What do you know about Toronto winter weather in the great white north?
To begin with, Toronto isn’t all that far north. It is on the same latitude as Cannes on the French Riviera and only slightly (one degree) N. of Boston.
If you were were here last winter (2009-2010) you’ll no doubt be aware that winter, was in effect cancelled. It was likely induced by man-caused climate change. It was the first winter ever (at least, in living memory) where we did not have to shovel snow!
Snow on the ground on December 25th – a white Christmas – was once expected in Toronto. Today, snow for Christmas is, indeed, a rare occurance. As mentioned, last year it hardly snowed at all!
The following was lifted directly from the City of Toronto’s website:
“Lake Ontario serves to moderate Toronto’s weather to the point that its climate is one of the mildest in Canada. Generally speaking, Spring and Summer temperatures range from 15C (60F) to 25C (80F). During winter months the average daytime temperature (with the exception of January, the coldest month) hovers just slightly below freezing (0C/-32F) and a snowfall of more than 10cm (4″) is unusual.”
The fact is there is no such thing as Canadian Weather. The country is enormous and climate varies radically by region. Nowhere on earth will the weather remain constant across six-and-a-half time zones and many thousands of kilometers north to south!
If you plan on being here, the following chart will give you an idea of what temperatures to expect:
|
Jan |
Apr |
Jul |
Oct |
|
| Temperature | ||||
| Daily Maximum (°C) |
-1.3
|
11.5
|
26.5
|
14.2
|
| Daily Minimum (°C) |
-7.9
|
3.5
|
17.6
|
7.2
|
| Daily Mean (°C) |
-4.5
|
7.5
|
22.1
|
10.7
|
| Extreme Maximum (°C) |
16.1
|
32.2
|
40.6
|
30.0
|
| Extreme Minimum (°C) |
-32.8
|
-15.0
|
3.9
|
-8.9
|
| Precipitation | ||||
| Rainfall (mm) |
22.7
|
58.1
|
71.0
|
62.7
|
| Snowfall (cm) |
35.5
|
7.3
|
0.0
|
0.5
|
| Precipitation (mm) |
55.2
|
65.4
|
71.0
|
63.3
|
| Extreme Daily Rainfall (mm) |
63.5
|
59.7
|
98.6
|
86.9
|
| Extreme Daily Snowfall (cm) |
39.9
|
21.1
|
0.0
|
12.2
|
| Extreme Daily Pcpn. (mm) |
52.3
|
59.7
|
98.6
|
86.9
|
| Month-end Snow Cover (cm) |
9.0
|
0.0
|
0.0
|
0.0
|
| Sunshine Hours |
95.5
|
187.7
|
278.0
|
145.7
|
| Days With | ||||
| Maximum Temperature > 0°C |
14.0
|
30.0
|
31.0
|
31.0
|
| Measurable Rainfall |
4.0
|
11.0
|
10.0
|
11.0
|
| Measurable Snowfall |
11.0
|
2.0
|
0.0
|
trace
|
| Measurable Precipitation |
14.0
|
12.0
|
10.0
|
11.0
|
Our front door in July.
…and in January!
