Finding life a little grey? Less than 56 hours of sunlight in Hamilton this January
Not enough sun, hardly any snow and too much rain sum up the January of 2017
January has been especially dark for Hamiltonians this year, with less than 56 hours of sunshine recorded in the area, according to Environment Canada.
It was also January with a quarter of the usual amount of snow and more than double the typical rainfall.
The amount of sunshine is well below the average 85.9 hours of sun we normally get in January, says Environment Canada meteorologist Geoff Coulson.
January may have felt more like March... but then March may well feel like January.- Meteorologist David Phillips
"We had a really cloudy, foggy second half of January this year, keeping sunshine hours below average," he explained.
On average, January brings about 21 days of at least some sunlight. This year, however, the sun only peeked out for 16 of them.
The dreary, gloomy weather is largely thanks to warmer, more moist air coming from the south, explained meteorologist David Phillips, who agrees that the typical January was missing in action.
" More winds from the south, from tropical sources, tend to bring more moisture and warmth with them," he says. "When warm, moist air came northward, it was chilled by the colder ground and bit of snow that was still there, causing long stretches of foggy weather."
Cool start to February
The dearth of sunny days, he says, often affects people psychologically, due to seasonal adjustment disorder.
Phillips said it was one of the warmest Januarys on record in Hamilton, with the seasonal average at about -2 C -- nearly 3.5 degrees warmer than normal, making it feel almost like spring.
"This time we saw double the normal amount of rain, and almost a quarter of the snowfall that usually occurs this time of year," he said. Hamilton experienced about 71mm while the typical average is 30mm. Snowfall in January measured in at about 10 cm, while the standard is about 41 cm.
February will start off on the cool side, he said, with more snow than rain, and there's a literal bright side to leaving January behind.
"The days are getting longer and the sun is higher in the sky," says Phillips. "It looks like we're going to be in drier air, so the sun will make an appearance more often."
But don't be seduced into thinking winter is over, he warns, with lower temperatures and more snowfall expected over the coming months.
" January may have felt more like March this year, but then March may well feel like January," he says.