Geography
The James Bay region, also known as Jamésie, is a 350,000 km2 (135,136 sq mi) territory, bordered by the 49th and 55th parallels, James Bay on the western side and by the drainage divide with the Saint Lawrence River basin on the eastern side. The topography of the area consist of generally low relief areas and includes three parts: a 150 km (93 mi) coastal plain, a rolling plateau with a maximum elevation of 400 m (1,300 ft) and the Otish Mountains to the east of the territory, with peaks reaching 900 to 1,100 m (3,000 to 3,600 ft).
The area is part of the Canadian Shield and is largely made up of Precambrian igneous and metamorphic rocks. Relief has been eroded by successive glaciations in the Pleistocene era, as recently as 6,000 years ago, leaving depositions of loose materials: moraines, clay, silt and sand and reshaped the hydrography of the territory.
The natural seismicity of the area is low. An earthquake of magnitude 5 on the Richter scale occurred in 1941, its epicenter located approximately 150 km from the La Grande-3 generating station. However, episodes of induced seismicity occurred during the initial fill of reservoirs. In 1983, a 4 magnitude tremor was recorded 50 km (31 mi) upstream of LG-3's main dam.
The region's climate is subarctic. Winters are long and last, on average, from October 22 to May 4. Summers are short and mild, with temperatures averaging 13.6 °C (56.5 °F) in July, while dropping to −22.9 °C (−9.2 °F) in January. Annual precipitation average 765 mm (30.1 in), a third in snow. Highest monthly rainfalls are registered in the summer and snow depth varies from 50 to 100 cm (20-40 in) in the winter. Precipitations are significantly lower than the annual average of 1,050 mm (41 in) recorded in Montreal.
| Climate data for La Grande Riviere Airport | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 1.4 (34.5) |
5.0 (41.0) |
11.3 (52.3) |
22.3 (72.1) |
32.6 (90.7) |
35.0 (95.0) |
32.3 (90.1) |
31.2 (88.2) |
26.8 (80.2) |
23.5 (74.3) |
12.3 (54.1) |
12.5 (54.5) |
35.0 (95.0) |
| Average high °C (°F) | −18.3 (−0.9) |
−15.8 (3.6) |
−8.2 (17.2) |
0.7 (33.3) |
10.3 (50.5) |
17.1 (62.8) |
20.0 (68.0) |
18.4 (65.1) |
11.6 (52.9) |
4.4 (39.9) |
−3.3 (26.1) |
−13 (8.6) |
2.0 (35.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −23.2 (−9.8) |
−21.6 (−6.9) |
−14.6 (5.7) |
−4.9 (23.2) |
4.3 (39.7) |
10.5 (50.9) |
13.7 (56.7) |
12.9 (55.2) |
7.4 (45.3) |
1.2 (34.2) |
−6.3 (20.7) |
−17.1 (1.2) |
−3.1 (26.4) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −28 (−18.4) |
−27.4 (−17.3) |
−20.9 (−5.6) |
−10.5 (13.1) |
−1.6 (29.1) |
3.9 (39.0) |
7.4 (45.3) |
7.4 (45.3) |
3.1 (37.6) |
−2 (28.4) |
−9.4 (15.1) |
−21.2 (−6.2) |
−8.3 (17.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −40.9 (−41.6) |
−44.6 (−48.3) |
−38.5 (−37.3) |
−31.4 (−24.5) |
−13.5 (7.7) |
−6.6 (20.1) |
−0.9 (30.4) |
−0.5 (31.1) |
−7 (19.4) |
−16.7 (1.9) |
−29.2 (−20.6) |
−40.3 (−40.5) |
