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Randy: Another interesting thing about Nova Scotia weather is weather patterns across the continent, particularly in winter, however I realize this will not likely affect your friend. Winter storms patterns generally start off in the Canadian west, dip into the US and then swing back north into Canada. If that first swing dips to or south of the Mason Dixon line, usually it will come up the Atlantic coast, pick up a bit on Gulf stream out of Gulf of Mexico and end up in Nova Scotia as rain or near rain. Now if it comes roaring across the northern US, hitting southern ON then across NY state, then north, Nova Scotia will get dumped on big time. Of course you have variations of everything in between. Just to give you an example, I remember once in the 1960s having a warm stantion barn full of dairy cattle, in Jan. At 7 am the temp was -30F, during the next 12 hours one of these winter storm came up the coast picking up on gulf stream, coming into NS as rain. By 7 pm the temp was +50 F, an 80 degree swing in 12 hours. I've never seen such an uncomfortable barn full of cattle. We couldn't turn them out as frozen ground outside had turned everything to ice. For cows used to going out everyday and having heavy winter coats of hair, the barn doors and windows were not large enough to let in enough cool air. That was an extreem example, usually those temp swings are from above 0 F to just above freezing. For your friends out of IA, they will find NS high summer temps about 10 to 15 degrees cooler than at home, unless they get in one of the inland valleys. Just about every night will dip to the low 50s F. Humidity will be higher than what they are used to. Nova Scotia is about 95% forested with agriculture being concentrated in the numerous inland valleys, the Annapolis Vally being the largest of these. The forest will be quite different, being a Boreal forest and dominated by evergreen softwoods. There will be very few nasty thorns, as in Carolinian forest. The Atlantic coast beaches while very nice, stay very cold until mid to late summer. Northumberland beaches facing PEI will be much warmer, however the surf is quite tame compared to Atlantic beaches. I could go on and on, find out from your friend the type or types of tourism they would like to see, or what they are expecting to see. Send me an e mail, I should be able to tell them what not to miss or if they will be disappointed. I also know some folks down there in the hospitality industry, much closer to this than I am.
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