Toronto’s annual average temperature was 8.9 degrees Celsius in 1961 to 1990 and 9.7 degrees Celsius in 1991 to 2020, and annual precipitation in the downtown record was 0.5 percent higher in the later period. Those figures come from a 2024 report prepared for the City of Toronto by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), which used the Toronto City climate station and Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) climate normals.
The same report lists the storms that did the most damage since 2000. Four of them (August 2005, July 2013, August 2018, and July 2024) exceeded the “100-year storm” in parts of the city. This page sets out the averages, the monthly changes, and the dated events, and points to ECCC for current station data.
What a climate normal is
ECCC publishes Canadian Climate Normals, which summarize long-term average conditions at a location. The newest set covers 1991 to 2020 and uses stations with at least 15 years of data in that window. Older sets cover 1981 to 2010, 1971 to 2000, 1961 to 1990, and earlier periods back to 1931 to 1960. Normals are updated at the end of each decade. A normal describes an average over 30 years, so a single wet summer or cold winter does not change it much. ECCC provides a search by place name, province, or coordinates, and a bulk download of the 1991 to 2020 data.
Because this page does not reproduce station tables, readers who need an exact monthly figure for a station should take it from ECCC’s tool. The numbers below are those the 2024 City report took from the Toronto City station in downtown Toronto. The report notes that precipitation can be very localized, so trends may differ across the city.
Temperature and precipitation since 1961
| Measure | 1961 to 1990 | 1991 to 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Annual average temperature | 8.9 degrees C | 9.7 degrees C |
| Days a year above 30 degrees C | 10 | 14 |
| Days a year below minus 20 degrees C | 2 to 3 (in recent decades) | 2 to 3 (in recent decades) |
| Heating demand | baseline | down 5.8 percent |
| Cooling demand | baseline | up 17.3 percent |
| Annual total precipitation | baseline | up 0.5 percent |
The report states that the ten warmest years on record in Toronto have all occurred since 1998, and that the share of precipitation falling as snow has declined by about 0.2 percent per decade between the 1850s and 1990s. Maximum ice cover on Lake Ontario fell by roughly 3.5 percent per decade between the 1970s and 2010s.
Which months got wetter or drier
A small change in the annual total hides larger monthly changes. Comparing 1961 to 1990 with 1991 to 2020, the report gives these changes in monthly precipitation: June rose 21.8 percent, April 19.3 percent, and January 17 percent. December fell 24.4 percent, March 19 percent, and August 12.9 percent. The report adds that daily total rain and snow records were not available from 2003 onward for the Toronto City station, so the rain-versus-snow split is measured only up to the 1990s.
Notable storms and weather events since 2000
The report summarizes dated events from City and insurance records. The figures below are as stated in the report, and the sources it cites differ in what they measure.
| Date | Event | Recorded effects |
|---|---|---|
| May 12 to 13, 2000 | Severe thunderstorm | 68 mm of rain on average (up to 73 mm); more than 3,000 basement flooding complaints |
| August 19, 2005 | Thunderstorms with hail | Over 100 mm in two to three hours (up to 153 mm); a Finch Avenue West culvert washed out; over 4,200 basement flooding complaints; over 15,000 insurance claims above $500 million |
| July 5, 2010 | Transformer station fire during a heat alert | About 250,000 people without power after a fire at an Etobicoke transformer station, restored around 8:30 p.m. |
| July 8, 2013 | Slow-moving thunderstorms | Over 100 mm in about three hours (up to 138 mm); at least 300,000 residents and businesses without power; over 4,700 basement flooding complaints; about $940 million in insured damage in the Greater Toronto Area |
| December 21 to 22, 2013 | Ice storm | Freezing rain for more than 40 hours; about 416,000 residents and businesses without power; electricity fully restored January 1, 2014 |
| Spring 2017 and 2019 | High Lake Ontario levels | Peak of 75.93 m on May 27, 2017, and 76.03 m on May 29, 2019 (IGLD85) |
| August 7, 2018 | Slow-moving tropical storm | 80 to 100 mm of rain within two hours; over 1,000 basement flooding complaints; more than $80 million in insured damage |
| July 16, 2024 | Intense thunderstorms | More than 100 mm in some areas within three hours; about 167,000 residents and businesses without power at the peak; over 700 basement flooding complaints by that evening |
The report says the July 2013 storm was, at the time, the most expensive natural disaster in Ontario’s history by insured damage. For July 2024 it cites the Insurance Bureau of Canada as reporting more than $940 million in insured damage in Toronto and southern Ontario, a figure of the same size as the 2013 one but measured over a different area. The 2003 power failure is a separate event, covered in The August 2003 Blackout.
Heat warnings and what they mean
In southern Ontario, a heat warning is issued when two or more consecutive days are forecast with daytime highs of 31 degrees C or more and overnight lows of 20 degrees C or more, or when two or more consecutive days are forecast with a humidex of 40 or higher, the report says, citing the Ontario Ministry of Health. A heat warning was in effect in Toronto from June 17 to 21, 2024. In the summer of 2005, Toronto Public Health reported 8 Heat Alert days and 18 Extreme Heat Alert days. For current alerts, the City of Toronto and ECCC are the official sources.
For snowfall figures and earlier records such as earthquakes and the 1954 hurricane, see Toronto’s weather and climate records and Hurricane Hazel in 1954.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average annual temperature in Toronto?
The City’s 2024 climate report gives 9.7 degrees Celsius for 1991 to 2020 at the Toronto City station, up from 8.9 degrees for 1961 to 1990. Other stations in the city can differ, so ECCC’s normals tool is the place to check a specific location.
Is Toronto known for frequent rainfall?
The report does not rank Toronto against other places. It says total annual precipitation changed little (up 0.5 percent) between 1961 to 1990 and 1991 to 2020, while June, April, and January became wetter and December, March, and August drier.
How much rain fell in the July 2013 storm?
Over 100 mm in about three hours, and up to 138 mm in some places, according to the Toronto Water figures cited in the City report. The August 2005 storm recorded up to 153 mm.
Where can the official weather records be found?
Environment and Climate Change Canada publishes the Canadian Climate Normals and historical station data. The City of Toronto publishes its own climate reports, including the 2024 report used here.
Last verified: October 2026
Sources
- Toronto and Region Conservation Authority for the City of Toronto, Toronto’s Current and Future Climate, 2024: toronto.ca (PDF)
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, “Canadian Climate Normals”: climate.weather.gc.ca
- City of Toronto, “Toronto at a Glance”: toronto.ca
Related reading
- Lake Ontario and the rivers of Toronto
- Toronto’s lost rivers and ravines
- Toronto Hydro: history of the utility
- Toronto Islands: history
- Toronto facts: location, population, geography and weather
Cite this page
APA: History of Toronto. (2026, October 25). Toronto Rainfall, Storms and Climate Records. http://localhost:8210/blog/toronto-rainfall-storms-and-climate-records
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