnings are issued in Ontario, Windsor is not often left out.

Some thunderstorms can produce tornadoes, and some of the deadliest twisters in Canadian history have been in Windsor.

Ontario dominates this list, with the exception of appearances by Portage la Prairie, Man., and Calgary, Alta.

Fewest thunderstorm days: Nanaimo, B.C.

On the other side of the coin, Nanaimo, B.C. is where you want to be if thunder and lightning isn't your idea of a good afternoon during the summer.

The Vancouver Island community has a little more than two average thunderstorm days per year, and B.C. dominates the list as a whole, at least as far as the island and Lower Mainland are concerned.

Northern cities round out the list, as do three communities in Newfoundland, including St. John's.

SUMMER FORECAST: Join The Weather Network starting at 9 p.m. ET Monday June 1 for the 2015 Summer Weather Forecast on television, at theweathernetwork.com and on our apps.

SOURCES: The Weather Network | WeatherStats.ca