Is Seattle further north than Montreal?
Yes. Seattle, at 47.6° N, lies about 230 km further north than Montreal, at 45.5° N.
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Why it surprises
Seattle feels like a soft, rainy Pacific city and Montreal like a cold northern one, so most people would guess Montreal is further north. It is not. Seattle’s centre lies at 47.6° N and Montreal’s at 45.5° N, about 230 km further south. Seattle lines up with Budapest and Zurich, Montreal with Milan and Lyon. The reason the guess goes wrong is the wind. The prevailing wind in Seattle blows in from the Pacific Ocean, and the sea warms and cools so slowly that it keeps the city’s winters mild and wet. Montreal has no ocean upwind: its air crosses a continent that loses heat quickly in winter. The result is a colder city further south, and a milder, wetter one further north.
Sources for this explanation
- UCAR Center for Science Education: scied.ucar.edu, checked 25 October 2026
- UK Met Office: weather.metoffice.gov.uk, checked 25 October 2026
Where the numbers come from
Each city is placed by Wikidata’s coordinate for its centre, cross-checked with Natural Earth’s populated places. Details: Seattle and Montreal.
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