🇿🇦 Johannesburg vs 🇨🇦 Toronto

Johannesburg sits on the Highveld plateau at approximately 1,750m above sea level, giving it a subtropical highland climate with warm, thunderstorm-prone summers and dry, crisp winters with frequent frost. The city straddles the continental divide between the Limpopo and Vaal river systems, creating subtle drainage and elevation differences that influence local weather patterns. The world's largest urban forest — over 10 million planted trees — significantly modifies temperatures across the city, while mine dumps, ridges, and vast disparities in building density create pronounced microclimate variation between neighborhoods.

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.