Winnipeg

==Geography==
{{Main|Geography and climate of Winnipeg}}
[[File:2005 Winnipeg Flood.JPG|thumb|upright=1.1|Docks at [[The Forks, Winnipeg|the Forks]]. The city lies at the bottom of the [[Red River Valley]], a flood plain with a flat topography.]]

Winnipeg lies at the bottom of the [[Red River Valley]], a flood plain with an extremely flat topography.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gsc.nrcan.gc.ca/floods/redriver/geomorphology_e.php |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604201210/http://gsc.nrcan.gc.ca/floods/redriver/geomorphology_e.php |archivedate=4 June 2011 |title=Geomorphology of the Red River|publisher=Natural Resources Canada|accessdate=9 May 2012}}</ref> It is on the eastern edge of the [[Canadian Prairies]] in [[Western Canada]] and is known as the "Gateway to the West".<ref name=ce/> Winnipeg is bordered by [[tallgrass prairie]] to the west and south and the [[aspen parkland]] to the northeast, although most of the native prairie grasses have been removed for agriculture and urbanization.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.naturenorth.com/summer/wildlife/wildF.html |title=Manitoba's Tall Grass Prairie Preserve |work=Nature North Zine |accessdate=27 February 2014 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203221253/http://www.naturenorth.com/summer/wildlife/wildF.html |archivedate=3 February 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref> It is relatively close to many large [[Canadian Shield]] lakes and parks, as well as [[Lake Winnipeg]] ([[List of lakes by area|the Earth's 11th largest freshwater lake]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ilec.or.jp/database/nam/nam-08.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070210173421/http://www.ilec.or.jp/database/nam/nam-08.html|archivedate=10 February 2007 |title= Lake Winnipeg |publisher= World Lake Database|accessdate=4 March 2014}}</ref> Winnipeg has North America's largest extant mature urban elm forest.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/special/featured/trees-451332803.html|newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press|title=The City of Winnipeg's most common tree types, mapped|author=Bruce, Graeme|date=17 October 2017}}</ref> The city has an area of {{convert|464.08|km2|abbr=on}}.<ref name=area/>

Winnipeg has four major rivers: the [[Red River of the North|Red]], [[Assiniboine River|Assiniboine]], [[La Salle River|La Salle]] and [[Seine River (Manitoba)|Seine]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iclr.org/images/Charles_-_Full.pdf|author=Boulet, Charles|title=Basement Flood Risk Reduction: City of Winnipeg|publisher=Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction|accessdate=4 March 2014|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402104639/http://www.iclr.org/images/Charles_-_Full.pdf|archivedate=2 April 2015}}</ref> The city was subject to severe flooding in the past. The Red River reached its greatest flood height in [[1826 Red River flood|1826]]. Another large flood in [[1950 Red River flood|1950]] caused millions of dollars in damage and mass evacuations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gsc.nrcan.gc.ca/floods/redriver/historical_e.php|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100719121057/http://gsc.nrcan.gc.ca/floods/redriver/historical_e.php|archivedate=19 July 2010|title=Historical floods and flood disasters|publisher=Natural Resources Canada|accessdate=9 May 2012}}</ref> This flood prompted [[Dufferin Roblin|Duff Roblin]]'s provincial government to build the [[Red River Floodway]] to protect the city.<ref name=ce/> In the [[1997 Red River flood|1997 flood]], flood control dikes were reinforced and raised using sandbags; Winnipeg suffered limited damage compared to the flood's impact on cities without such structures, such as [[Grand Forks, North Dakota]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/archives/categories/environment/extreme-weather/red-river-rising-manitoba-floods/topic---red-river-rising-manitoba-floods.html|accessdate=4 March 2014|publisher=CBC|title=Red River Rising: Manitoba floods|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231020409/http://www.cbc.ca/archives/categories/environment/extreme-weather/red-river-rising-manitoba-floods/topic---red-river-rising-manitoba-floods.html|archivedate=31 December 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> The generally flat terrain and the poor drainage of the Red River Valley's clay-based soil also results in many [[mosquito]]es during wetter years.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fcpp.org/posts/floodway-part-of-war-on-mosquitoes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402193229/https://www.fcpp.org/posts/floodway-part-of-war-on-mosquitoes|archivedate=2 April 2015|title=Floodway: part of war on mosquitoes?|date=25 September 2002|publisher=Frontier Centre for Public Policy}}</ref>

===Climate===
[[File:River River Curling.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Winters are cold with little precipitation in Winnipeg.]]

