OT...question about Canadian winter for a friend

[DaniDownUnder]

Hi all...

I've got a friend who is heading to Vancouver and Toronto for the Christmas holidays this year (we're in Australia). She wants to know if the winters in Vancouver and Toronto are "dry" cold or "wet"cold ....humidity that is.

Not sure why she wants to know, but she does *lol* And this was the biggest group of Canadians I know of to ask.

Cheers!

[SandraC]

Hi ~ I live near Toronto and used to live in Vancouver.

Vancouver will be WET WET and miserably rainy.

Toronto varies, but usually either no snow yet or very little snow at Christmas. December in Toronto isn't too bad. We get more freezing cold days than wet snowy days.

S

[mtry]

Toronto is usually dry cold but many times no snow... We did not get any substantial snow till the middle of Jan this past year. HTH

[Tabetha]

I would't call Toronto a "dry" cold. The prairies get "dry" cold, with very little moisture in the air.

Because of the lake effect, the cold in Toronto is "wet" to me. There's more moisture in the air, which makes it harder (to me) to dress against.

That being said, December isn't too cold in Toronto, Not a lot of snow, usually.

Vancouver, not cold, but very wet.

[tigercat]

Toronto is wet cold. If you go higher north (Sault Ste. Marie) they have more of a dry cold but Toronto is wet cold, there really is a difference.
tigercat

[bababear_50]

cold is cold ,,,Toronto is part of southern Ontario and where I am 15miles from Toronto it is a beautiful place to be at Christmas time,that is when you can't be lying on a beach in Disney .Most people layer their clothes. I've noticed the past couple of years more snow fall in the month of Jan though. I'd say due to our close proximity to the lake Ontario it's more a wet cold.
Hugs Mel

[Hodder]

We lived in Vancouver (Surrey) my hubby went golfing on Christmas Eve. It was a beautiful day. It is warm there but can have alot of rain.

[nelljay1973]

There is nothing like an Australian explaining to an Australian what the winters are like. Firstly I've never been to Toronto or Vancouver in the dead of winter, can only pass on what fellow Aussies told me before I moved here. Considering that one doesn't normally frolic outside in the cold weather for long periods of time you can get by with what we wear back in Australia for winter..just make sure you have a good coat. Vancouver is supposedly like Sydney winters...wet and cold/damp.

Just to give you are heads up...15 degrees in Canada is different than 15 degrees in Sydney (where I come from)..my Mum thinks I'm nuts when I say we are wearing T-shirts at that temperature. Last year we went back to Sydney in July and we froze and we can take minus degree weather.

The easiest way to explain to people is like in Australia the majority of things are air conditioned for summer..think the opposite..everything is heated for winters and apart from the journey from the car/bus/train to your destination you are hardly outside...

[Diamondintheruff]

Toronto will be colder than Vancouver. Both will be a wet cold. I totally agree with the layered dressing option. And you will need a waterproof/windproof coat.