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It rained, it poured ... and it smashed November's weather record in St. John's

A constant downpour of rain in St. John’s has now shattered a 20-year record to become the rainiest November on record. And wait — there's more. CBC meteorologist Ashley Brauweiler says even more rain is coming before the month closes.

CBC meteorologist Ashley Brauweiler says 20-year-old record busted

Gloomy. Blech. Yuck. November is so bad, some people are wishing for snow

2 days ago
Duration 2:18
The CBC’s Jessica Singer spoke with St. John’s residents about the grim, wet weather of the last four weeks. While there were a few positive comments, most people agreed they have forgotten what the bright round thing in the sky looks like.

If you live in the St. John's area and November has been feeling like a constant drip, that's because it's true. 

This month now has the dubious distinction of being the rainiest November on record in the city, easily breaking a record set 20 years ago.

"I just checked the numbers this morning and we are at 303.6 millimetres of rain," CBC meteorologist Ashley Brauweiler told CBC Radio's The St. John's Morning Show on Friday

That easily clears the previous record, set in November 2004, when 285.9 millimetres fell.

"Unfortunately, there is some more rain on the way [for the rest of Friday], so we should add potentially another 10 to 20 millimetres to that. So we're really, really much, much higher than the record," she said.

It basically means that every single day this month was marred by at least a trace amount of rain, said Brauweiler.

"Just looking at the data, you have to go back to essentially Oct. 23 to find a day with no precipitation."

November typically gets about 137 mm of rain, she said, which means this month experienced more than double the normal amount.

In addition to the rain, she pointed out St. John's also had record amounts of dense fog to contend with.

WATCH | November has also been a record-breaking month for fog, as Ashley Brauweiler explains: 

It’s not just you — the fog in November has been off the charts

8 days ago
Duration 3:21
There’s RDF, and there’s what feels like RDF on bust. November in parts of Newfoundland and Labrador have been extra foggy. Many people have had enough and are saying, “Fog right off!” But some are fine with the fog. CBC meteorologist Ashley Brauweiler explains what’s happening.

Brauweiler attributed the high amount of rainfall to a few stalling low pressure systems that have been hanging around Newfoundland.

"At the beginning of the month, we had this tropical moisture that was directed essentially towards us for a while and it kind of acted like a fire hose bringing all of that moisture."

There is something to look forward to in the forecast as December draws near.

"The good news is that we are changing. We're not stuck in that pattern,"  said Brauweiler. "So things are kind of moving along fairly quickly, which is good."

The temperature is expected to drop in the coming days. There will be snow in the forecast, followed by a rise in temperature.

"It'll be more of a roller coaster ride very much like we're used to. But at least the first couple days of December actually look pretty decent," she said.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Elizabeth Whitten is a journalist and editor based in St. John's.

With files from The St. John’s Morning Show

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