I often speak with people in India – and they always ask about the winter in Canada. Questions range from “Is it really that cold?” to “How do you live in such a cold place?” and everything in between.
I grew up in Jaipur, in the state of Rajasthan in India. For those who don’t know Jaipur, all you need to know is that it’s a VERY hot place – summer temperatures routinely go over 47 C (116 F), and winters are never colder than about 5 C on the coldest day. It’s mostly hot and dry. So yeah, I had similar questions when I first moved abroad. I’ve been living in Canada for 3+ years now, and before that I lived in Boston for about 7 years. I think a decade’s worth of living in cold places has qualified me to write this post – so here goes!
Is it really that cold?
Yes, it really does get that cold. Toronto isn’t one of the coldest cities in Canada, but even here you can see temperatures ranging from -10 to -15 C. Add in some wind chill that can drop the “feels like” temperature by another 10 C, and you can have days that feel like -20 C.
But not every day is like that. Average winter temperature is more like -5 C, and there are plenty of days where it’s over 0. You aren’t in the deep freeze for six months.
Also, there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing. If you’re dressed in the right kind of winter gear, going for a walk in the park is well, a walk in the park! Yes it’s a bit expensive to start with, but you only really need to buy it once in a decade or so – winter jackets can last for a long time.
So yes, it can get that cold, but that doesn’t mean you need to hibernate. You just need to be prepared.
But I hate feeling cold!
Now this is something you really don’t need to worry about. The big difference between Canada and say, India, is that houses here are insulated and heated! In India, most houses are built to handle the heat and therefore they get really cold in the winters. I grew up in a house with marble floors, which is all very cool to the feet in the summer, but in the winter it got really really cold!
In fact, I was quite surprised by the fact that I actually wore fewer warm clothes in Canada as compared to India! Yes, if you go out you have to wrap up, but if you’re just sitting at home, or are in the office, you don’t need much more than a light pullover. The whole house/office is usually at a steady temperature of around 20-25 C, and that’s very comfortable. There are many days that I’m in a t-shirt the whole day.
Even if you do go out, you go from a warm house to a car that warms up pretty quick, to a mall/office/store/restaurant that is nice and warm. So it’s only really the walking around outside that can get you. If you take public transit then you have to be prepared to wait around on a cold platform (though there are warm zones on a lot of platforms) or at a cold bus stop. But other than that, it’s really not so bad. If you’re working from home (as more and more people are these days, you won’t feel the cold at all.
What do you do in the winters?
OK, so now you know that we aren’t all freezing here in Canada, you’re probably wondering what we do all winter.
Lots! There’s so many things that are only possible in the winter, and it really is a magical time of the year. Besides the obvious things you do in a big city, there’s a lot of outdoorsy things you can do as well. Learn how to ski or snowboard and you’ll start to look forward to the snow! If that sounds too much, you can do stuff like snowshoeing, skating, or simply just walk through the park.
Winter utterly transforms the familiar landscape.
These pictures are just a small glimpse of life in the winter. If you have kids, they will absolutely LOVE the snow. My son (he’s two) loves to run around in the snow and it’s hard to keep him indoors 🙂
Don’t be scared of winter. Canadians are used to it, and I’m sure you’ll grow to appreciate the cold, the quiet, and the snow.