−44.6 (−48.3) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 31.8 (1.252) |
21.8 (0.858) |
29.3 (1.154) |
31.5 (1.24) |
40.3 (1.587) |
64.8 (2.551) |
79.5 (3.13) |
85.2 (3.354) |
106.9 (4.209) |
86.5 (3.406) |
66.3 (2.61) |
40.1 (1.579) |
683.9 (26.925) |
| Rainfall mm (inches) | 0.1 (0.004) |
1.2 (0.047) |
3.0 (0.118) |
11.5 (0.453) |
30.2 (1.189) |
62.3 (2.453) |
79.5 (3.13) |
85.1 (3.35) |
100.8 (3.969) |
52.5 (2.067) |
10.2 (0.402) |
1.2 (0.047) |
437.4 (17.22) |
| Snowfall cm (inches) | 34.2 (13.46) |
23.3 (9.17) |
29.5 (11.61) |
20.9 (8.23) |
11.1 (4.37) |
2.5 (0.98) |
0 (0) |
0.1 (0.04) |
6.4 (2.52) |
35.5 (13.98) |
60.8 (23.94) |
42.5 (16.73) |
266.7 (105) |
| Avg. precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 15.8 | 12.3 | 11.5 | 10.3 | 11.9 | 12.4 | 14.5 | 16.5 | 19.4 | 20.9 | 21.7 | 18.8 | 186 |
| Avg. rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 0.35 | 0.52 | 1.1 | 3.8 | 8.2 | 11.6 | 14.3 | 16.6 | 18.4 | 12.0 | 3.9 | 0.76 | 91.53 |
| Avg. snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) | 15.9 | 12.2 | 11.1 | 8.2 | 5.1 | 1.6 | 0 | 0.05 | 2.5 | 13.1 | 20.1 | 18.7 | 108.55 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 73 | 112 | 165 | 201 | 224 | 249 | 245 | 193 | 107 | 66 | 37 | 37 | 1,709 |
| Source #1: Environment Canada | |||||||||||||
| Source #2: The Weather Network (sunshine data only) | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for La Grande IV | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | −18.1 (−0.6) |
−17.5 (0.5) |
−8 (17.6) |
1.3 (34.3) |
9.8 (49.6) |
17.0 (62.6) |
20.0 (68.0) |
18.2 (64.8) |
11.0 (51.8) |
3.7 (38.7) |
−4.3 (24.3) |
−13.2 (8.2) |
1.66 (34.98) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −24.6 (−12.3) |
−24.4 (−11.9) |
−15.7 (3.7) |
−5.1 (22.8) |
3.5 (38.3) |
10.2 (50.4) |
13.6 (56.5) |
12.4 (54.3) |
6.8 (44.2) |
0.5 (32.9) |
−8.3 (17.1) |
−18.9 (−2.0) |
−4.17 (24.50) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −31.1 (−24.0) |
−31.3 (−24.3) |
−23.4 (−10.1) |
−11.5 (11.3) |
−2.7 (27.1) |
3.3 (37.9) |
7.1 (44.8) |
6.5 (43.7) |
2.5 (36.5) |
−2.8 (27.0) |
−12.4 (9.7) |
−24.6 (−12.3) |
−10.03 (13.94) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 30 (1.18) |
26 (1.02) |
28 (1.1) |
38 (1.5) |
55 (2.17) |
80 (3.15) |
98 (3.86) |
101 (3.98) |
133 (5.24) |
88 (3.46) |
61 (2.4) |
44 (1.73) |
782 (30.79) |
| Rainfall mm (inches) | 0 (0) |
0 (0) |
2 (0.08) |
16 (0.63) |
45 (1.77) |
79 (3.11) |
98 (3.86) |
101 (3.98) |
123 (4.84) |
43 (1.69) |
10 (0.39) |
1 (0.04) |
518 (20.39) |
| Snowfall cm (inches) | 35 (13.8) |
28 (11) |
29 (11.4) |
23 (9.1) |
10 (3.9) |
1 (0.4) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
9 (3.5) |
46 (18.1) |
58 (22.8) |
53 (20.9) |
292 (115) |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 84 | 128 | 167 | 184 | 208 | 221 | 209 | 183 | 89 | 54 | 41 | 54 | 1,622 |
| Source: The Weather Network. | |||||||||||||
Read more about this topic: James Bay Project
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