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The fact is that Canada is a very cold country and experiences some of the worst weather in the world. Unfortunately, this is the reality. I don't understand why there is always someone trying to convince others that Canada isn't that cold/cloudy/rainy/snowy/icy. IT IS!
Admittedly winter in Canada is not pleasant. Here in Toronto, you can say it is cold, but definitely not cloudy. On the contraray, it is mostly sunny even on those -20C days.
As to snowy, Toronto doesn't get that much as many think. particularly for this year, we had 32 cm of snow so far (Feb 12), compared with 180-200 cm in North East US. Even many parts of Texas had more snow than we did.
In terms of temperature, on most days it is between -10 to 0 degrees, but the windchill does it make it far worse, and sometimes it does dip below -15 or even -20 (not this year though, yet). But it is relatively dry, and a -8 doesn't feel much colder than a 2 C in some humid area according to my personal experience.
Agree. why did he imagine Toronto is always cloudy, snowy or raining? Even in the winter, it is sunny on most of the days (I'd say over 85%) despite the low temperature. As to summer, it is simply gorgeous. I don't know why peopel whine about the so-called "humidity"... last summer, except for ONE weekend, I never needed to turn on the A/C. If you compare the humidity with South US, there is really not much to speak of in the Toronto summer, which is simply beautiful. I'd say Toronto and Montreal's summer is even better than Southern California, which can get really HOT.
As to Vancouver, other than being much warmer in Jan-March, i don't see any advantage in terms of weather over Central Canada. As someone comments earlier, a Vancouver summer is like a typical spring elsewhere. Only vancouverites would rave about a 28C day like it is a big deal.
Personally, I am most envious of Vancouverites in late February, March and April when they get that beautiful early (for me) spring weather and we are still in the cold, slush and mud.
But if you look at the average summertime highs, generally Toronto and Montreal are 8 to 10 degrees C warmer than Vancouver.
Consider also that averages are just that - averages. You always have some days above average and some days below average. When your average summer high is 21 or 22 C (as in Vancouver and also on Canada's east coast), that means you'll often have summer days with highs below 20, around 17 or 18. When your average high is 27 or 28 C (as in Toronto and Montreal), your cooler summer days will generally be around 22 or 23.
hobbesdj, while I appreciate the thoughtfulness and frankness of your posts, I seem to recall you moved to Montreal in early 2009. So could it be that you have only spent one summer in Montreal?
If this is the case, you should note that the summer of 2009 (and the summer of 2008 as well to be honest) was exceptionally crappy in Quebec.
That is why you might have noticed that everyone in Quebec was complaining about the brutal summer weather. Had you been in Halifax or St. John's with the same weather you had in Montreal, few people would have complained about their summer because they are used to it being cool, foggy with quite a few rainy days. The Montreal summer of 2009 would have seemed pretty good to them.
I've lived most of my life in southern Quebec and eastern Ontario and people who are native to the region are used to having much nicer summers than what we experienced in 2008 and 2009.
I have been in Montreal and Ontario during either summer or winter since 2007 and visited Vancouver during summer of 2009 when it was unusually "hot". At best Montreal and Toronto are "hot" for 2 months, and even then you aren't guaranteed a "hot" day. It's usually only hot during the day and goes neutral at night - I often have to check outside first to see if I need a jacket or not during a summer night. Regardless, the summer comes and goes so quickly that warm weather is definitely the exception. In these places I discuss like New York City, let alone Atlanta and Louisville, there is no such thing as a "crappy" summer. You have summertime, guaranteed, period. You plan for it, like one knows winter in Montreal will come.
It's simple really. A 20 degree day during summer in Canada is normal....in New York city, that is a very cold summer day. So therefore, for somebody coming from New York, or anywhere warmer (like most of the US or the rest of the hemisphere), Canada will seem very cold. My friend visited me here from Philadelphia in August - he knew Canada was cold but expected more from the summer. It was only around 20-25 degrees for the 3 days he stayed. From his point of view, Canada is cold because where he is from, 22 degrees is what one would expect during May, not August.
