Top climatologists agree this winter has been gloomy
Environment Canada's Senior Climatologist, Dave Phillips, loves the weather, but even he admits it's been one of the gloomiest winters on record.
"I can assure you we've had the least amount of sunshine that we've ever had," Phillips said from his home in Barrie after crunching some numbers Thursday.
Phillips looked at the three months from Dec. 1 to Feb. 28 and came up with the statistics.
- Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox
"I looked through the 90 days, and I only found 18 that were clear. When the sun came out, people would ask, 'what is that strange glow in the sky?" he said. "It really was remarkable there were so few sunny days."
Phillips said in a normal winter, we shovel, plow and push snow, "but at least we don't have the doom and gloom. This year, there were only five days of partial sun in January."
"Barrie is very indicative of how overcast and depressing this winter has been."
But it wasn't just Barrie folks who forgot what a sunny day felt like.
Brian Brettschneider is also a climatologist. He just happens to live in Anchorage, Alaska.
Brettschneider got the idea to see how dark this winter was, so he checked with the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting – one of the finest weather measuring organizations on the planet, said both Brettschneider and Phillips.
Accordingly, its dataset records solar energy for the planet and recently released its findings.
"They determined we had the least amount of solar energy since 1940," Brettschneider said.
While it can get tricky measuring half days of sunlight, the European Centre measures the solar energy level, and it can be quantified in an easy-to-understand format, he said.
Brettschneider said if you had solar panels working for the past 83 winters and you measured how much energy you had generated, you'd find this year had the least amount of solar energy.
"We had a very cloudy month of February. It's like we never saw the sun."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Iran fires at suspected Israeli attack drones near Isfahan air base and nuclear site
Iran fired air defences at a major air base and a nuclear site early Friday morning near the central city of Isfahan after spotting drones, which were suspected to be part of an Israeli attack in retaliation for Tehran's unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on the country.
NEW After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
In his new book 'As Long as You Need', hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a U.S. resident
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
Colin Jost names one celebrity who is great at hosting 'Saturday Night Live'
Colin Jost, who co-anchors Saturday Night Live's 'Weekend Update,' revealed who he thinks is one of the best hosts on the show.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
Nearly half of China's major cities are sinking, researchers say
Nearly half of China's major cities are suffering 'moderate to severe' levels of subsidence, putting millions at risk of flooding especially as sea levels rise.
Judge says 'no evidence fully supports' murder case against Umar Zameer as jury starts deliberations
The judge presiding over the trial of a man accused of fatally running over a Toronto police officer is telling jurors the possible verdicts they may reach based on the evidence in the case.