🇧🇪 Brussels vs 🇨🇦 Toronto

Brussels sits in a broad valley carved by the Senne river, with the city climbing from the low-lying lower town (~15m elevation) to the upper town and surrounding plateaus (~100m). This topographic split creates distinct microclimates: the lower town is prone to fog, temperature inversions, and trapped humidity, while the higher southeastern districts enjoy better ventilation and slightly cooler summers. The city's extensive parks and forested edges — particularly the Sonian Forest to the southeast — provide significant cooling corridors, but the dense 19th-century urban core generates a pronounced heat island effect.

Humid continental — cold winters, warm summers, lake-effect snow

Toronto's climate is shaped by Lake Ontario. Summers are warm and humid; winters are cold and snowy, though less extreme than Chicago. The western Toronto waterfront gets more lake-effect snow. Fall is beautiful with foliage.