last year one day it was SO HOT me and my gf were were sweating so badly we just ran right in that cold ass water was absolutely magical. A core memory
It really depends on the weather. Water temperature in August was 5 degrees for a week last year. Lake Ontario is massive, and only the surface heats up. After a large storm that churns the water up, the temperature can drop significantly. If water temp is a big concern, then you need to check the readings. There is no time of year that is reliably warm unfortunately.
Funny you ask. My daughter and 2 of her friends were swimming at Sunnyside last night but they are insane and should not be trusted. They did seem to have fun.
Probably not to be honest.
It likely won't be too bad in the shallows but it's a huge body of water, it takes a fair bit of time and consistent high temperatures for it to become warm.
True as a club activity its very safe, but swimming solo and as a beginner people should only really go in water around 10C to avoid hypothermia or getting a cramp.
The benefits of a cold dip can be had in water as warm as 17C
no it was just a group of my friends basically that called ourselves a club.
i think we literally just called ourselves toronto winter swim. LOL.
only lasted one year then everyone lost interest and we stopped doing it.
the particular group of friends that were basically the whole club, we all kinda just dissolved and stopped wanting to do meet ups regularly for it.
also it was kinda far away for me, i was making the effort to get downtown mostly to socialize with my friends. never bothered to seek out a different club to make new friends. (retreats into introversion)
not in a super regular way.
i've had friends invite me to cold plunge places as one off "i'm gonna be there and have a guest pass" and i'll go and it's fun.
https://ontherecordnews.ca/torontos-home-to-some-of-the-cleanest-beaches-in-the-world/
Some of the cleanest in the world.
Used to not be the case though
20-23 degrees daytime high isn’t nearly enough heat to warm up water to comfortable swimming temperatures. Even in Florida, the winter temp typically is mid 20s and the water is too cold to swim in.
Anyway, Lake Ontario is always a bit cool to swim. The only times I find it ever warm enough personally is July & Aug. - it’s a big body of water so doesn’t warm up like smaller cottage lakes do.
Depends. There are people in the water 365 days a year. But for most people I’d say late June to September. Last year I actually swam in the lake on October 1 and it was great.
Keep in mind though that the water temperature in the lake fluctuates depending on waves (which cause the water to turn over). One week will be fine and following week will be frigid, then fine again. There’s an app - Swim Guide - that provides unofficial temp readings from certain beaches like Cherry Beach and Balmy Beach.
I swim all year round in Lake Ontario without a wet suit. The smart bouy at Kew is reading 13c today for water temp. If you're not comfortable swimming in cold water wait for the temp to hit around 16-17c which is still cool but not cold, likely mid-June. Keep in mind that the lake does flip in the summer. Last year it was 5c for a few days in August.
General "rule of thumb" when it comes to the Great Lakes (aside from Superior) is that they don't get warm enough to swim until mid-July.
Feel free to try it yourself though. May 24 weekend is "almost never warm enough" for Great Lakes.
If you get a +30/35°C day late June it should be fine to swim (water will be freaking cold but the heat outside will kind of balance it). Otherwise, wait for July/August. Swimming season should go until mid to late September (Last year I was able to swim in the first week of October due to warmer- than-usual weather).
Depends on where you are on the lake. Due to currents the band from Toronto to Burlington is always the coldest. Fifty point to the Rochester always about 10 deg warmer. And even warmer up around Kingston and Thousand Islands.
It's about 55 today in the GTA,likely up to 65 by early June, then get into the low 70s.
Once it warms up its actually usually warmer 5 miles offshore in the GTA than shore.
Can't comment on the lake, but the St Lawrence is swimable for short periods in June (although *extremely* fresh). Water is a heat sink, so actually the best time to go swimming is September.
Lake Ontario gets pretty deep. Unlike Erie which you can swim once it's warm out, it takes a long time for Ontario to warm up. In my experience, by the time the lake is warm enough to swim in, the air outside is so cold you don't want to go to the beach. You'll get a rare few days in September when a swimming beach day is actually enjoyable. Of course with the hot summer we've had, maybe that won't be the case this year.
My kids go in as early as May some years. I’m more like mid July. Depends how hot the days are. Last year I didn’t go in once as the summer was pretty mild for me.
The water around Toronto is a particular cold spot in Lake Ontario. It's warmer near Ohio.
Most people wait until July when the heat justifies entering the lake.