The links I posted above pretty much explain it all.
Admittedly winter in Canada is not pleasant. Here in Toronto, you can say it is cold, but definitely not cloudy. On the contraray, it is mostly sunny even on those -20C days.
As to snowy, Toronto doesn't get that much as many think. particularly for this year, we had 32 cm of snow so far (Feb 12), compared with 180-200 cm in North East US. Even many parts of Texas had more snow than we did.
In terms of temperature, on most days it is between -10 to 0 degrees, but the windchill does it make it far worse, and sometimes it does dip below -15 or even -20 (not this year though, yet). But it is relatively dry, and a -8 doesn't feel much colder than a 2 C in some humid area according to my personal experience.
C'mon, this year is an exceptionally mild Toronto winter, and I lived in the northeastern US and I never experienced 180-200 cm of snow.... You must be talking about New England, or Buffalo...It is MUCH colder in Toronto than in DC, Baltimore, or Philadelphia. It is colder than NYC and slightly colder than Boston. There is a serious temperature disparity between the cities on the eastern seaboard and the cities located on the Saint Laurence and in the Great Lakes region. From my point of view Toronto is cold, and fairly cloudy (a lot of precipitation). It is humid in summertime but not so much hot. So are Chicago and Detroit! Temperatures between -10 and 0 degrees during wintertime is COLD! If its less than 9 degrees outside its cold in my book! I can get easily tanned in New York in summertime...anywhere in Canada just won't do it, except for Toronto or Montreal area on a really nice day...
I have been in Montreal and Ontario during either summer or winter since 2007 and visited Vancouver during summer of 2009 when it was unusually "hot". At best Montreal and Toronto are "hot" for 2 months, and even then you aren't guaranteed a "hot" day. It's usually only hot during the day and goes neutral at night - I often have to check outside first to see if I need a jacket or not during a summer night. Regardless, the summer comes and goes so quickly that warm weather is definitely the exception. In these places I discuss like New York City, let alone Atlanta and Louisville, there is no such thing as a "crappy" summer. You have summertime, guaranteed, period. You plan for it, like one knows winter in Montreal will come.
It's simple really. A 20 degree day during summer in Canada is normal....in New York city, that is a very cold summer day. So therefore, for somebody coming from New York, or anywhere warmer (like most of the US or the rest of the hemisphere), Canada will seem very cold. My friend visited me here from Philadelphia in August - he knew Canada was cold but expected more from the summer. It was only around 20-25 degrees for the 3 days he stayed. From his point of view, Canada is cold because where he is from, 22 degrees is what one would expect during May, not August.
The links I posted above pretty much explain it all.
Well, regarding New York City anyway, the links show that average July highs for Montreal, Toronto and NYC are about the same, all around 80 degrees F.
Of course, as you move further south in the States (towards Philly and DC and beyond), averages will become warmer.
And BTW, a 20 C summer day in the Montreal-Ottawa-Toronto region is not considered "normal", and most people would (and do) complain about how cool that is for summer.
Consider that average June-July-August highs in Montreal are exactly the same as on the French Riviera!
C'mon, this year is an exceptionally mild Toronto winter, and I'm from the northeastern US and I never experienced 180-200 cm of snow in my life.... You must be talking about New England, or Buffalo...It is MUCH colder in Toronto than in DC, Baltimore, or Philadelphia. It is colder than NYC and slightly colder than Boston. There is a serious temperature disparity between the cities on the eastern seaboard and the cities located on the Saint Laurence and in the Great Lakes region. From my point of view Toronto is cold, and fairly cloudy (a lot of precipitation). So are Chicago and Detroit! Temperatures between -10 and 0 degrees during wintertime is COLD! If its less than 9 degrees outside its cold in my book!
No quarrel from me regarding how cold our winters are...
