Ottawa, ON, Canada

Wow, the weather’s really turned now.  Fall has come so quickly this year – it’s only mid-September, but already the leaves are starting to turn here in Ottawa.  Red hues are mingling with the green and yellow.

Plus, with the thermostat now hanging out in the low teens, and single digits at night, out come the jackets and woolly socks, while the tank tops and flip flops are put away for another year. Fall has definitely arrived!

While many in Ottawa know that these shorter days and colder nights are only foreshadowing towards the ominous Winter, there are certainly a few perks to Autumn that we all look forward to and enjoy.

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Most Canadians are just about sick and tired of the chilly weather by now. Had enough of -20 C temperatures, constant shoveling of driveways and sidewalks, and had chapped lips aplenty!

So, it’s not unusual for everyone to jet off to sunnier climes… Personally, I hop on a plane southwards and have a week or two in Florida. Unbelievably, they are enjoying days of +20C (and hotter) and walking around in shorts and t-shirts, while we suffer the deep freeze.

This, of course, makes many Canadians wonder ‘why the hell are we walking around in snow pants and scarves, when it’s sunny just a couple of hour’s flight away??’ D’oh!

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Much like January Weather, the winds are biting, the snow is falling, and the wind chill factor can make everything seem much colder than actuality…

Although, in recent years, some unseasonal warmer spells (not much warmer, but warm for Feb in Canada!) has led to the famous Winterlude Festival being a bit of a wash-out!!

At the annual fest, the canal is normally opened to legions of ice skaters - but only if the ice is thick enough. If the weather is too warm, then the whole thing can be rather wet and slushy, and ultimately unsafe…

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Brrrr!

In Ottawa, the weather can be brutal in the month of January. Colder than December, the bitter frostbite conditions of the ‘wind chill factor’ can cut through your mitts and coats. So, usually, even a temperature of minus 15 C can feel even colder – sometimes as low as minus 30 C!

Yep, there’s that 60 degree swing of +30C in the summers to -30C in the dead of winter. It can be tough to stand outside for any length of time in January. And without a ‘toque’ as the Canadians call their wooly hats, your ears will get red and sore from the icy chills. They might even fall off

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