It's cold to very cold from Nov 1 to April-ish with occasional Chinook breaks. If you can live somewhere else for those five months, they are the worst for sure.

The chinooks are amazing. It means 'snow eater' in the Blackfoot language and it is true. The wind comes in and the snow disappears.

They typically come with a 'chinook arch' here in Calgary where there is a band of clouds to the south that demarcate the different weather systems.

Its truly something to behold

It is definitely one of the things that have made winters (barely!) bearable for me. If we had Winnipeg-style winters I would have left in my 20s. :)

Gosh. Did Winterpeg for a year. That was an experience for sure. So long Windypeg.

The weather has been rather weird lately. The summer was very hot and smokey. Who knows what winter will be like.

I grew up in Northern BC so I don't mind the winter. It gets cold for a few weeks but is otherwise bearable.

You get an actual spring here which is nice. Lots of new growth and green things. It is an actual dramatic change which Vancouver doesn't have.

Despite the snow I would never want to be in Vancouver again in winter. The clouds are over your head all the time. It feels oppressive. Winter here has lots of light and sky. And you never get that brown leaf mush stuck on your shoes like you do in Vancouver.