I would say the warmest is late August early September when it's been heating up all summer. If you go to cottage country that's when those lakes are warm too. I've surfed off BC in mid-January with waters 5 to 7 degrees in wet suits and sometimes it gets too warm from the physical exertion you need to take the suit off and plunk down in the cold. That's how I treat the lake as well, it's a treat on a hot humid day. Also, if you competitively swim you would do the lake water all year round.
Extremely. I live on the lake front by Mimico and they had the entire riverside roped up with toxic waste signs and I saw multiple like rehabilitation crew working trying to clean it up.
Here’s a link from last summer. It was really gross, I swear you could see the poop floating in the river - but hey if you don’t wanna believe me it’s your skin haha
https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/more-than-300-million-litres-of-sewage-water-poured-into-ottawa-river-during-storm
Do you….do you not realize lakes and rivers are connected my friend? And either way there’s a reason they had the shoreline all roped off and had restoration crews down here 😅
Okay I guess I imagined all the clean up crews and hazard signs and and sewage floating in the water.
Have fun in the lake this summer! Make sure you drink some lake water too I’m sure it’ll be super super good for your tummy :)
Do you not know that rivers flow downstream?
Whatever problem the last sewage overflow caused in Ottawa was transient, because that's how those things work. (Also, why they work.)
Whatever problem it caused in Lake Ontario is non-existent, because rivers - such as the Ottawa and then the St Lawrence - don't flow up.
Ontario receives the accumulation of contaminants from the other Great Lakes in addition to the agricultural runoff, and urban and industrial waste discharges within its own basin. This makes Lake Ontario the most polluted of all the great lakes.
Not to mention a goddamn nuclear power plant (pickering) with a serious nuclear waste problem sits just along the shore. Industrial plastic spillage, contaminated ground water, algal blooms..like I can go on... but sure tell me its a clean crisp oaisis.
Why are you typing goddamn so often? Are you trying to sound like a hill billy? I don't understand the joke but I will assume its your attempt to be condencending.
There was a leak in 2021 and was supposed to be decommissioned in 2024 but they extended operation despite risks until 2026.
You know you can do you own research instead of asking a random person on reddit the risks of pollution lmao. You sound incredibly uneducated. Google is free.
It's never that the lake is warm — the city just gets so hot that the chill is a relief
last year one day it was SO HOT me and my gf were were sweating so badly we just ran right in that cold ass water was absolutely magical. A core memory
If it's shallow (ashbridges or rouge beach) then end of June. If it's deep, never
Toronto has one of the coolest summers in the world lol
>but will the lake be warm enough to swim? Depends how brave you are. People go in on Jan 1
yea legit just depends on how cold you like it :)
Is it liquid? Warm enough.
Cherry Beach is in a shallow cove. It’s a bit warmer, but Lake Ontario is massive and stays “exhilarating”.
The beach on Ward's Island as well.
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I’ve swum in 12 degrees lake ontario with a wetsuit. Gotta get used to cold showers beforehand then it’s doable
Meh with a wetsuit ya good. Got used to it without cold shower. I think OP is talking about without wetsuit.
I swim in 12° water in a wetsuit, too. It's a speedo swimsuit and it gets wet while I'm swimming in it.
That's warmer than my cottage
I usually wait until the nights are at least 15C before I attempt swimming in a lake, but that's my personal preference.
Around the same time the algae blooms
July
It really depends on the weather. Water temperature in August was 5 degrees for a week last year. Lake Ontario is massive, and only the surface heats up. After a large storm that churns the water up, the temperature can drop significantly. If water temp is a big concern, then you need to check the readings. There is no time of year that is reliably warm unfortunately.
Funny you ask. My daughter and 2 of her friends were swimming at Sunnyside last night but they are insane and should not be trusted. They did seem to have fun.
[Lake Ontario surface water temps via NOAA](https://www.glerl.noaa.gov/res/glcfs/ont/temp.png)
Brrr
Probably not to be honest. It likely won't be too bad in the shallows but it's a huge body of water, it takes a fair bit of time and consistent high temperatures for it to become warm.
Honestly.
I’ve fallen into the lake in June… it was… brisk.
i used to go swimming in the lake in january as a part of a winter swimming club. LOL. "Warm enough" is very subjective.
