As a fellow Canadian I completely understand the hardships of weather patterns in Toronto Canada. In 2011 it's proving to be an especially scorching summer, something that can't be said about London England.
In Toronto the swings of seasons are clear, hot summers, wet autumns, freezing winters and warm springs. Though ask any Canadian and the desire for an end to winter followed by a few months of teasing warm spring days always has us praying for those hot summer days to follow. Ah, the joy of feeling the hot air, swims in outdoor pools or lakes, BBQs, camping and all outdoor sports are welcome, because we know around the corner the summer will end and soon we'll huddle inside to our 25°C (77 F) homes of winter for six months of the year.
In England scorching is defined as 23°C (73.4 F) or more, as described by broadcasters BBC, Sky News and ITV. Summer of 2011 in the month of July has been wet and grey, that burning ball of fire in the sky is rarely visible. Of the 90 days of an English summer it rains or is cloudy for 42 days, thats approximately every other day, according to weather statistics.
London is hosting the summer Olympics of 2012, and the stadium has no roof. Whoowhaa!
Summer days rarely reach beyond 25°C (77 F), on my way to work it's just short of 20°C (68 F) and soon I'll be entering into an office building where the air conditioning will be on full. I keep a jumper in my desk to layer up when the cold air blows down the vents above me, along with the black soot that marks it's passage.
England can reduce it's carbon footprint simply by turning down or off it's unnecessary air-con units, for the number of warm days that it does get, the 4 or 5 days just do not justify such utilities, unless your in Gravesend of course - which holds the record for the hottest days.
An English summer is followed by autumn/winter, which really is about the same. Warm and cool days, more wet weather. Grey. Followed by more grey days. Winter dips down, almost 0°C (32 F) sometimes, but winters here are damp and humid, sinking deeply beyond the skin and into the bones. I find this worse than the dry winters of Toronto where the wind is the worst of it, usually an outer windproof shell is enough to hold in the layered warmth.
Warm to me is defined as 25°C (77 F), hot as 30°C+ (86 F), scorching as beyond 35°C+ (95 F). Below 20°C (68 F) is cool, below 10°C (50 F) is cold, and below 0°C (32 F) is freezing.
By my definition, summers in London are cool and warm (sometimes), grey, and rarely hot. This explains why the Mediterranean is such a popular destination for Brits. Sunshine makes you happy and feel good.
Half way through summer and still no sign of it in London, I read reports from friends in Toronto complaining about the heat - at least in Canada you get a summer.