Winnipeg's location in the Canadian Prairies gives it a warm-summer [[humid continental climate]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=25817&cityname=Winnipeg%2C+Manitoba%2C+Canada&units=|title=Winnipeg, Manitoba Climate Summary|publisher=Weatherbase|accessdate=27 January 2015|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150211205819/http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=25817&cityname=Winnipeg%2C+Manitoba%2C+Canada&units=|archivedate=11 February 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: ''Dfb''),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/11/1633/2007/hess-11-1633-2007.pdf |title=Updated world map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification |publisher=[[University of Melbourne]] |accessdate=8 March 2011 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120203170339/http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/11/1633/2007/hess-11-1633-2007.pdf |archivedate=3 February 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> with warm, humid summers, and long, severely cold winters. Summers have a July mean average of {{convert|19.7|C|}}.<ref name=normals>{{cite web | url=https://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_1981_2010_e.html?searchType=stnName&txtStationName=winnipeg&searchMethod=contains&txtCentralLatMin=0&txtCentralLatSec=0&txtCentralLongMin=0&txtCentralLongSec=0&stnID=3698&dispBack=1 | title= Canadian Climate Normals 1981-2010 Station Data| publisher= Environment Canada | accessdate=2 April 2021}}</ref> Winters are the coldest time of year, with the January mean average around {{convert|-16.4|C}} and total winter precipitation (December through February) averaging {{convert|55.2|mm|abbr=on}}.<ref name=normals/> Temperatures occasionally drop below {{convert|-40|C}}.<ref name=normals/>

On average, there are 317.8 days per year with measurable sunshine, with July seeing the most.<ref name="Canadian Climate Normals 1971-2000">{{cite web|url=http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_e.html?stnID=3698&prov=&lang=e&dCode=1&dispBack=1&StationName=winnipeg_&SearchType=Contains&province=ALL&provBut=&month1=0&month2=12|title=Canadian Climate Normals 1971–2000|publisher=Environment Canada|accessdate=1 October 2012|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203111003/http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_e.html?stnID=3698&prov=&lang=e&dCode=1&dispBack=1&StationName=winnipeg_&SearchType=Contains&province=ALL&provBut=&month1=0&month2=12|archivedate=3 February 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> With 2,353 hours of sunshine per year, Winnipeg is the second-sunniest city in Canada.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.currentresults.com/Weather-Extremes/Canada/sunniest-cities.php |title=Sunniest City in Canada – Current Results<!-- Bot generated title --> |accessdate=19 May 2015 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150510084431/http://www.currentresults.com/Weather-Extremes/Canada/sunniest-cities.php |archivedate=10 May 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> Total annual precipitation (both rain and snow) is just over {{convert|521|mm|abbr=on}}.<ref name=normals/> Thunderstorms are very common during summer and sometimes severe enough to produce tornadoes.<ref name="storms">{{cite web|title=Thunderstorms|url=https://www.gov.mb.ca/severeweather/thunderstorms.html|publisher=Government of Manitoba|accessdate=14 May 2016|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160807202840/http://www.gov.mb.ca/severeweather/thunderstorms.html|archivedate=7 August 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> Low [[wind chill]] values are a common occurrence in the local climate. The wind chill has gone down as low as {{convert|−57.1|C}}, and on average twelve days of the year reach a wind chill below {{convert|−40|C}}.<ref name=normals/>

The highest temperature ever recorded in Winnipeg was during the [[1936 North American heat wave]]. The temperature reached  {{convert|42.2|C}} on 11 July 1936 while the highest minimum temperature, recorded on the following day, 12 July 1936, was {{convert|28.3|C}}.<ref name="July 1936">{{cite web|url=http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_data/daily_data_e.html?hlyRange=%7C&dlyRange=1872-03-01%7C1938-07-31&mlyRange=1872-01-01%7C1938-12-01&StationID=3703&Prov=MB&urlExtension=_e.html&searchType=stnName&optLimit=yearRange&StartYear=1840&EndYear=2016&selRowPerPage=25&Line=3&searchMethod=contains&txtStationName=winnipeg+st&timeframe=2&Year=1936&Month=7#|title=July 1936|publisher=Environment Canada|accessdate=18 April 2016|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160609180440/http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_data/daily_data_e.html?hlyRange=%7C&dlyRange=1872-03-01%7C1938-07-31&mlyRange=1872-01-01%7C1938-12-01&StationID=3703&Prov=MB&urlExtension=_e.html&searchType=stnName&optLimit=yearRange&StartYear=1840&EndYear=2016&selRowPerPage=25&Line=3&searchMethod=contains&txtStationName=winnipeg+st&timeframe=2&Year=1936&Month=7|archivedate=9 June 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[apparent temperature|apparent heat]] can be even more extreme due to bursts of humidity, and on 25 July 2007 a [[humidex]] reading of {{convert|47.3|C}} was measured.<ref name=normals/>

The frost-free season is comparatively long for a location with such severe winters. The last spring frost is on average around 23 May, while the first fall frost is on 22 September.<ref name=normals/>

{{Winnipeg weatherbox}}

===Cityscape===
{{See also|List of Winnipeg neighbourhoods|List of tallest buildings in Winnipeg|Subdivisions of Winnipeg}}
[[File:Downtown Area, Winnipeg - panoramio (1).jpg|thumb|Centred on the intersection of [[Portage and Main]], [[Downtown Winnipeg]] is the city's [[central business district]].]]

