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There is approximately a five degree difference between the two cities in average summer maximums. This means that a cool summer day in Vancouver might be around 18C whereas in Toronto it might be 23C.
To me that's a fairly significant difference in the overall quality of the summer weather.
Certainly as big a difference as the one between average winter days at -3C vs. winter days at +6C.
I think the stats for Vancouver summers (and winters) are generally taken from downtown or the airport. Most of the Lower Mainland in the summer is quite a bit warmer than the weather stations which are taken at the ocean. I'd say the average high in most of metro Vancouver is more like 77F than 70 or 72F.
Winters are a bit colder too. Abootsford is actually about as cold as Washington, DC during the winter months with similar or more snow, though without the odd warm days.
I think the stats for Vancouver summers (and winters) are generally taken from downtown or the airport. Most of the Lower Mainland in the summer is quite a bit warmer than the weather stations which are taken at the ocean. I'd say the average high in most of metro Vancouver is more like 77F than 70 or 72F.
Winters are a bit colder too. Abootsford is actually about as cold as Washington, DC during the winter months with similar or more snow, though without the odd warm days.
True...but you have to go quite a bit "inland" .
Like Chilliwack, BC has winter highs only slightly cooler than Vancouver ...6C ..compared to 7 or 8C
but is much warmer in summer...average highs 25C July-August...September 22C (like Vancouver July!)
Here is a comparison between Vancouver (airport) and Toronto (Annex)
Vancouver.....Toronto
JAN 7/1.........JAN -1/-6
FEB 8/2.........FEB 0/-6
MAR 10/3......MAR 5/-2
APR 13/6.......APR 12/4
MAY 17/9......MAY 19/10
JUN 20/12......JUN 24/15
JUL 22/14......JUL 27/18
AUG 22/14.....AUG 26/18
SEP 19/11......SEP 21/14
OCT 14/7.......OCT 14/8
NOV 9/4.........NOV 8/2
DEC 6/1.........DEC 2/-3
Vancouver much milder in winter and much milder in summer.
If you like mild Vancouver wins.
If you like a warmer summer Toronto wins.
Toronto you have to deal with a cold winter.
Vancouver you have to deal with a rainy winter.
Toronto summer is better for lounging at the pool.
Vancouver summer is better if you don't have A/C.
I prefer Toronto. It has the perfect blend of a real hot summer and real cold winter but not too bad of a winter. It also has a nice amount of humidity and rain for my liking but not constant grey skies and rain like Vancouver gets for months. Toronto and the southern Ontario area is actually my favourite climate in Canada.
I prefer Toronto. It has the perfect blend of a real hot summer and real cold winter but not too bad of a winter. It also has a nice amount of humidity and rain for my liking but not constant grey skies and rain like Vancouver gets for months. Toronto and the southern Ontario area is actually my favourite climate in Canada.
Toronto winter "not too bad for a winter"? You must be Canadian.
Give 5 examples of large cities where winter is colder.
On a scale of 1-10 in terms of coldness, Toronto will be at 9. The world doesn't have a lot of Winnipegs and Ottawas, where are the 10s.
JAN 7/1.........JAN -1/-6
FEB 8/2.........FEB 0/-6
MAR 10/3......MAR 5/-2
APR 13/6.......APR 12/4
MAY 17/9......MAY 19/10
JUN 20/12......JUN 24/15
JUL 22/14......JUL 27/18
AUG 22/14.....AUG 26/18
SEP 19/11......SEP 21/14
OCT 14/7.......OCT 14/8
NOV 9/4.........NOV 8/2
DEC 6/1.........DEC 2/-3
interesing stats.
Essentially it is simple. Toronto is 5-8 degrees cold in the 4 winter months (Dec-Mar), and 4-5 degrees warmer in the 3 summer months (June-August). The remaining 5 months of spring/fall are essentially a tie.
Toronto winter "not too bad for a winter"? You must be Canadian.
Give 5 examples of large cities where winter is colder.
On a scale of 1-10 in terms of coldness, Toronto will be at 9. The world doesn't have a lot of Winnipegs and Ottawas, where are the 10s.
I am. Toronto is the tropics compared to where I grew up in Winnipeg. Toronto's winters aren't bad, good amount of snow, good amount of days below freezing and occasionally above freezing and a couple days with extreme low temperatures. That's great winter weather to me, especially compared to everyday being below -20 with windchill.
5 large cities that are colder than Toronto? Okay, I was saying Toronto's winters are nice to me. I wasn't comparing it to other cities. But I'll give you more than 5 just in case you don't consider some of them as large: Moscow, Harbin, Oslo, Montreal, Calgary, Urumqi, and Saint Petersbuorg. I'm sure there are a couple more. But again, I'm not comparing Toronto to other cities, you are doing that. I'm simply saying Toronto doesn't have a very bad winter.
I lived one year in Toronto and honestly, I loved the winter there. Sure it was sometimes really cold, but usually it was pretty dry (making it feel significantly warmer) and I found the usual weather to be strenghtening and I loved the snow. Also, I didn't find it particularly gloomy, the winter was obviously cloudier than the summer, but there were many winter days with -10c, snow on the ground and completely blue skies. Those were my favourite days.
Also, the winters are cold but there is much much worse in Canada and Asia. The -30c days are rare.
About Vancouver, never been there, but I spent some time in some oceanic european climates, and I'm not a fan of constant rain, dampness, gloom and so-so summers. Sure, Vancouver has sunnier summers than its european counterparts, but what I understand is that their winters are really super rainy and grey, while most western and northwestern european climates get at least sunny breaks in between and have very variable (you could say unpredictable) weather overall. Also, places like Paris or London usually receive much less rainfall in that season than Vancouver.
If I had to choose based on the weather, I wouldn't hesitate a second. Actually, the climate was part of the reason i chose Southern Ontario. They have similar summers to where I grew up (warm 22c summer with some hot periods) with a better, snowier winter and pretty much the same sunshine totals. I'm used to 2000 hours per year, so Toronto is ok for me, even if I wouldn't mind 400 hours more.
Finally, the first night I was there, which was mid-late august, there was a thunderstorm. Lightning everywhere, on all sides of the building, very intense and impressive. The only time I've seen something similar in Europe was on lake Geneva. Lakes enhance thunderstorms.
Last edited by forgotten username; 06-08-2015 at 03:04 PM..
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