If you want to move to Canada for a change of scenery, but don’t want to commit to the snow, check out the 10 warmest sunniest places to live in Canada. When you hear anyone talking about Canada, I’m sure your initial reaction is to think about freezing temperatures. While that is understandable because of the really low temperatures the country experiences during the winter, it does, in fact, get warmer.
Canada is the second largest country in the world and most parts of its territory experience all four seasons. The territories reach five different time zones, so there’s a lot of variety in climate and landscape. Most people who live in Canada know that average Canadian temperatures do tend to be on the colder side, so when looking at the warmest places it’s mostly a battle among the cities that have the most number of sunny days per year.
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To take a look at the 10 warmest sunniest places to live in Canada it comes down to how frequently the sun shines there, since the sunshine usually means warmer weather. Being part of the list by no means says that it never rains there or it is forever summer, rather it means that these places see the sun more often than other parts of the country.
People tend to thrive in places where it’s warmed. We’re actually designed that way, which explains the frizzy hair, runny nose, and dry skin we tend to experience when it’s cold outside. Most people subscribe to the belief that warm, sunny places feel more “homey” compared to other cities. I, on the other hand, hate when it’s too hot outside and it makes me uncomfortable. I’d rather there be a bit of a chill in the air so I can wear a nice coat.
To compile this list and factor in the rankings, we used the number of sunny hours a city gets in a year and the highest temperature ever recorded in the city to determine where to place each Canadian city on the list. The cities with the greatest average of sunny days in a year shot to the top of the list.
If you want to know about the warmest places in the rest of the world, check out our list of 21 Cities with the Best Climate in the World Year Round. Keep reading for some knowledge about warmest sunniest places to live in Canada!
10. Toronto, Ontario
Average sunny hours in a year: 2,066
Highest temperature: 104°F
Toronto is well-known for its spectacular location near the Great Lakes. Its location is what makes its climate great. While it can get pretty cold in the winter and temperatures drop, it still has some of the most bearable temperatures in the country. World Weather Online described Toronto’s weather as best around July and August where it stays 78.8°F.
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9. Ottawa, Ontario
Average sunny hours in a year: 2,084
Highest temperature: 95°F
Ottawa is one of the cities in Canada that experiences all four seasons. It can be as high as 95°F in the summer, but it also gets pretty cold and icy during the winter. The city is known to have unpredictable weather that yields to the extremes, but there are more sunny days here than in most Canadian cities. The hottest months are July and August, which is when temperatures can be as high as 104°F when you factor in humidity.
8. Victoria, British Columbia
Average sunny hours in a year: 2,109
Highest temperature: 71°F
Because of its strategic sub-Mediterranean location, Victoria has the mildest climate in the country. Its winter is a lot more manageable than in other areas and enjoys eight months of frost-free weather. Summers have the hottest temperatures, as expected, usually around July and August. The average rainfall is only 33.1 inches per year as opposed to about 50 inches of rain in New York.
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7. Hamilton, Ontario
Average sunny hours in a year: 2,111
Highest temperature: 77°F
Situated near Lake Ontario, Hamilton has great weather. Like most of the cities on this list of warmest sunniest places to live in Canada, the warmest weather is during the summer in July and August. The hottest it usually gets is up to 77°F, which is perfect for when you want to enjoy the city’s parks and walkways.
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6. Thunder Bay, Ontario
Average sunny hours in a year: 2,121
Highest temperature: 95°F
Even if Thunder Bay is usually associated with snow and winter activities like sledding and skiing, you can’t deny that it sees more sunny days than other Canadian cities. The city has extreme weather temperatures. The winter is freezing and the summer reaches as high as 95°F. The hottest temperatures are usually between May and September.
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5. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Average sunny hours in a year: 2,268
Highest temperature: 107°F
When it’s not summer, Saskatoon experiences a cool breeze that’s great for walking around the city parks. Like other Canadian cities, the hottest temperatures are during the summer from July to September and it reaches an average of about 78°F. The average monthly temperature is high enough to warrant its place on the list of 10 warmest sunniest places to live in Canada.
4. Regina, Saskatchewan
Average sunny hours in a year: 2,318
Highest temperature: 111.02°F
Even though Regina’s average annual temperature is a little on the colder side, the city still sees more sunny days than neighboring areas. It’s hottest in July when temperatures soar as high as 79.3°F. It’s almost always sunny here, which is why the monthly temperatures hover around the high range.
3. Edmonton, Alberta
Average sunny hours in a year: 2,345
Highest temperature: 99°F
The number three on our list of warmest sunniest places to live in Canada is Edmonton that has one of Canada’s loveliest climates. It’s almost always sunny, except when it gets really cold in the winter. That being said, the city still one of the sunniest climates and it experiences rain rarely. The summers are sunny and the average July temperature is 71°F. Edmonton does, though, have quite unpredictable weather.
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2. Winnipeg, Manitoba
Average sunny hours in a year: 2,353
Highest temperature: 108°F
Winnipeg is situated in a prairie location and has the extremes of Canada’s weather — a lot of sunny hours but very cold winters. Despite the long winters and short summers, Winnipeg still has clearer skies more than others. Their winters aren’t actually as bad as they are in Toronto. The hottest month here is July, when temperatures reach as high as 78.8°F.
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1. Calgary, Alberta
Average sunny hours in a year: 2,396
Highest temperature: 96.98°F
Calgary has extremely cold winters, much like the rest of Canada, but it has sunny weather and little rainfall as well. Most of the year its residents enjoy clear skies and a cool breeze. July and August are its hottest months when temperatures reach up to 73.4°F. It’s almost always windy in Calgary thanks to its location where there are natural barriers to the wind. Much like its neighbor Edmonton, Calgary is also notorious for having an unpredictable, stubborn climate.
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While we know of Canada as a place to go see a lot of snow, this list of the 10 warmest sunniest places to live in Canada shows that there’s more to it than just cold weather. There are also sunny summers to enjoy.
