Toronto's insane weather patterns just did something not seen in 25 years

Toronto's first taste of a post-pandemic summer came to a rainy halt last month, umbrellas overtaking shades as the accessory of choice through a bout of weather bringing more September rain than the city has seen in a quarter-century.

September wasn't without its fair share of sunny weather, but the month also came out swinging with some of the wettest weather ever recorded during the month in Toronto. And it looks like we'll be seeing a whole lot more rain in October.

A torrent of 158 millimetres of rain descended on Pearson Airport last month. This translates to over a half foot, or about enough to submerge the average adult up to their ankles, marking the third-wettest September on record.

The last time Toronto experienced a September with more rain was all the way back in 1996. Not even 166.2 millimetres of rain that month was enough to put out the fire that was the world's #1 hit song at the time, the Macarena.

The only wetter September than 1996 was a decade earlier when 212.3 millimetres of rain was dumped on Toronto in a 30-day span.

#Toronto-Pearson just had its wettest September since September 1996. Total rain was 158.0mm. #TOWx pic.twitter.com/us605bySqc

— Toronto Weather Records🌤 (@YYZ_Weather) October 5, 2021

Much of this rain came at the tail end of a record-breaking summer of thunderstorms, with six days of severe weather events coming last month alone. The median average for September is just one day.

#Toronto Island had 6 thunderstorm days during September 2021, 5 days above the median of 1 day. #TOWx pic.twitter.com/pJtctTPm4Y

— Toronto Weather Records🌤 (@YYZ_Weather) October 4, 2021

While 158 millimetres may not seem like a lot in the grand scheme of things, the median average rain in September from 1991 to 2020 was 62 millimetres.

Even that seems like a monsoon when compared to the record low, when just 6.3 millimetres fell on Pearson Airport in 1960.

September might be over, but a rainy start to October promises more weather records, and not necessarily ones to look forward to.

With a 2-day humidity of 95.7%, Oct 3rd➞Oct 4th were #Toronto Island's moistest 2 days in more than 5 years, since Dec 23rd, 2015. #TOWx

— Toronto Weather Records🌤 (@YYZ_Weather) October 5, 2021

A two-day humidity of 95.7 per cent on October 3 and 4 was already the highest total in more than five years, and forecasts are calling for plenty of rain in the coming days.