The first weather reports are in from Canada's $37-million weather station on Mars, showing temperatures hitting a high of –30 Celsius and a low of –80.

These temperatures are likely "milder" than temperatures could be on other parts of the planet, said Peter Smith of the University of Arizona, the principal researcher for NASA's Mars mission.

Meanwhile, pressure was 8.5 millibars, less than 1/100 of the pressure at sea-level on Earth, while wind speed was estimated at 20 kilometres per hour, from the northeast.

The Canadian pressure and temperature instruments were turned on shortly after NASA's Phoenix-Mars lander touched down on Sunday, said Jim Whiteway, York University professor and lead investigator for the Canadian mission.

The weather station is the first Canadian science instrument to land on the surface of an alien world. The station, which is the size of a shoebox and is wrapped in a blanket bearing a tiny Maple Leaf flag, is a key part of the Phoenix, which was launched from the United States in August 2007.

The Canadian team plans to spend 90 days studying data from the station to help in the search for water on Mars. The daily weather reports will include temperature, atmospheric pressure, cloud height, humidity and wind speeds.

Whiteway says the laser-based instrument will allow scientists to study dust and clouds in the atmosphere all the way up to 20 kilometres and measure the amount of ice water in the clouds.

With files from the Canadian Press and the Associated Press