Toronto has some of the coldest winter nights among U.S. towns
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 80°. Expect the heaviest rain or snow in June and the lightest in January. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 91% of U.S. towns. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from October to April, when means dip under 50°.
A year in Toronto at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Toronto’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Toronto’s place in South Dakota beside it.
What a year in Toronto feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 150 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 6 and the first by October 3. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Astoria 4s, SD, 7 miles from the town’s center, 100 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Toronto’s center in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −23°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 61 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Clear Lake, SD, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 27 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 102 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Toronto
95% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Astoria 4s, SD.
Living with Toronto’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
150 frost-free days in zone 4b. The last frost comes by May 6 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 3.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Toronto from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (34%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 30%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Toronto and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Toronto in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Toronto’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto, SD | 5° | 80° | 27" | 61" |
| Kingsford, MI | 5° | 80° | 29" | 61" |
| Princeton, MN | 4° | 81° | 31" | 49" |
| Marshfield, WI | 5° | 80° | 32" | 57" |
| Fargo, ND | 0° | 82° | 24" | 51" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Toronto averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.1°).
A smaller shift than in 86% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.
How Toronto compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Toronto’s place among South Dakota’s.
Toronto weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Toronto’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Clear Lake, SD. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 21° | 5° | 0.6" | 10.8" | 7 | 28 | 1° – 26° |
| February | 26° | 8° | 0.7" | 10.3" | 6 | 22 | 4° – 29° |
| March | 38° | 20° | 1.4" | 9.6" | 7 | 18 | 18° – 43° |
| April | 53° | 32° | 2.6" | 7.0" | 9 | 5 | 32° – 50° |
| May | 66° | 44° | 3.5" | 0.2" | 12 | 0 | 50° – 62° |
| June | 76° | 55° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 60° – 70° |
| July | 80° | 59° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 62° – 76° |
| August | 78° | 57° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 62° – 72° |
| September | 71° | 48° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 53° – 64° |
| October | 56° | 35° | 2.2" | 1.4" | 8 | 1 | 38° – 51° |
| November | 40° | 22° | 1.1" | 7.8" | 6 | 9 | 19° – 42° |
| December | 26° | 11° | 0.8" | 13.6" | 7 | 23 | 5° – 25° |
| Year | 52° | 33° | 27.2" | 60.7" | 102 | 106 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 4° to 29°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Toronto’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Toronto’s center.
- Snow: Clear Lake, SD.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Astoria 4s, SD, 7 miles from the town’s center, 100 ft lower; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Toronto’s climate
What is the weather like in Toronto?
A typical July afternoon reaches 80°, a January night drops to 5°, and about 61 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 98% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 91% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Toronto in winter?
January nights average 5°. About 170 nights a year reach 32° or below and 35 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 1°.
How much snow does Toronto get?
About 61 inches in a normal winter at Clear Lake, SD, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 106 days a year.
How hot does it get in Toronto?
July, with a typical high of 80° and a low of 59°. About 6 days a year reach 90° (Astoria 4s, SD).
When is the first and last frost in Toronto?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 6 and the first fall frost by October 3, about 150 frost-free days, at Astoria 4s, SD.
What growing zone is Toronto in?
Zone 4b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −23°.
What is the best time of year to visit Toronto?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Toronto getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 86% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Toronto.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.