NATIONAL STORM SUMMARY

OCTOBER 2024

Sep. 29-Oct. 5: Late week showers affected other areas of the Gulf Coast, with Tropical Storm Milton—later a hurricane—forming over the western Gulf of Mexico on Saturday, October 5. From the West Coast to the Plains, precipitation was limited to the Northwest. In fact, an extended run of warm, dry weather in the Plains and Midwest.

Mch of the western U.S., including California, the Great Basin, and the Southwest, unprecedented warmth for so late in the year boosted weekly temperatures as much as 10 to 15°F above normal. Unusual warmth (generally 5 to 10°F above normal) extended eastward across the Plains and western Corn Belt, with nearly all locations in the central and eastern U.S. noting near- or above normal weekly temperatures. Stunning warmth from California to the Plains resulted in many locations reporting their highest temperatures for so late in the year. With a high of 100°F on September 29, Rapid City, SD, broke a record for its latest triple-digit heat (previously, September 17, 2000) by nearly 2 weeks. Similarly, Miles City, MT, also posted a reading of 100°F on September 29, eclipsing its mark for latest triple-digit heat set on September 16, 2000. On October 1, Woodland Hills, CA, achieved a monthly record with a high temperature of 113°F. In Colorado, monthly records were tied or broken on October 2 with readings of 94°F in Pueblo and 88°F in Colorado Springs. Another high of 88°F occurred in Colorado Springs on October 5. Stockton, CA, set a monthly record with highs of 105°F on October 2 and 3 (previously, 101°F on October 2, 2012, and earlier dates). Elsewhere in California, October 3 featured monthly records highs in locations such as Merced (106°F), Fresno (105°F), and Hanford (105°F). On October 4, monthly records were established in Las Vegas, NV (104°F; previously, 103°F on October 1, 1978), and Salt Lake City, UT (92°F; previously, 89°F on October 1, 2010, and earlier dates). For Las Vegas, it was also tied (with October 4, 1947) for the latest triple digit reading on record, a mark that would be broken with a high of 100°F on October 5. Late in the week, record shattering heat spread to the Plains, where Goodland, KS (98°F on October 5), eclipsed its monthly record of 96°F, set on October 17, 1947. The Midwest also experienced unusual warmth, with daily-record highs for October 5 reaching 96°F in Omaha, NE, and St. Joseph, MO.

Later in the week, heavy showers dotted areas along the Gulf Coast, where New Orleans, LA, netted a daily-record sum (1.94 inches) for October 4. Peninsular Florida also noted some daily-record totals, with Sanford measuring 2.19 inches on October 1, and Ruskin receiving 1.41 inches on October 3.

6-12: Category 3 Hurricane Milton slammed into Florida’s Gulf Coast just south of Sarasota at 8:30 pm EDT on October 9, packing maximum sustained winds near 120 mph. Milton’s interaction with an approaching cold front led to some of the harshest conditions—including high winds (gusts above 100 mph) and flooding rains (locally 12 to 20 inches)—occurring on the northern side of the storm, encompassing the Tampa Bay area. Milton also produced a storm surge exceeding 5 feet, with damaging water levels affecting coastal areas less than 2 weeks after Hurricane Helene had a similarly destructive impact on barrier islands in west-central Florida. At the height of the storm on the night of October 9-10, nearly 3.5 million customers—including farming operations—lost electricity. Finally, Milton’s eastern feeder bands spawned at least three dozen tornadoes on October 9, causing localized damage prior the hurricane’s official arrival. In Milton’s wake, major to record river flooding developed across portions of the middle section of Florida’s peninsula.