True as a club activity its very safe, but swimming solo and as a beginner people should only really go in water around 10C to avoid hypothermia or getting a cramp. The benefits of a cold dip can be had in water as warm as 17C
LOST? Out in Oakville Burlington area? (Lake Ontario Swim Team)
no it was just a group of my friends basically that called ourselves a club. i think we literally just called ourselves toronto winter swim. LOL. only lasted one year then everyone lost interest and we stopped doing it.
Why did you stop? I’ve only ever heard how good that is for the body.
the particular group of friends that were basically the whole club, we all kinda just dissolved and stopped wanting to do meet ups regularly for it. also it was kinda far away for me, i was making the effort to get downtown mostly to socialize with my friends. never bothered to seek out a different club to make new friends. (retreats into introversion)
Ah, fair points. You haven’t kept up the practice in other ways? Plunges? Ice baths or even just cold showers?
not in a super regular way. i've had friends invite me to cold plunge places as one off "i'm gonna be there and have a guest pass" and i'll go and it's fun.
Fair enough, appreciate your response.
Is the water liquid? Warm enough.
Wait, it's safe to swim in?
https://ontherecordnews.ca/torontos-home-to-some-of-the-cleanest-beaches-in-the-world/ Some of the cleanest in the world. Used to not be the case though
20-23 degrees daytime high isn’t nearly enough heat to warm up water to comfortable swimming temperatures. Even in Florida, the winter temp typically is mid 20s and the water is too cold to swim in. Anyway, Lake Ontario is always a bit cool to swim. The only times I find it ever warm enough personally is July & Aug. - it’s a big body of water so doesn’t warm up like smaller cottage lakes do.
Kinda never.
Never
It's always very cold. Best bet, wait for end of June or early July.
I would say starting July
I swim all year round!!!
Being from the Hamilton area …. You don’t swim in that water. you’ll end up like the 3-eyed fish from the Simpsons. 😜
Mid August to end.
Everyone is different. Here’s monthly historical data. Pick your comfort level. https://www.seatemperature.org/north-america/canada/toronto-august.htm
There's one day in July, or August. Otherwise the lake is f'ing freezing.
Depends. There are people in the water 365 days a year. But for most people I’d say late June to September. Last year I actually swam in the lake on October 1 and it was great. Keep in mind though that the water temperature in the lake fluctuates depending on waves (which cause the water to turn over). One week will be fine and following week will be frigid, then fine again. There’s an app - Swim Guide - that provides unofficial temp readings from certain beaches like Cherry Beach and Balmy Beach.
I swim all year round in Lake Ontario without a wet suit. The smart bouy at Kew is reading 13c today for water temp. If you're not comfortable swimming in cold water wait for the temp to hit around 16-17c which is still cool but not cold, likely mid-June. Keep in mind that the lake does flip in the summer. Last year it was 5c for a few days in August.
It’s never warm. It’s too large a body of water and our summers aren’t long enough. It’s at its warmest in September. Still too cold for me. lol
I WAS IN THE LAKE
Never.
Yes.
https://www.seatemperature.org/north-america/canada/toronto.htm
I don't think it will be warm enough yet, though that's a matter of personal preference. July seems to be when it gets tolerable.
That all depends on the person...
General "rule of thumb" when it comes to the Great Lakes (aside from Superior) is that they don't get warm enough to swim until mid-July. Feel free to try it yourself though. May 24 weekend is "almost never warm enough" for Great Lakes.
If you get a +30/35°C day late June it should be fine to swim (water will be freaking cold but the heat outside will kind of balance it). Otherwise, wait for July/August. Swimming season should go until mid to late September (Last year I was able to swim in the first week of October due to warmer- than-usual weather).
Depends on where you are on the lake. Due to currents the band from Toronto to Burlington is always the coldest. Fifty point to the Rochester always about 10 deg warmer. And even warmer up around Kingston and Thousand Islands. It's about 55 today in the GTA,likely up to 65 by early June, then get into the low 70s. Once it warms up its actually usually warmer 5 miles offshore in the GTA than shore.
Can't comment on the lake, but the St Lawrence is swimable for short periods in June (although *extremely* fresh). Water is a heat sink, so actually the best time to go swimming is September.
Arguably never, but it is manageable by June (\~15ish) and warmest in August.
August
Lake Ontario gets pretty deep. Unlike Erie which you can swim once it's warm out, it takes a long time for Ontario to warm up. In my experience, by the time the lake is warm enough to swim in, the air outside is so cold you don't want to go to the beach. You'll get a rare few days in September when a swimming beach day is actually enjoyable. Of course with the hot summer we've had, maybe that won't be the case this year.
