Eli5 || Why is Alberta/Saskatchewan usually colder than Anchorage, Alaska in the winters even though Alaska is nearer the arctic circle?

Question

Eli5 || Why is Alberta/Saskatchewan usually colder than Anchorage, Alaska in the winters even though Alaska is nearer the arctic circle?

In: 0

Answer 1

Anchorage, which is only a half hour from Alaska, has a maritime climate. The prairie provinces have a continental climate because the air, which tends to blow from west to east, gets really cold blowing over 100s of miles of cold ground. Seattle is north of all but a tiny bit of Minnesota but is much warmer because of this. Nothern Europe is warmed by the Gulf Stream and other currents.