Is the Survival Score the same as wind chill or humidex?

No — wind chill and humidex are the raw feels-like inputs. The Survival Score turns that number into a single 0-100 scale that's easier to glance at than a raw temperature.

Why does the same temperature score differently in different cities?

It usually doesn't — the formula is identical everywhere. What differs is the wind and humidity behind each city's feels-like reading.

How often does the score update?

Canada Pulse refreshes live weather data every few minutes per city.

Which cities does Canada Pulse cover?

26 curated cities across every province and territory, plus — using your device's location — literally anywhere else in Canada.

🍁 Canada Pulse

How the Weather Survival Score works

A single number from 0 to 100 that answers one question: how tough is today's weather, really — not just the temperature on the thermometer, but what it actually feels like to be outside in it.

It starts with "feels like," not the air temperature

The air temperature alone can be misleading. -5°C with a 40 km/h wind feels brutally different from -5°C on a still day. +28°C at 30% humidity is comfortable; +28°C at 80% humidity is miserable. So Canada Pulse always starts from the feels-like temperature — wind chill in winter, humidex in summer — pulled live from OpenWeatherMap for your city.

Three seasons, three formulas

A "tough" score means something different in January than in July, so the score is calculated differently depending on the time of year:

❄ Winter (Dec–Feb) Score rises the colder the wind chill gets below 0°C. Past roughly -30°C wind chill, conditions are flagged as dangerous — the range Environment Canada itself associates with frostbite risk on exposed skin within minutes.

☀ Summer (Jun–Aug) Score rises the higher the humidex climbs above 20°C. Past roughly 38°C humidex, conditions are flagged as extreme heat — into the range where heat exhaustion becomes a real risk without precautions.

🍂 Shoulder season (Mar–May, Sep–Nov) Neither formula fits well when it's neither really cold nor really hot, so the score instead measures how far today drifts from a comfortable ~12°C baseline, in either direction — plus a bump for rain likelihood.

Reading the number

Score	Label	What it means
0–44	Mild	Ordinary day. Dress normally.
45–74	Tough	Notice it. Layer up, or plan for the heat.
75–100	Extreme	Take it seriously — minimize time outside if you can.

One important note

The Survival Score is our own formula, built to be a quick, intuitive read on the day — it is not an official index from Environment Canada or any government body, and it isn't medical advice. For official warnings and advisories, Canada Pulse also shows active alerts issued directly by Environment Canada when there are any in effect for your city.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Survival Score the same as wind chill or humidex?: No — wind chill and humidex are the raw "feels like" inputs. The Survival Score turns that number into a single 0–100 scale that's easier to glance at than a raw temperature.
Why does the same temperature score differently in different cities?: It usually doesn't — the formula is identical everywhere. What differs is the wind and humidity behind each city's feels-like reading, which is exactly the point: two cities at the same air temperature can feel very different.
How often does the score update?: Canada Pulse refreshes live weather data every few minutes per city.
Which cities does Canada Pulse cover?: 26 curated cities across every province and territory, plus — using your device's location — literally anywhere else in Canada.

Check today's score →