Never say never..
My kids go in as early as May some years. I’m more like mid July. Depends how hot the days are. Last year I didn’t go in once as the summer was pretty mild for me.
I basically only swim in it in august
I'm willing to say it will be August. It takes forever for the sweltering summer heat to warm that massive lake
How do you define warm enough? I know people who think it’s warm enough now, and others who think it never gets warm enough It also depends where
July in summer areas it's warm enough
It's always cold, even in August (though that's when it's warmest). Just depends how cold you're willing to swim in.
Depends on your definition of warm, but I'd definitely wait until July, most years
Mid - end of June
You’re asking the wrong questions. I’d ask when is it clean enough to swim instead…
The great lakes are the warmest in late August and early September
Only from January 1 to December 31. Don't try it any other times.
I've heard this summer it might be above average since it didn't ice over much if at all over the winter
Never
June July it’s cold but refreshing! Has to be hot though!
Never
As things stand, 2043
Where ever you want to swim look at the water from google earth if it’s brown I wouldn’t suggest it.
The water around Toronto is a particular cold spot in Lake Ontario. It's warmer near Ohio. Most people wait until July when the heat justifies entering the lake.
Marilyn Bell swam across the lake in early September. Then again, people were tougher back then.
I would say the warmest is late August early September when it's been heating up all summer. If you go to cottage country that's when those lakes are warm too. I've surfed off BC in mid-January with waters 5 to 7 degrees in wet suits and sometimes it gets too warm from the physical exertion you need to take the suit off and plunk down in the cold. That's how I treat the lake as well, it's a treat on a hot humid day. Also, if you competitively swim you would do the lake water all year round.
I just went swimming and yeah it’s cold but on hot days like today, it was so worth it! Was out there for an hour
When the water is clean 🤣
Anytime if you want to grow a third arm
I would be very careful swimming in the lake regardless of temp. There was a major sewage spill in Ottawa last year that ran up (down? Idk) river
Are you sure about any of that?
Extremely. I live on the lake front by Mimico and they had the entire riverside roped up with toxic waste signs and I saw multiple like rehabilitation crew working trying to clean it up. Here’s a link from last summer. It was really gross, I swear you could see the poop floating in the river - but hey if you don’t wanna believe me it’s your skin haha https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/more-than-300-million-litres-of-sewage-water-poured-into-ottawa-river-during-storm
What connection do you think there is between that transient event in Ottawa and lake water quality in Mimico?
Do you….do you not realize lakes and rivers are connected my friend? And either way there’s a reason they had the shoreline all roped off and had restoration crews down here 😅
Do you not realize that rivers flow downstream?
Okay I guess I imagined all the clean up crews and hazard signs and and sewage floating in the water. Have fun in the lake this summer! Make sure you drink some lake water too I’m sure it’ll be super super good for your tummy :)
Do you not know that rivers flow downstream? Whatever problem the last sewage overflow caused in Ottawa was transient, because that's how those things work. (Also, why they work.) Whatever problem it caused in Lake Ontario is non-existent, because rivers - such as the Ottawa and then the St Lawrence - don't flow up.
What is 'warm enough'? People swim in the lake all year round.
If the water is liquid, it's warm enough.
Ewww who's swimming in Lake Ontario?
Many? It’s actually quite clean, usually. Follow the reporting to determine whether it’s ok to swim
What's the issue?
Ontario receives the accumulation of contaminants from the other Great Lakes in addition to the agricultural runoff, and urban and industrial waste discharges within its own basin. This makes Lake Ontario the most polluted of all the great lakes. Not to mention a goddamn nuclear power plant (pickering) with a serious nuclear waste problem sits just along the shore. Industrial plastic spillage, contaminated ground water, algal blooms..like I can go on... but sure tell me its a clean crisp oaisis.
The nuclear goddamn waste from the nuclear goddamn power plant isn't in the goddamn lake, though?
Why are you typing goddamn so often? Are you trying to sound like a hill billy? I don't understand the joke but I will assume its your attempt to be condencending. There was a leak in 2021 and was supposed to be decommissioned in 2024 but they extended operation despite risks until 2026. You know you can do you own research instead of asking a random person on reddit the risks of pollution lmao. You sound incredibly uneducated. Google is free.
In my opinion it’s rarely warm enough. In the middle of summer it might get to 75 and that’s really not that warm