Did Toronto break a rain record in April? It depends where you're looking

The Toronto skyline sits shrouded in fog as a man walks in the rain on Thursday December 28, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

If you thought this past April felt especially rainy in Toronto, you’re not wrong.

Environment Canada says 135.5 millimetres of rain, mixed with snow, fell at Pearson International Airport last month, which beats the previous record of 133.8 mm set in April of 1992.

However, the records at the site west of the city only go back to 1938.

According to Peter Kimbell, a meteorologist with the federal weather agency, Toronto’s own weather records – which date back to the 1800s – show the rainiest April in the city was actually in 1929.

“At [Pearson] airport, yes it's a record. But, it’s a record because our statistics only go back to 1938,” Kimbell said. “If you want to open your eyes to what happened before that, the downtown site was very close to a record, but it was a beaten out a little bit by 1929.”

A total of 153 mm of rain was recorded at the downtown site last month, but Kimbell said there was “slightly more” in 1929.

Regardless of whether or not the city broke a record, the total rainfall in April was certainly above average. Historically, Toronto averages 68 mm of rain during the month.

April 3 and April 11 were especially rainy. In fact, the city saw 32 to 33 mm of rain on each of those days, with a rainfall warning being issued by Environment Canada on April 11.

“There alone, those two days, would add up to practically a full month of rain. So those two days basically are why we got so much rain,” Kimbell said.

So will the rain continue into May? Kimbell said it’s hard to say.

“Precipitation is notoriously difficult to forecast beyond a few days. So I don’t really want to speculate,” he explained.

Over the next week, there are only two days, Monday and Tuesday, that aren’t calling for a chance of rain. The good news, however, is that temperatures will be on the “warmer side,” Kimbell said, with highs of 25 and 24 C on Wednesday and Thursday.