Events in toronto: Toronto sets new record for lack of sunlight in November

Friday, November 30, 2018

Toronto sets new record for lack of sunlight in November

It's not just you, friend.

Toronto has been atypically dark and dreary over the past 30 days, setting what the Weather Network calls a "startling record for a sun-starved November" with an average cloud cover of 88 per cent during daylight hours.

In fact, there's been just one single day since the end of October in which cloud cover fell below 50 per cent in Toronto. That day was Thursday, November 22, and it was freezing outside with a recorded high of -5 C and a low of - 12 C.

A full nine days were 100 per cent cloudy this November, according to a Weather Network analysis, meaning the sun was not visible at all.

Hey #Toronto, if you thought November was gloomy, you weren't wrong. The city had more cloudy days than #Vancouver. In fact, there was only 1 day in the month with less than 50% cloud cover (Nov 22). Vitamin D anyone? #YYZ #YVR pic.twitter.com/5TamKWN805
— Kim MacDonald (@KMacTWN) November 30, 2018

And the story gets sadder yet!

Twenty-four days over the past month saw at least a "trace amount of precipitation" at Toronto International Airport.

This steady onslaught of light rain, drizzle and snow, mixed with a lack of sunlight, created what meteorologists call a negative feedback cycle.

"More moisture was available to be evaporated, which formed even more clouds," explains the Weather Network. "And made it that much harder for the sun to break through."

The sun doesn’t shine here but good morning from Toronto. pic.twitter.com/C9KU6mtIYL
— Devin Heroux (@Devin_Heroux) November 29, 2018

Vancouver, on the other hand, saw an average cloud cover of just 79 per cent this November, which, while still pretty gloomy, sounds lovely compared to Toronto's measly 88.

You know the weather is acting a fool when Vancouver's less grey than Toronto.

Fingers crossed for a better December, though with lots of rain in the immediate forecast, the Weather Network advises us not to get our hopes up.

"This is a sober reminder to not expect too much to change as 2018 draws to a close," reads the network's analysis. "November and December are notoriously southern Ontario’s cloudiest months of the year."