University gets fewer frosts than 89% of Canadian towns
Midsummer highs settle at about 27.0°C. A year here swings 34°C from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. Its July heat outdoes that of 86% of Canadian towns. From May to September, highs of 19–27°C make it easy to spend the day outdoors.
1991–2020 normals from ECCC’s Toronto (City) location, 1.1 km north-east.
A year in University at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What stands out about University’s climate
Compared with Canadian towns, with its place among towns of 2,500+ in Ontario beside it.
What a year in University feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals.
About 101 frosts and 124 warm days a year
Frost comes from November to April, most of all in January (about 26 nights). Some 14 days a year climb past 30°C.
Frost days by month
Average days at 0°C or below
Days above 20°C by month
Average days
Rain and melted snow: about 823 mm a year
The most falls in June, the least in March. About 104 days a year bring 1 mm or more.
Rain and snow by month
Millimetres
115 cm of snow in a typical year
From November to April snow is likely; January is the peak, at about 32 cm.
Snowfall by month
Centimetres
Toronto (City) publishes no full year of snowfall, so these figures come from Toronto Pearson (Airport), 18 km away.
Heating a home in University
94% of a year’s heating need falls between October and April. Months averaging under 10°C: November to April.
A day averaging 10 degrees under 18°C adds 10 to the total; warm days add nothing. Over a year, a home here needs less heating than 90% of Canadian towns.
Living with University’s climate
Gardening, time outside, winter cold and summer heat, from the 1991–2020 normals.
A normal year gives the garden about 208 frost-free days, roughly 11 April to 6 November.
Afternoons of 17–27°C and nights of at least 8°C arrive in May, Jun, Jul, Aug and Sep.
Parks & trails →A humidex above 30 marks about 59 days in a normal year.
Thirty-year normals hide the storms and the extremes: the hazards page has University’s risks.
Flood & hazards →ECCC’s normals location: Toronto (City)
Toronto (City) is a composite: ECCC joins 2 stations’ readings to make its 1991–2020 normals.
| Distance from the town | 1.1 km north-east |
| Station altitude | 113 m |
| Completeness | meets the WMO “3 and 5” rule |
| WMO standard normals | No |
| Snowfall from | Toronto Pearson (Airport), 18 km |
| Coldest reading, 1991–2020 | −25.9°C |
| Hottest reading, 1991–2020 | 38.2°C |
| Next-nearest location | Toronto (Island), 3.5 km |
How University compares
Compared with 2,611 towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more across Canada; the dots mark the other normals locations in Ontario.
Nearby towns’ climate
Nearby places read from a different ECCC location (places on University’s own would show the same figures). University has few close neighbours with figures, so the list reaches 22–29 km out.
| Town | July high | January low | Rain & snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| University Toronto (City) | 27.0°C | −6.7°C | 823 mm |
| Vaughan 22 km · Toronto Buttonville (Airport) | 27.3°C about the same | −10.1°C 3.4°C colder | 862 mm |
| Mississauga 23 km · Toronto Pearson (Airport) | 27.4°C about the same | −8.9°C 2.2°C colder | 807 mm |
University weather by month
Month by month, 1991–2020: the usual high, low and mean, the rain and snow, and the snowfall.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain & snow | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −0.3°C | −6.7°C | −3.5°C | 65 mm | 32 cm |
| February | 0.6°C | −6.0°C | −2.7°C | 54 mm | 28 cm |
| March | 5.1°C | −1.8°C | 1.7°C | 53 mm | 17 cm |
| April | 11.7°C | 3.9°C | 7.8°C | 78 mm | 5 cm |
| May | 18.8°C | 10.0°C | 14.5°C | 76 mm | under 1 cm |
| June | 24.2°C | 15.3°C | 19.8°C | 82 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 27.0°C | 18.1°C | 22.5°C | 77 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 26.1°C | 17.7°C | 21.9°C | 72 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 22.0°C | 13.8°C | 17.9°C | 69 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 14.6°C | 7.7°C | 11.2°C | 69 mm | under 1 cm |
| November | 8.1°C | 2.3°C | 5.2°C | 71 mm | 9 cm |
| December | 2.6°C | −2.7°C | −0.1°C | 58 mm | 24 cm |
| Year | 13.4°C | 6.0°C | 9.7°C | 823 mm | 115 cm |
January strays furthest from its normal year to year, by 2.7°C; June the least
Over 1991–2020, March saw both −23.1°C (2003) and 25.7°C (1998), the widest span of any month.
Where University’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Normals: the closest ECCC location with twelve months of temperature normals, Toronto (City), 1991–2020.
- Other locations: where a location publishes no full year of precipitation or snowfall, the nearest one that does supplies it, named beside those figures.
- Comparisons: every Canadian town and neighbourhood of 2,500 or more, each read from its own nearest location; city totals and reserves are left out.
- Not on this page: a sunshine figure (ECCC published none for 1991–2020) and any lapse-rate correction for height, as the town has no elevation here.
Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence. Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada
Questions about University’s climate
How warm does University get in summer?
A normal July afternoon tops out at about 27.0°C, the year’s high point.
How cold does University get in winter?
In January, the coldest month, the typical low is −6.7°C.
How much rain and snow does University get?
June is the wettest month at 82 mm and March the driest at 53 mm, for 823 mm over the year.
Are these figures for University itself?
They are the normals for Toronto (City), measured just outside University itself.
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · ECCC Data Services End-use Licence Today’s forecast for University →
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).