There are officially 236 neighbourhoods in Winnipeg.<ref>{{cite web|title=Description of Geographies Used to Produce Census Profiles|url=http://winnipeg.ca/census/includes/Geographies.stm#Neighbourhoods|publisher=City of Winnipeg|accessdate=14 October 2012|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120930222012/http://www.winnipeg.ca/census/includes/Geographies.stm#Neighbourhoods|archivedate=30 September 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Downtown Winnipeg]], the city's financial heart and economic core, is centred on the intersection of [[Portage and Main|Portage Avenue and Main Street]] and covers about {{convert|1|sqmi||abbr=on|order=flip}}. More than 72,000 people work downtown, and over 40,000 students attend classes at its universities and colleges.<ref name="BIZ">{{cite web|url= http://www.downtownwinnipegbiz.com/resource/file/DBIZ_Trends_2010.pdf|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20140111075234/http://www.downtownwinnipegbiz.com/resource/file/DBIZ_Trends_2010.pdf|archivedate= 11 January 2014|title= Trends 2010|date=8 July 2010|publisher= Downtown Winnipeg BIZ}}</ref>

Downtown Winnipeg's [[Exchange District]] is named after the area's original grain exchange, which operated from 1880 to 1913.<ref name="BIZ"/> The 30-block district received [[National Historic Sites of Canada|National Historic Site of Canada]] status in 1997; it includes North America's most extensive collection of early 20th-century [[terracotta]] and cut stone architecture, [[Stephen Juba]] Park, and Old Market Square.<ref name="BIZ"/> Other major downtown areas are [[The Forks, Winnipeg|the Forks]], [[Central Park (Winnipeg)|Central Park]], Broadway-Assiniboine and [[Chinatown, Winnipeg|Chinatown]]. Many of Downtown Winnipeg's major buildings are linked with the [[Winnipeg Walkway]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.winnipeg.ca/ppd/planning/pdf_folder/dwntwnprofile.pdf|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928014925/http://www.winnipeg.ca/ppd/planning/pdf_folder/dwntwnprofile.pdf|archivedate=28 September 2011|title=Downtown Winnipeg Profile|publisher=City of Winnipeg|accessdate=5 March 2014}}</ref>
Residential neighbourhoods surround the downtown in all directions; expansion is greatest to the south and west, although several areas remain underdeveloped.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.inura.org/NMM_Posters_PDF/INURA11_Winnipeg.pdf|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150504164811/http://www.inura.org/NMM_Posters_PDF/INURA11_Winnipeg.pdf|archivedate=4 May 2015|accessdate=4 March 2014|title=Winnipeg, Manitoba|publisher=International Network for Urban Research and Action}}</ref> The city's largest park, [[Assiniboine Park]], houses the [[Assiniboine Park Zoo]] and the [[Leo Mol|Leo Mol Sculpture Garden]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.assiniboinepark.ca/about/park-story.php|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120216034718/http://www.assiniboinepark.ca/about/park-story.php|archivedate=16 February 2012|title=Assiniboine Park's Story|publisher=Assiniboine Park|accessdate=5 March 2014}}</ref> Other large city parks include [[Kildonan Park]] and [[St. Vital Park]]. The city's major commercial areas are [[Polo Park]], Kildonan Crossing, South St. Vital, Garden City (West Kildonan), Pembina Strip, Kenaston Smart Centre, [[Osborne Village]], and the Corydon strip.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tourismwinnipeg.com/things-to-do/shopping|accessdate=4 March 2014|publisher=Tourism Winnipeg|title=Shopping|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020194845/http://www.tourismwinnipeg.com/things-to-do/shopping|archivedate=20 October 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> The main cultural and nightlife areas are the Exchange District, the Forks, Osborne Village and Corydon Village (both in Fort Rouge), Sargent and Ellice Avenues (West End) and Old St. Boniface.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tourismwinnipeg.com/things-to-do/night-life|accessdate=4 March 2014|publisher=Tourism Winnipeg|title=Nightlife|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020194857/http://www.tourismwinnipeg.com/things-to-do/night-life|archivedate=20 October 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Osborne Village]] is Winnipeg's most densely populated neighbourhood<ref>{{cite web|title=Neighbourhoods: The Village Pilgrimage|url=http://www.where.ca/winnipeg/article_feature.cfm?listing_id=14|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807034934/http://www.where.ca/winnipeg/article_feature.cfm?listing_id=14|archivedate=7 August 2011|website=Where|accessdate=23 May 2011}}</ref> and one of the most densely populated neighbourhoods in Western Canada.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://winnipeg.ca/clkdmis/documents/c/2006/a6621/pd%2009%2019%20no.%2015%20att.pdf|title=Osborne Village Neighbourhood Plan|publisher=City of Winnipeg|date=June 2006|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120050455/http://winnipeg.ca/clkdmis/documents/c/2006/a6621/pd%2009%2019%20no.%2015%20att.pdf|archivedate=20 January 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>