C'mon, this year is an exceptionally mild Toronto winter, and I lived in the northeastern US and I never experienced 180-200 cm of snow.... You must be talking about New England, or Buffalo...It is MUCH colder in Toronto than in DC, Baltimore, or Philadelphia. It is colder than NYC and slightly colder than Boston. There is a serious temperature disparity between the cities on the eastern seaboard and the cities located on the Saint Laurence and in the Great Lakes region. From my point of view Toronto is cold, and fairly cloudy (a lot of precipitation). It is humid in summertime but not so much hot. So are Chicago and Detroit! Temperatures between -10 and 0 degrees during wintertime is COLD! If its less than 9 degrees outside its cold in my book! I can get easily tanned in New York in summertime...anywhere in Canada just won't do it, except for Toronto or Montreal area on a really nice day...
I agree Toronto is cold... come on, it is Canada, buddy
well, 180-200 cm of snow is for Philly, DC and Batimore this year, not New English. And yes, it is quite unusual for them.
I came from a subtropical area, and had really worried about winter and snow before moving here. However, it has not been really a big deal at all! Yes, on some really frigid days, I came this close to decide to move, but on most winter days, it is completely manageable. Of course, it depends on the individual's tolerance. I am not an outdoorsy person, so I probably spend less than 20 minutes each day outside. From where I came from, it gets only maybe 0-5 C in winter, but most apartments are not heated!! Therefore, I actually find winter to be much more agreeable in Toronto.
Right now it is about -2C outside, and it is sunny and beautiful. I took a walk for 15 minutes, and it was nice.
I really don't understand the "humidity" here in TO. Every time the weathermen make a big fuss about it and emphasize the word "humidity", I can't help laughing... where is the humudity everyone is talking about? I guess Canadians haven't been to places where although it is not raining, all the walls are wet and dropping water because of the humidity. I myself find summers here extremely pleasant. I would not hesitate a second in choosing Toronto over Miami overall.
Personally, I am most envious of Vancouverites in late February, March and April when they get that beautiful early (for me) spring weather and we are still in the cold, slush and mud.
But if you look at the average summertime highs, generally Toronto and Montreal are 8 to 10 degrees C warmer than Vancouver.
Consider also that averages are just that - averages. You always have some days above average and some days below average. When your average summer high is 21 or 22 C (as in Vancouver and also on Canada's east coast), that means you'll often have summer days with highs below 20, around 17 or 18. When your average high is 27 or 28 C (as in Toronto and Montreal), your cooler summer days will generally be around 22 or 23.
I am not envious of Vancouver's climate overall. Sure, they have milder winter and earlier spring, but if given a choice only for Jan-March, why settle for rainy and not-so-warm Vancouver anyway? The Bay area and Southern California is even closer in terms of physical distance. In Socal, you wear just a sweater in Jan, can you do that in Van? Don't forget your umbrella by the way.
Vancouver does have warmer winter, but that's the only advantage. Throughout the year, I don't prefer living there. I used to visit it in late October, and it was quite chilly (low single digit) and cloudy/raining.
Average tem of 21C? Well, I simply don't call that summer.
HobbesDJ:
I liked your post very much. I am considering moving to Montreal this Summer with my wife and 12 y/o son. (We currently live just south of Baltimore). We are planning to rent a small house, maybe in NDG or other 'anglo' neighborhood for a year or so to get to know the city. CAn you give any suggestions about how to make this transition easier. None of us speak French, but we are planning on learning.
Thanks in advance, Good luck in Montreal!
Not being able to speak French in Montreal is a bit of an inconvenience at times but if you are going to be looking for a job as a unilingual Anglo its going to be a major problem as bilingualism is almost mandatory,other points to ponder is unless you or your wife have done the majority of your schooling in the English Quebec school system your going to be required to enroll your kids into French school system.
Quebec also has the reputation of being the highest taxed area in N.America.
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Therefore, I actually find winter to be much more agreeable in Toronto. 
