Hamilton's continental climate gives it cold, snowy winters and warm, humid summers. Late spring (May, into early June) is the best season: the lilacs and tulips at the Royal Botanical Gardens are at their best, the waterfalls are running with snowmelt and rain, and the temperatures are mild. Autumn — late September into mid-October — is the other prime season, with strong colours on the escarpment and at Dundas Peak.
Summer is festival season: Supercrawl on James Street North in early September, the Locke Street Festival, the Festival of Friends, and a packed schedule of concerts at the bayfront. Winter is harsh — lake-effect snow off Lake Ontario can be heavy — but the falls freeze into ice columns and the climbing community treats Tiffany Falls and the Devil's Punch Bowl as serious ice routes.