The Sun, FINALLY!

Oct. 2 was the last time we had full sun all day

By ELVIRA SAKMARI

Updated 6:05 PM CST, Wed, Oct 14, 2009

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You may have needed sunglasses when you went to lunch Wednesday. For the first time in weeks, the sun peeked through the clouds on and off all day.

Ponder this: NBCDFW meteorologists said we have only seen one day of full sunshine in October. That's right; the only day you saw the sun all day, without a hint of a cloud, was Oct. 2.

Constant cloud cover, drizzle or fog have shrouded North Texas for most of October and parts of September.

So has the weather got you feeling "under the weather?" You're not alone.

Facebook updates from folks in the Dallas-Fort Worth area have lamented the lack of sunlight:

"I can't remember the last time I saw the sun"

"I am tired of the rain, I want some sunlight, forgot what the sun looks like"

"I want to know, who in the DFW area pissed off Mr. Sun. You are to apologize immediately so he will come back and visit."

Are we all suffering from seasonal affective disorder (SAD), or are we all just a bunch of complainers? We asked a couple of doctors at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

"There are people who clearly get depressed (and some manic) related to time of year and lack of exposure to the sun," said Dr. Timothy Wolff, an associate professor of psychiatry at UT Southwestern.

So can you really crave sunlight? Dr. Wolff says yes "for warmth, for bone support through Vitamin D, and related to circadian rhythms (brain detection of day and night)."

So what can you do when the forecast shows nothing but clouds?

"For people who are feeling blue, they may want to try being in places with light, look at photos of sunny days, go out to a place (bookstore, restaurant) that is well-lit," said Dr. Shawn McClintock, assistant professor of psychiatry at UTSW.

We suggest you "lighten up" by looking at the Dog Days of Summer gallery.

Or you can just wait until this weekend, when sunshine will be plentiful. While you're out soaking up the sun, send in photos of how you enjoy the sunshine to isee@nbcdfw.com!

More: Dog Days of Summer Gallery