Toronto’s Autumn Weather Becomes a Rather Hot Topic

Canadians are becoming increasingly amused by Americans who seem to be asking if they live in igloos and wear snowshoes. With the possibility of a first World Series outside the United States the questions are more frequent.

“I’m not sure if a lot of Americans believe that as soon as you cross the border you have to put on snowshoes but the way they sort of ask questions it makes you think, is that what they believe?” said a Canadian Environment Department weatherwoman, who, with the hot showing by the Toronto Blue Jays, has fielded many U.S. inquiries about Toronto weather in late October.

True, it snowed the first time the Blue Jays played at home, whipping the Chicago White Sox, 9-5, at Exhibition Stadium April 7, 1977. It also sounds colder in Toronto because Canadians mark temperature by Celsius rather than Fahrenheit--for example, 80 degrees Fahrenheit translates to 26.7 Celsius.

But the weatherman wants to clear up some myths.

“It’s really quite nice here and I’ve never seen anyone in Toronto wear snowshoes,” said the official at the Environment Department’s Ontario Climate Center. “We have Indian summers here which are very nice.”

Toronto catcher Ernie Whitt, a Detroit native, agreed.

“I think I can safely say that whatever the weather will be in Toronto, it won’t be any different in Detroit or Milwaukee or Chicago or New York,” he said. “We’ve played here in April in the snow with the temperature barely above freezing and the winds howling. I don’t think the weather can be any worse than that for the playoffs.”

Toronto lies south of several U.S. cities, including Seattle and Minneapolis. It also is south of the states of Washington, Montana and North Dakota, much of Oregon, Idaho, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Maine and parts of New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Michigan and Wyoming.

Toronto Mayor Art Eggleton, expecting the Blue Jays to make the World Series, considers the weather is “looking good.”

“Anybody that’s coming up from the States for the World Series better bring their bathing suits,” he said jokingly.

The Series will be played in late October, with the last possible game in the best-of-seven showdown on Oct. 27 in the American League city.

The average October temperature in Toronto is 49 degrees, slightly cooler than Detroit at 51.9, Pittsburgh at 53, Milwaukee at 51 and Chicago and Boston at about 55.

The average Toronto temperature for Oct. 27 is 45, although a record low of 19 was set in 1976 and a high of 67 was marked in 1952. In Detroit, the average Oct. 27 temperature is 47, with a high of 57 and a low of 37.

As for snow, October has shown only traces based on a 30-year average, although about two inches fell Oct. 21 and 22 in 1981.

And for whatever it may be worth, the Blue Jays have Canadian weathermen on their side.

“We want the Jays to win,” said a woman at the climate center.

Also rooting for Toronto is Jack Frost, who lives in a suburb of Ottawa, the nation’s capital, where he plans to stay to watch the Series on television.

“I’m on the side of the Blue Jays,” said the 70-year-old, a third-generation and last in the line of Jack Frosts, who said he would “pray for some favorable weather, something nice and sunny, good baseball weather.”