33C in Ottawa

Believe it or not, it actually gets very hot in Canada in the summer. It surprised me when I first came here—I thought the temperature would be in the twenties, at most!

Summers in Ottawa are typically hot, humid, hazy and stuffy. Some people love it (I do!), some people hate it and can’t wait for cooler temperatures. It’s true that they can sometimes be hard to deal with. Houses are built for the winter and tend to trap the heat. Most people use air-con but I’m not a huge fan, I find it makes the air really dry.

In winter, people measure the cold using the “windchill” factor. During the summer, we go by the “humidex”, an index to describe how hot the weather feels to the average person. Canadian meteorologists love to invent new words!

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14 Comments

  1. Neeraj June 17, 2011 at 8:13 pm

    It’s interesting how the actual temperature is almost always irrelevant in Canada – Humidex and Wind Chill are important measures here!

    And don’t Canadians love to complain about the weather? hah

    Reply
    1. Zhu June 19, 2011 at 12:23 am

      We LOVE complaining about the winter, hot or cold, and commenting it. It’s a national pastime!

      Reply
  2. Brandon June 18, 2011 at 2:44 am

    being that it is only 90f I think I could get used to that, im used to upper 90s, but I have heard bad things about the winter…which I am thoroughly looking forward too considering how much I love the cold

    Reply
    1. Zhu June 19, 2011 at 12:23 am

      Winter here is an interesting experience but overall it’s not as bad as most people think. It’s cold outside but we have good heating systems indoors!

      Reply
  3. Jeruen June 18, 2011 at 5:42 am

    33C? That is the same temperature in the Philippines when I was there a while ago!

    Reply
    1. Zhu June 19, 2011 at 12:24 am

      And it felt like SE Asia, trust me!

      Reply
  4. Yogi June 18, 2011 at 9:20 am

    You guys have quite a range of temps. 90F is a pretty cool day this time of year in Tulsa but we have our share of very nice sunny 45F days in the depths of winter.

    Reply
  5. Pauline June 19, 2011 at 12:14 pm

    I love the heat, but it is a real pleasure when you have a lake, river or pool to jump into. There’s nothing better than cold beer, lukewarm lake and snoozing in the shade!

    Reply
    1. Zhu June 19, 2011 at 8:17 pm

      I hear you! I wish we had a cottage or or knew someone who had one, just to escape for a weekend.

      Reply
  6. Cynthia June 19, 2011 at 3:59 pm

    Those days I used to go the public pool … In Paris I just sit in front of the fan 😉

    Reply
  7. Laurel June 20, 2011 at 6:03 am

    Thank you for showing that Canada is not always a cold place and that it can get very warm! :). My German friends are always surprised when I tell them the temperatures in the summer. I think they think it’s cold all the time.

    Reply
    1. Zhu June 21, 2011 at 9:41 am

      Lots of my French friends are shocked too! We don’t have much of a spring here but when it’s summer… it’s actually hot and sunny!

      Reply
  8. jade June 20, 2011 at 7:05 am

    We were in Vancouver last weekend and it was warmer than I thought- one day we went bike riding and I actually had to remove my jacket and just wear my tank top!

    Reply
    1. Zhu June 21, 2011 at 9:42 am

      It’s pretty hot right now in Ottawa too, and I love it! I leave my jacket at home these days unless I go to a place with air-con, such as a movie theatre.

      Reply

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