Plant Conservation

The Niagara River Corridor lies at the junction of five major weather-generating systems, all moving generally from west to east, and all affected by the vagaries of the jet stream, including the:

  • north-western Canadian Arctic producing cold, dry, air masses that sweep down from the north
  • northern Pacific Ocean off the coast of British Columbia generating cool, dry or moist air masses that sweep uninterrupted across the prairies
  • Pacific Ocean off the coast of Mexico generating hot, dry air masses that move up over the dry south-western plains
  • Gulf of Mexico creating warm, wet air masses
  • occasional southern Atlantic Ocean off the American eastern seaboard sending up hot, moist air.

Further to this are the “Great Lakes Effects”.  The Great Lakes comprise a huge body of water (over 20% of the world's fresh water) that influence the climate and weather of the surrounding Great Lakes basin.  As a giant heat sink holding about 4 times more energy than air, the Great Lakes moderate the temperatures of the surrounding land, cooling the summers because it takes water longer to heat up than land, and warming the winters because the waters still have heat to give off.  This produces a milder climate in portions of the basin compared to other locations of similar latitude.  The Niagara River Corridor is part of the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) growing Zone 6a, while in the Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens plants can be grown that are normally part of Zone 7.

The Great Lakes also act as a giant humidifier, increasing the moisture content of the air throughout the year.  In the winter, this moisture condenses as snow when it reaches the land, creating heavy snowfall in some areas.  Buffalo and Fort Erie at the source of the Niagara River experience “lake effect” snows because they are at the land's end first reached by winds that have picked up moisture from Lake Erie.  “Lake effect” snow makes the Great Lakes region of Canada one of the snowiest areas in North America with an average of 8-10 feet of snow annually.

During winter the temperature of the Great Lakes continues to drop even though the sun has started its return north, extending daylength and warming the land.  Ice frequently covers Lake Erie but seldom fully covers the other lakes.  In the spring and early summer warm air blows over the still-chilled water, and creates fog, another “lake effect”.  The Great Lakes are foggiest in late spring and early summer.

The mist from Niagara Falls and the Niagara Whirlpool also affects the microclimate of the immediate area.