| Geography And Climate Of Toronto |
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The City of Toronto covers an area of 641 km&2 (247 square miles) and is bounded by Lake Ontario to the south, Etobicoke Creek and Highway 427 to the west, Steeles Avenue to the north, and the Rouge River to the east. In addition to Etobicoke Creek and the Rouge River, the city is intersected by two major rivers and their tributaries, the Humber River in the west end and the Don River just east of the central core. The concentration and protection of ravines allows for large tracts of denseley forested valleys with recreational trails within the city. The Greater Toronto Area (GTA) extends beyond the city boundaries and includes the regional municipalities of Halton , Peel , York and Durham . The GTA is part of a larger, natural ecosystem known as the Greater Toronto Bioregion . This ecosystem is bounded by Lake Ontario, the Niagara Escarpment , and the Oak Ridges Moraine , and includes many watersheds that drain into Lake Ontario. It is also located at the northern extent of the Carolinian Forest zone. Toronto's climate is moderated by Lake Ontario; its climate is among the mildest and least snowy in Canada east of the Rocky Mountain range. That said, the climate has great annual variability, particularly during the winter months. Mild periods do occur throughout the winter (temperatures in the 5-10 °C range (40s°F) or even higher are not uncommon) triggering regular melting, added to that the urban heat island effect there are snow free periods even in mid-winter. The average January maximum is -2 °C (28 °F). There are usually two or three bitter cold snaps each year, where maximum temperatures only reach into the -10°C to -15°C range and these are usually accompanied by strong winds making it feel even colder. Despite Toronto's reputation within Canada as a warm city compared to most other Canadian and even some world cities, overall Toronto experiences quite cool to cold weather conditions for most of the year, except in summer and during warm periods of spring and fall. Due to its location on the northwest shore of Lake Ontario Toronto is not so prone to heavy, wind-whipped Lake Effect Snow Squall s experienced in nearby American cities such as Rochester , Buffalo and Syracuse, NY or elsewhere in Southern Ontario , e.g. Barrie and London . All these cities are located to the south or east of The Lakes making them more vulnerable to predominate winds creating lake effect snow. Despite this, there is usually two or more heavy snowfalls each winter with at least 20 cm (8 In ) accumulation. They can be accompanied by strong east or north-east winds fetching additional Moisture from Lake Ontario. Average winter snowfall is 133 cm (52 in). , 2005 and is thought to have been a contributing factor in an Air France Airbus A340 Crash Landing Into A Ravine that afternoon. The second happened on the afternoon of August 19 , 2005 in what has been described as a "once in a thousand year" event, up to 183 mm (over 7 In ) of rain fell in parts of the northern end of the city in under a couple of hours. Numerous roadways and bridges were washed out and Insurance Claims from backed up sewers and flood damage exceeded $500 million - the worst flood in Toronto in 51 Years . One major thoroughfare, Finch Avenue West, was completely washed out by Black Creek creating a huge 7 m (23')deep hole. Re-construction of the roadway is still underway as of January 2006. Springs and Autumn s feature varied, changeable weather with alternating periods of dry, sunny weather and rain. Nights are generally cool, but frosts are rare in the city. Snow can fall in early spring or late fall but usually melts quickly or even before making contact with the ground. Also it is at these times of year where great temperature contrasts (up to 30 °C) can occur in a short time frame. Along the Lake Ontario shoreline, spring days tend to be much cooler than further inland, whereas from late summer to early winter, nights are warmer the closer you are to the lake. The highest temperatures in Toronto was 41 °C (105 °F) recorded on 3 consecutive days from July 7 - July 9 , 1936 . The coldest -33 °C (-25 °F) was recorded on January 10 , 1859 . Annual average Precipitation is 83.4 cm (32.8 in). |
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