NATIONAL WEATHER SUMMARY
OCTOBER 2023
1-7: Dry weather
prevailed in much of California and the Desert Southwest. Much of the Southeast
also experienced a dry week, although heavy showers dotted southern Florida.
Weekly temperatures averaged at least 5 to 10°F above normal across the nation’s
northern tier, from eastern sections of the northern Plains into the Northeast.
Readings averaged as much as 5°F in parts of the south-central U.S., as well as
a few locations in the Pacific Coast States. However, a late-week surge of cold
air delivered growing season-ending freezes throughout the northern Plains,
extending as far south as Kansas and eastern Colorado. The cold weather had
little impact on the region’s summer crops, which were largely mature or had
already been harvested. A surge of warmth led to monthly record-high
temperatures on October 1 in locations such as Greenville, MS (99°F); Sioux
Falls, SD (95°F); and Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN (92°F). Monthly records extended
to other Midwestern locations, with October 1 highs soaring to 91°F in St.
Cloud, MN, and 88°F in Green Bay, WI. Previously, St. Cloud’s highest October
reading had been 90°F on the 2nd in 1953 and 1992. Minneapolis-St. Paul had also
never been above the 90-degree mark so late in the year, with the former monthly
record of 90°F having been set on October 10, 1928, and October 3, 1997. In
North Dakota, the month began with consecutive daily-record highs on October 1-2
in Fargo (96 and 90°F) and Grand Forks (92°F both days). The late-season hot
spell also featured unprecedented minimum temperatures for so late in the
season. On the 1st in South Dakota, for example, minima of 73°F in Sioux Falls,
71°F in Aberdeen, and 70°F in Huron and Mitchell represented the first
observance of calendar-day temperatures remaining at or above the 70-degree mark
in October. By October 2, warmth began to shift eastward, with monthly record
highs occurring in Michigan locations such as Marquette (87°F) and Sault Ste.
Marie (83°F). Sault Ste. Marie achieved 83°F again on October 3; the previous
monthly record in that location had been 81°F, set on October 2, 1922, and
October 12, 1938. Monthly record warmth arrived in the Northeast on October 4,
when highs climbed to 89°F in Syracuse, NY (previously, 88°F on October 1,
2019), and 86°F in Burlington, VT (previously, 85°F on October 17, 1947, and
October 11, 1949). Heat also lingered across the South, where Austin, TX,
collected a daily-record high of 100°F on October 4. Late in the week, as cooler
air arrived in the central and eastern U.S., warmth returned across the West. By
October 6, highs surged to daily-record levels in California locations such as
Woodland Hills (104°F) and Santa Maria (101°F). Tucson, AZ, also notched a
daily-record high of 101°F on October 6. By October 7, daily-record warmth
expanded throughout the Pacific Coast States, with highs reaching 99°F in
Bakersfield, CA; 85°F in Portland, OR; and 84°F in Olympia, WA.
8-14: Dry
weather prevailed in other areas of the country, including a broad area
stretching from central and southern California to the southern half of the
Plains and the mid-South.
Weekly temperatures averaged as much as 10°F below normal
in the southern Atlantic region, excluding Florida’s peninsula, while readings
averaged at least 5°F below normal in a broader area extending as far west as
the central Gulf Coast and as far north as the Great Lakes region. Elsewhere,
significantly warmer-thannormal weather was limited to the Northwest, where
temperatures averaged more than 5°F above normal across northern sections of the
Rockies and High Plains. Early-week warmth was especially prominent in
California’s San Joaquin Valley, where daily-record highs for October 8 soared
to 99°F in Bakersfield, Hanford, and Madera. Several Northwestern daily records
were also established, with Roseburg, OR, posting a high of 88°F on October 8.
Meanwhile, cool air settled as far south as northern Florida, where daily-record
lows included 50°F (on October 9) in Apalachicola and 46°F (on October 10) in
Gainesville. Interestingly, heat lingered across southern Florida; on 10 of the
first 14 days of October, Marathon, FL, recorded highs of 90°F or greater,
including a daily record of 93°F on the 8th. By October 12, Vero Beach, FL,
notched a monthly record-tying high of 94°F—a mark most recently achieved on
October 15, 2009. Similarly, Miami, FL (95°F on the 13th) tied a monthly record
originally attained on October 1, 1980.
