I can't remember when I first heard the term El Niño, but I feel like it's only been the past decade. Apparently we're experiencing the biggest El Niño yet, and it's really changed this fall in Toronto.
El Niño is a natural climate pattern characterized by the periodic warming of sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean. The result thus far for Toronto has been a milder than usual October, and this should continue through the rest of 2026.
As a daily cyclist, it's been grand. I only remember one morning when I needed to wear gloves, and I've yet to don a jacket. Trick or treating last night with my youngest I felt overly warm in my hoodie. This morning I was raking leaves in a thin long-sleeved top and I was hot. That's pretty wild for November.
I run a de-humidifier in the basement year-round, and typically as we head into October it's rarely running. That's not the case in 2026. This is by far the most humid autumn I can remember.
But this doesn't mean we won't get our typicaly deep freezes and snowfalls this winter, it just means it will overall be milder and the wintry weather won't persist.
It'll be a tough year for those in Toronto who have backyard rinks.
