Moving from Toronto

[sergit]

Hi everyone
great forum first of all!
I currently live in Greater Toronto, visited Vancouver a few times and fell in love with it. My wife and myself are thinking about moving to west cost some time next year. I don't know yet temporary or permanently.
We have friends who moved to West Vancouver from Toronto 4 years ago and they still didn't come back.
We visited them a couple times (both times in August) and it was great. We are into outdoor activities a lot. And there is much more opportunities here then in Ontario - diving, hiking, skiing. You know better then me.
So my question basically is - how bad is THE RAIN really? Is it really wet and gloom for 9 month here? Is it hard for you? How do you cope?

[go_leafs_go02]

Originally Posted by sergit

Hi everyone
great forum first of all!
I currently live in Greater Toronto, visited Vancouver a few times and fell in love with it. My wife and myself are thinking about moving to west cost some time next year. I don't know yet temporary or permanently.
We have friends who moved to West Vancouver from Toronto 4 years ago and they still didn't come back.
We visited them a couple times (both times in August) and it was great. We are into outdoor activities a lot. And there is much more opportunities here then in Ontario - diving, hiking, skiing. You know better then me.
So my question basically is - how bad is THE RAIN really? Is it really wet and gloom for 9 month here? Is it hard for you? How do you cope?

I grew up in London, and moved here in January 2009.

I love it here to be honest, the rain gets old sometime, but in January I'd rather have rain and +6 than snow and -15. However, it gets old by April & May when you see Ontario warming up, and here it's still rainy.

Only downside here I find is the anti-ontario sentiment (don't tell ppl you are from Ontario - particularily Toronto) and the poor highways and roads here. Just compare the QEW/427 to Highway #1 here. If you take transit, then no big deal, but to drive around here can be a nightmare.

[Stingray2004]

Originally Posted by sergit

So my question basically is - how bad is THE RAIN really? Is it really wet and gloom for 9 month here? Is it hard for you? How do you cope?

Actually, it's wetter in Toronto from about mid-April to mid-September as the following graph illustrates. Summers in Vancouver are great. Vancouver does have a cloudy/gloomy/wet season from about October to about April though (esp. November/December).

We have friends who moved to West Vancouver from Toronto 4 years ago and they still didn't come back.

And then it depends upon where you live within Metro Vancouver. Living in West Vancouver you live by the mountains - meaning more clouds/rain and less sunshine.

If you reside in the southern Metro Vancouver suburbs of Tsawwassen/White Rock, for example, then you proverbially can have 1/2 the rainfall and twice the sunshine of West Vancouver.

From one web source, unverified annual rainfall figures in Metro Vancouver are as follows:

West Vancouver/North Vancouver/Coquitlam - 100 inches+
(adjacent to mountains)

Vancouver/Fraser Valley - 60 inches

Tsawwassen/White Rock - 30 inches



http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=183777

[DKaz]

In Vancouver and Victoria, grass is green in the winter and brown in the summer, opposite of most of the rest of Canada.

I'm generally ok with all the rain unless we go a month straight without sun. My mom in law has a sun lamp to deal with the rainy blues. However the sun does come out once in awhile, and then it gets cold but that's because there are no clouds to keep the heat in. It's usually either above freezing and rainy or below freezing and sunny. There are the odd times when it's sunny and way above freezing (December 2007) and way below freezing with precipitation (December 2008-January 2009 when Vancouver was paralysed with about a meter of snow).

Actually we have been trending over the past three years towards snowier winter seasons with snow that sticks around for at least two weeks although the past winter has been pretty mild, much to the dismay of the Winter Olympics lol.

If you can stand 9 months of generally wet weather, you'll love the 3 months of gorgeous weather. And for a few of those 9 wet months, you can go up to any of the three local mountains in 30 to 60 minutes to enjoy some good skiing/snowboarding, after you've played a round of golf (bring an umbrella) and done some kayaking (you're going to get a little wet regardless).

[cabotp]

Last winter was warmer than normal. I don't think we even had a snowfall or at least not one that stuck around.

