Toronto
Toronto is the most populous city in Canada and the capital of Ontario. It is located on a harbour at the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario, and is the fourth-most populous city in North America. Toronto is an international centre of business, finance, arts, sports, and culture, and is recognized as one of the most multicultural and cosmopolitan cities in the world. About half of its residents were born outside of Canada and over 200 ethnic origins are represented among its inhabitants.
Typical weather
1981–presentCity Rhythm
measuredOpening hours, by kind of place
median across mapped venuesVital absurdities
measured · the Anti-AwardsSame time system
by rhythmWhat to do each season
4winter
cold and snowy; openmeteo mean −3.2 to −0.1 °C (Wikipedia: temperatures usually below 0 °C; cold snaps to −10 °C and occasionally below −25 °C); accumulating snow Nov–mid-Apr; lake-effect snow; the Path underground city is the operative civic layer
- the cold season — life retreats into the Path (the world's largest underground shopping complex) and the underground PATH + SkyWalk network; the lowest tourist density outside the holidays
- winter cold snaps and snowstorms disrupt work and travel
spring
variable; openmeteo mean 0.6-11.1 °C; a seasonal lag (Lake Ontario delays spring); the lake breeze can make spring afternoons noticeably cooler
- the slow spring — the lake retards warming; the cherry blossoms (High Park) and the start of the patio season
summer
warm and humid; openmeteo mean 16.9-20.6 °C (Jul warmest 20.6; summer 'characterized by very warm temperatures'); the lake breeze brings relief on hot days; the urban heat island +3 °C at night
- the festival season — TIFF (September), Caribana (mid-Jul–early Aug), the Toronto Waterfront Marathon; the patio and waterfront season at its peak
- occasional heat waves and thunderstorms; the Islands and the lakefront at their busiest
autumn
cooling; openmeteo mean 4.7-16.8 °C; a seasonal lag keeps early autumn warm; the fall foliage and the clear comfortable window
- the TIFF (September) high season and the autumn foliage in the ravines; the most comfortable window before winter
What it is known for
Important moments in a year
Tiff
- the Toronto International Film Festival — one of the world's premier film festivals
- the anchor of the 'Hollywood North' film industry
Caribana
- Caribana (the Scotiabank Caribbean Carnival) — one of the largest Caribbean-carnival festivals in North America
2015 Pan American Games
- Toronto hosted the 2015 Pan American and Parapan American Games
- the largest multi-sport event ever held in Canada by athlete count
2026 Fifa World Cup
- Toronto is one of 16 North American host cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup
On the record
source-trackedThe city of Toronto has a hot summer humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfa) … with warm, humid summers and cold winters. The city experiences four distinct seasons.
Winters are cold, with frequent snow. During the winter months, temperatures are usually below 0 °C. Toronto winters sometimes feature cold snaps when maximum temperatures remain below −10 °C, often made to feel colder by wind chill.
The denser urbanscape makes for warmer nights year-round; the average nighttime temperature is about 3.0 °C (5.4 °F) warmer in the city than in rural areas in all months.
The CN Tower … Completed in 1976 at a height of 553.33 metres, it was the world's tallest freestanding structure until 2007.
The city has 106 skyscrapers taller than 150 metres, the 16th-most in the world and the most in Canada by far.
The Path network [is] the world's largest underground shopping complex.
About half of its residents were born outside of Canada and over 200 ethnic origins are represented among its inhabitants.
The Toronto Stock Exchange is the world's seventh-largest stock exchange by market capitalization.
As of 2011, Toronto ranks as the third-largest production centre for film and television after Los Angeles and New York City, sharing the nickname 'Hollywood North' with Vancouver.
In 2018, 27.5 million tourists visited Toronto, generating $10.3 billion in economic activity.
The backbone of its public transport network is the Toronto subway, a rapid transit system … operated by the TTC.
The method behind this atlas — 196 pp. Not published yet.