Talking About the Weather Is Totally Not Boring.

“Talking about the weather” is often a euphemism for being a boring conversationalist, interested only in the most mundane subjects. But Canadian weather is in fact anything but mundane. And here, we love to talk about it! And read about it, think about it, plan for it ...

A Weather Network report confirms just how interested in the weather we really are. For instance, it cites an Environics study showing that 71% of Canadians check the weather at least once per day, and an Ipsos report that says 37% of Canadian adults in fact check the weather not once but several times per day. In fact, according to Environment Canada’s Dave Phillips, the Environment Canada site is the most popular government website in the country!

And if you think, well, okay, but maybe that level of interest in the day’s forecast is normal everywhere—think again! According to a report from Influence Communication that established averages for 160 countries, weather took up 229% more place in Canadian media than elsewhere on the planet. Whaaaat!

Checking the weather is just the first step in planning for weather

We plan for the weather exceptionally well here in Canada, too, especially in winter. Most of us are familiar with the annual switch from regular tires to winter tires, enforced in some provinces and encouraged in others with recommendations and mandatory auto insurance discounts. We keep jumper cables in our cars to give the neighbours a boost, shovels in our entryways to dig ourselves out of the house, and buckets of salt on hand to reduce the slippery factor on walkways, driveways and sidewalks. And we prepare for storms and freezing winter weather by stocking up on blankets, flashlights, fresh water and more.

Planning isn’t all about disaster supplies, though. It’s also the fun stuff. For instance, in 2014, as a series of big storms was about to hit Nova Scotia, CBC Radio host Stephanie Domet casually mentioned her habit of stocking up on potato chips to last her through the storm. Turns out, everyone else was doing the same thing, so the #stormchips hashtag was born. A New Brunswick chip company then created a four-flavour blended bag of potato chips called Storm Chips (“Croustilles Tempête” in French) to celebrate the trend. Haven’t tried them yet? It’s barbecue, salt and vinegar, dill pickle, and ketchup, just to keep things nice and Canadian. They’re super tasty.

Speaking of East Coast storm preparedness, we’d like to give a shout-out to our friends in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, who have been digging their way out of a truly gigantic winter snow dump for weeks now. It was so bad that Canada Post couldn’t even deliver the mail, and those mail carriers are troopers when it comes to weather! We know it’s been a rough ride, and we hope you’ve managed to get out of your driveways by this point.

Of course, at Lynx we’re big fans of winter weather preparation. After all, that’s what our coats are all about: keeping you warm and safe while the winter rages. But mostly we just understand how deeply weather affects all of us, and in some ways can bring us together and help us build friendships, fun traditions and community spirit.

So, let’s keep talking about the weather. Rage on, #RealWinter... we’re ready for you!