It seems to be swinging back and forth recently. One winter will be mild and warmer than normal. The next we go into a cold snap or what is considered a Vancouver cold snap

As for the rain it never has bothered me. I guess cause I've always lived here so it is something I'm just used to seeing.

[Windex]

I moved here in April 2008 from Ontario (Peterborough, to be specific). The rain wasn't as bad as I was expecting, more or less picture something similar to late fall (rainy and above freezing or sunny and just below) lasting through until Spring. That said, the two winters I've experienced so far have been far from typical, so we'll see what this winter brings? Summer weather is almost the same as Southern Ontario minus some of the humidity and the thunderstorms/downpours that result from it. As has been mentioned, the best way to avoid the rain is to live further from the mountains; Richmond, Delta and South Surrey/White Rock are all good bets.

[trofirhen]

As has been posted above, the city climate -rainfall especially - varies widely upon which part of the city you live in. Someone up in Canyon Heights can expected uninterrupted days (weeks, sometimes) of winter rain and gloom, whil someone in Tsawassen will see a lot more sunshine.

Overall, though, the winters here are not very unlike Seattle, Paris, or London.

The people who experience the severest winter problems are the one with SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER, or "SAD." This has found to have neorochemical causes and indeed is triggered by insufficient exposure to sunlight. If you suffer from this, plan ahead and arrange for medical light treatment.

Otherwise, packing an umbrella around for a few months of the year is certainly much easier than wasting a weekend digging out you driveway!

We all hope you enjoy your stint in Vancouver

[djmk]

i find the rain really bothers me in early spring. at that point, i'm sick of being wet and i want the good weather to start. and once the good weather starts, man, this is a beautiful city!

i find the best skiing in February. Cypress, Seymour and Grouse are all 30min from Vancouver.

[sergit]

Thank you for all the information
Looks like quite a few people here already made the move
I had no idea that amount of rain can be so much different around the same area. Something to think about. I like that in west/north Vancouver mountains and ocean are right there.
The only season I really like in Ontario is fall. It's beautiful here with all the colors and usually mostly sunny and warm days. Summer is too hot and humid, winters can be fun but driving in the ice and snow and constant snow-plowing gets really annoying. Looking forward for a change of scenery

[Hed Kandi]

Originally Posted by sergit

So my question basically is - how bad is THE RAIN really? Is it really wet and gloom for 9 month here? Is it hard for you? How do you cope?

Bring an umbrella, plenty of Vitamin D, and you'll be fine.

[delboy]

the whole "it rains less in white rock vs vancouver" etc is missleading. When you look at total days of rain there's not much in it. Canadian Climate Norms put vancouver at aroudn 161 days and white rock at aroudn 140 days. Perhaps there's less total rain fall (about 1000 vs 1200) but its still raining and or overcast.

Total hours of sunshine tells a similar story. White rock may get about 150 hours more (most definately not twice the sun - that's an urban legend).

incidentally, to illustrate a point, Liverpool UK only gets about half the rain of vancouver, but rain falls on something like 280 days with only about 1200 hours of sunshine

I've lived all over and don;'t notice much difference to be honest, north van does get a bit wetter but overall it hasn't felt that different and i'd hasard a guess that the north shore is more desirable than white rock. White rock is marginally better than vancouver.

I personally get tired of teh winter rains. Rain outside of nov through march is not a major issue and summer is outstanding. I try to get away during the winter

[delboy]

Originally Posted by trofirhen

As has been posted above, the city climate -rainfall especially - varies widely upon which part of the city you live in. Someone up in Canyon Heights can expected uninterrupted days (weeks, sometimes) of winter rain and gloom, whil someone in Tsawassen will see a lot more sunshine.

Overall, though, the winters here are not very unlike Seattle, Paris, or London.

The people who experience the severest winter problems are the one with SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER, or "SAD." This has found to have neorochemical causes and indeed is triggered by insufficient exposure to sunlight. If you suffer from this, plan ahead and arrange for medical light treatment.