15-21:
Weekly temperatures averaged at least 10°F above normal across parts of
the northern Plains and much of the West. Some of the warmest weather, relative
to normal, covered the northern Intermountain West, as well as northern sections
of the Rockies and adjacent High Plains. In contrast, readings averaged 5 to
10°F below normal in parts of the middle and southern Atlantic States.
. Record-setting heat appeared early in the week in the
Southwest, where triple-digit, daily-record highs were observed on October 16 in
Phoenix (105°F) and Tucson (101°F). The reading in Phoenix marked the latest
observance in that location of a temperature of 105°F or greater (previously,
105°F on October 10, 1991). Phoenix also posted triple-digit readings, with
highs ranging from 101 to 105°F, each day from October 15-21. During the mid- to
late-week period, warmth expanded to other areas, including the Plains, Deep
South, and the remainder of the West. In California, Needles collected
consecutive daily-record highs (100 and 101°F, respectively) on October 18 and
19. Elsewhere in California, triple-digit, daily-record highs for October 20
soared to 108°F in Palm Springs, 107°F in Indio, and 103°F in Imperial. Farther
north, consecutive daily-record highs occurred on October 19-20 in locations
such as Helena, MT (82 and 81°F), and Reno, NV (85°F both days). Similarly, the
week ended (on October 20-21) with consecutive records in Texas locations such
as Beaumont-Port Arthur (92°F both days) and Borger (92 and 93°F). Late-season
heat spread as far east as the central Gulf Coast, where daily-record highs for
October 20 soared to 93°F in Vicksburg, MS, and Monroe, LA. Alexandria, LA,
notched a pair of daily-record highs (94 and 91°F, respectively) on October
20-21. Farther north, a daily-record high of 90°F was observed on the 21st as
far north as Chanute, KS.
22-28: The
season’s first major snowfall blanketed higher elevations of the Northwest and a
stripe across Montana and North Dakota. Snow shifted by October 28-29,
accumulating as far south as the central High Plains.
Warm dry weather prevailed in the Southeast and along the
Atlantic Coast, while mostly dry weather accompanied a cooling trend in much of
California and the Southwest.
Weekly temperatures averaged at least 10°F below normal
across the northern High Plains and neighboring Rockies, while readings broadly
averaged more than 5°F below normal from parts of the Pacific Northwest to the
western and central Dakotas. Warmer-thannormal weather dominated the remainder
of the country, including the southern Plains, Southwest, and the eastern half
of the U.S. Temperatures generally averaged 10 to 15°F above normal from
southern and eastern Texas to the Mississippi Delta. Warmth was particularly
persistent in the western Gulf Coast region and environs. On the 27th,
Vicksburg, MS, tied an October 1963 record with its ninth 90-degree reading of
the month. Vicksburg also reached 90°F or higher this year on October 1-4, 20,
and 22-24. Elsewhere in Mississippi, Jackson noted highs of 92°F on October 22
and 23, with the former reading tying a record for the date. Daily-record highs
for October 23 reached 91°F in Greenwood, MS, and Sarasota-Bradenton, FL. By
October 24, expanding warmth resulting in daily-record highs in Midwestern
locations such as Chicago, IL (83°F); Cedar Rapids, IA (82°F); and South Bend,
IN (82°F). During the mid- to late-week period, record-setting warmth lingered
in the Midwest and spread into the East. On October 26-27, consecutive
daily-record highs were established in locations such as Baltimore, MD (83 and
82°F), and Albany, NY (78 and 80°F). With highs of 80, 80, and 82°F, Atlantic
City, NJ, tallied a trio of daily-record highs from October 26-28. Late in the
week, daily-record highs topped the 85- degree mark in several Eastern
locations, including Roanoke, VA (88°F on the 28th); Nashville, TN (87°F on the
28th); Tuscaloosa, AL (86°F on the 27th); Raleigh-Durham, NC (86°F on the 28th);
and Virginia’s Dulles Airport (86°F on the 28th). In coastal Texas, daily-record
highs for October 28 soared to 92°F in Corpus Christi and 91°F in Brownsville.
In stark contrast, the week ended (on October 27-28) with consecutive
dailyrecord lows in Montana locations such as Miles City (-3 and -2°F), and
Livingston (5 and -12°F). Burns, OR, also ended with week with a pair of
daily-record lows (11 and 7°F, respectively). On the 27th in Wyoming, subzero,
daily-record lows occurred in Worland (-5°F) and Sheridan (-1°F). On the same
date, daily-record lows in northern California dipped to 20°F in Montague and
34°F in Red Bluff.
