Ottawa is 1.1°C (2°F) warmer by day, Toronto has 8.6°C (15.5°F) warmer nights, Ottawa gets 281 mm (11.1 in) more rain a year.
Ottawa is at its warmest in July and coolest in January, while Toronto peaks in July and bottoms out in January. Month for month, Toronto is the warmer of the two in 9 of 12 months.
Ottawa is the wetter of the two, collecting 966 mm (38 in) of rain a year against 685 mm (27 in) in Toronto. The most comfortable time to visit is June, July and August in Ottawa and June, July and August in Toronto.
| Ottawa | Metric | Toronto |
|---|---|---|
| 🌡️ Temperature | ||
| 19.1°C | 🌡️Average daytime high | 18°C |
| -9.1°C | 🌙Average nighttime low | -0.5°C |
| July | 🔥Hottest month | July |
| January | ❄️Coldest month | January |
| 🌧️ Rain | ||
| 966 mm | 🌧️Annual rainfall | 685 mm |
| June | ☔Wettest month | July |
| February | 🏜️Driest month | February |
| 💨 Climate | ||
| 84% | 💧Average humidity | 78% |
| 0.6 m/s | 💨Average wind speed | 4.1 m/s |
Overnight, Ottawa typically falls to around -9.1°C (15.6°F) while Toronto settles near -0.5°C (31.1°F).
Ottawa is hottest in July and coldest in January, whereas Toronto peaks in July and is coolest in January.
Ottawa sees the most rain in June and the least in February; Toronto is wettest in July and driest in February.
Ottawa feels the more humid of the two, averaging 84% relative humidity against 78%.
For Toronto, the pick of the year is June, July and August.
Month by month, here is the coldest night, the average day and the hottest afternoon each city can expect. Switch Compare to read rainfall, humidity, wind or solar instead, and Period to move between the long-term 45-year average and any single year — the shading is a quick warm-to-cool guide.
| Month | Ottawa | Toronto | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Min | Avg | Max | Min | Avg | Max | |
| January | -32.5 | -15❄️ | 2.6 | -13.9 | -3.7❄️ | 6.5 |
| February | -29.8 | -13.5 | 2.9 | -13.4 | -3.3 | 6.8 |
| March | -23.2 | -5.1 | 12.9 | -10.3 | 0.8 | 12 |
| April | -7.6 | 7 | 21.6 | -3.1 | 6.7 | 16.4 |
| May | -1.2 | 12.9 | 26.9 | 2.3 | 12.5 | 22.6 |
| June | 5.5 | 17.6 | 29.7 | 7.8 | 17.2 | 26.5 |
| July | 9.6 | 20.2🔥 | 30.9 | 13 | 20.7🔥 | 28.5 |
| August | 8.2 | 19.4 | 30.6 | 13.3 | 20.6 | 28 |
| September | 2.5 | 15.3 | 28 | 8.5 | 17.1 | 25.7 |
| October | -3.9 | 9.4 | 22.6 | 2.5 | 11.4 | 20.3 |
| November | -11.2 | 1.9 | 14.9 | -3.3 | 5.4 | 14 |
| December | -25.8 | -9.9 | 6 | -9.2 | -0.3 | 8.6 |
| Annual Avg | -9.1 | 5 | 19.1 | -0.5 | 8.8 | 18 |
Min / mean / max temperature (°C). 🔥 marks each city's hottest month, ❄️ its coldest; shading runs cool blue to warm red.
The same figures plotted out, so the shape of a typical year is easier to see than in a grid. Where the two lines run close together Ottawa and Toronto feel alike; where they separate, they are genuinely different places to be.
Hover or tap any point to read the exact figures. Ottawa Toronto
See how Ottawa and Toronto stack up against other cities. Swipe for more.
Choose which city to keep, then search for any other city in our database — we'll build the comparison for you.
Quick answers to the questions people ask most when comparing Ottawa and Toronto — each drawn straight from the climate figures above.
Ottawa is the warmer of the two. It averages daytime highs of 19.1°C (66.4°F) against 18°C (64.4°F) in Toronto — roughly 1.1°C (2°F) warmer by day. Nights are milder in Toronto, with average lows of -0.5°C (31.1°F) versus -9.1°C (15.6°F).
Ottawa is hottest in July, averaging highs of about 30.9°C (87.6°F), while Toronto peaks in July at around 28.5°C (83.2°F). That makes Ottawa the hotter of the two at the height of summer.
Ottawa gets colder. In its coldest month (January) overnight lows average about -32.5°C (-26.5°F), compared with -13.9°C (7°F) at the low point of the year in Toronto.
Ottawa is the wetter city, collecting about 966 mm (38 in) of rain a year versus 685 mm (27 in) in Toronto. Ottawa is wettest in June and driest in February; Toronto is wettest in July and driest in February.
Ottawa is the more humid of the two, averaging 84% relative humidity over the year against 78% in Toronto.
The most comfortable months in Ottawa are June, July and August, when average temperatures are at their mildest.
Toronto is at its most pleasant around June, July and August, based on the mildest average temperatures of the year.
Toronto is the warmer city in 9 of the 12 months of the year. The gap is widest in January, about 11.3°C (20.3°F), and narrowest in April, about 0.3°C (0.5°F).
Ottawa has the bigger seasonal swing, about 35.2°C (63.4°F) between its coldest and hottest months versus 24.4°C (43.9°F) in Toronto — so Toronto has the steadier, more even climate.
It depends what matters most to you: choose Ottawa for warmer weather, pick Toronto if you prefer drier conditions and go for Toronto if you want lower humidity. There is no single "better" climate — it comes down to whether you value warmth, dryness or comfort most.
Every figure on this page is calculated from NASA POWER satellite climate data spanning 1981–2025 (45 years). The averages describe the long-term climate of Ottawa and Toronto, not a single year's weather or a short-range forecast.