Otherwise, packing an umbrella around for a few months of the year is certainly much easier than wasting a weekend digging out you driveway!

We all hope you enjoy your stint in Vancouver

very true .... vancouver is a lot like London but with better and more reliable summers. A bit wetter though in the winter

[SpongeG]

well it is called a rain forest

it doesn't bother me much - one sunny day in january walking around the seawal;l makes up for the 30 other rainy days - which is not always the case it doesn't full on rain that much

and most of the time is a misty rain and you don't need an umbrella just a good MEC jacket

[RosstheBoss]

Though the rain can get a little depressing, especially during November where it rains every single day, I find that many places in metro vancouver take on a certain type of beauty during the rain. Except surrey, well more specifically Whalley. For some reason every time it rains in Whalley i just feel depressed when i go through there.

[agrant]

For me, one of the great things about rain is that a lot of people don't like being in it. It is the perfect time to get out and get things done (i.e., going to the grocery store, going to that restaurant that always has a huge lineup out the door, going shopping...). Sunny days are great, but that's when EVERYONE is out and about in this city.

As for where to live, I wouldn't make my decision based on weather. I'd try to live close to work. Try to pick a place that doesn't require you to cross major bridges as these are often traffic headaches.

[jsbertram]

And if you're really in need of sun, we're 4 hours closer to Hawaii.

It's delightfully decadent to do Easter in Hawaii:
Fly out Thurs night after work & be checked into the hotel and in the bars there before midnight.
Party & suntan all weekend.
Fly back Monday afternoon & be home in time to get some sleep before work Tuesday morning.

However, you end up spending the rest of the week explaining why you have a tan that you didn't have the week before & it had rained all Easter weekend in Vancouver.

[ozonemania]

To me, November rains feel worse because it gets dark so early. It can be mid afternoon and the sky is already dark. Some days it doesn't even feel like it really fully became daytime. There always seems to be a week like this in November.

December thru February I actually prefer the cloud and rain (interspersed with occassional sunny days) because it means mild temperatures. Sometimes those sunny days can be really cold! It's because in winter, it's generally still humid here, so cold sunny just feels alot colder than it is.

I think the most apprehension I have is when it comes to springtime. You can tell people are just waiting for those beautiful spring days when the air is crisp and sweet, the sun gently warming the earth and the sun shines through broken clouds. The depressing part is when they don't happen early enough or often enough. It's like waiting and then being stood up.

Also, rain here is quite diverse. We don't have just one type of rain. The most common rain is what we call 'showers' which is weaker than 'rain' and more than 'drizzle'. Our heaviest rainfall is in November, then it becomes more and more like showers as time goes on. We rarely get heavy heavy torrenteal rain like monsoons, and that fine drizzle doesn't really happen that much either. Many climates feature a rain pattern that has big giant clouds that roll across the land dumping huge amounts of water and then passing by. Vancouver is not like this.

Vancouver summers are really nice. We seem to often get an early summer late May to early June, then it seems to get wetter and cooler before finally getting warm again in July. September to October -- if it's clear out, it is really really nice. If not then see November.

[cabotp]

Originally Posted by delboy

the whole "it rains less in white rock vs vancouver" etc is missleading. When you look at total days of rain there's not much in it. Canadian Climate Norms put vancouver at aroudn 161 days and white rock at aroudn 140 days. Perhaps there's less total rain fall (about 1000 vs 1200) but its still raining and or overcast.winter

Even still it does feels like the amount of water being dumped. Feels far less in places like Richmond Delta and White Rock. It may be much of a difference but I've noticed it in that past.

When I used to work in Ricmond on the north side of the island. A lot of times I'd see an overcast sky but no rain. I'd look over into Vancouver and you could see the rain falling.

[SpongeG]

my fave part is the late february blossoms

[sergit]

My least favorite is the late February blizzards.
Here in Ontario.

So what is your favorite area in Greater Vancouver if driving to work is not an issue (I'll be working from home)?