Milton, which 2 days before landfall became one of the most powerful Atlantic Basin hurricanes on record, markedly weakened before reaching Siesta Key, FL, with maximum sustained winds near 120 mph and a central barometric pressure of 954 millibars, or 28.17 inches. During the evening of October 7, Milton’s central pressure had fallen to 897 millibars, or 26.49 inches, while centered some 650 miles southwest of Tampa, FL. Only four Atlantic Basin hurricanes have had an observed lower central pressure: Wilma, 882 millibars in 2005; Gilbert, 888 millibars in 1988; the Florida Keys’ “Labor Day” hurricane, 892 millibars in 1935; and Rita, 895 millibars in 2005. Milton’s peak sustained winds of 180 mph have been matched or exceeded by just eight storms, led by Hurricane Allen (190 mph in 1980), which had a minimum pressure of 899 millibars. Although Milton’s storm surge along Florida’s Gulf Coast was less severe than feared, a 6.58-foot surge in Fort Myers was the second highest on record, just 0.68 foot below the high-water mark associated with Hurricane Ian on September 28, 2022. Late on October 9, official wind gusts were clocked to 102 mph in Sarasota-Bradenton and 101 mph in St. Petersburg (Albert Whitted Airport). St. Petersburg also received 18.54 inches of rain on October 9, the wettest day on record in that location (previously, 15.45 inches on August 2, 1915). In Tampa, where 11.43 inches fell on the 9th, it was the second-wettest day on record, narrowly trailing 11.45 inches on May 8, 1979. Daily-record totals in Florida for October 9 included 7.71 inches in Vero Beach, 7.58 inches in Sarasota-Bradenton, 6.77 inches in Sanford, and 6.49 inches in Brooksville. Sanford’s rain lingered into October 10, when the 3.31-inch sum set another daily record. Hurricane-force wind gusts extended eastward across central Florida on the night of October 9-10, reaching locations such as Daytona Beach (88 mph), Orlando (87 mph), Vero Beach (84 mph), and Melbourne (79 mph). As hurricane clean-up efforts commenced, high levels on inland waterways complicated recovery efforts. Northeast of Tampa Bay, the Hillsborough River near Zephyrhills, FL, crested 7.14 feet above flood stage on October 11, topping the March 1960 high water mark by 1.81 feet. Farther northeast, the St. Johns River at Astor, FL, crested 2.51 feet above flood stage on October 12, edging by 0.10 foot the record set in the wake of Hurricane Ian on October 1, 2022. Lastly, and uncharacteristically for a hurricane, a few of the October 9 tornadoes reached EF-3 intensity. One of those tornadoes—with winds estimated as high as 155 mph—sliced at least 13 miles across St. Lucie County, starting in Ft. Pierce, resulting in six fatalities in the Spanish Lakes community. P

13-19: Late in the week, a pattern change delivered cooler, wetter weather across the West, with locally heavy precipitation sparking flash flooding in parts of eastern New Mexico and environs. Significant precipitation also fell in western Washington, while other areas—excluding much of California and the Desert Southwest—received scattered rain and snow showers.

During the second half of the week, beneficial precipitation fell in parts of the West, where record-setting totals for October 17 included 0.61 inch in Bozeman, MT; 0.37 inch in Pocatello, ID; and 0.30 inch in Winnemucca, NV. During a 24-hour period on October 17-18, precipitation totaled more than an inch in Utah locations such as Duchesne (1.46 inches), Fillmore (1.45 inches), Spanish Fork (1.36 inches), Tooele (1.17 inches), and Oak City (1.14 inches), with Oak City also reporting 3.2 inches of snow. However, too much rain fell in some areas, including Roswell, NM, where October 19 became that city’s wettest day on record. Roswell’s 5.78-inch daily sum surpassed the station record of 5.65 inches, set on November 1, 1901. Flash flooding in the Roswell area resulted in at least two fatalities and dozens of injuries. Subsequently, the Pecos River above Lake Arthur, NM, attained its fourth-highest crest on record on the 20th, just 1.56 feet below the September 1941 high-water mark. Elsewhere, daily-record amounts for October 19 reached 1.73 inches in Clayton, NM, and 1.08 inches in Alamosa, CO. Heavy precipitation overspreading western Washington produced daily-record totals for the 19th in Quillayute (4.68 inches) and Bellingham (1.97 inches). Farther east, however, long streaks without measurable rain continued through week’s end. In San Antonio, TX, measurable rain last fell on September 5—a 44-day dry spell through October 19. Similarly, Wichita Falls, TX, last received measurable rain on September 4. The streak with no measurable precipitation in Pierre, SD, reached 25 days (September 25 – October 19). Several Midwestern locations reported less than one-tenth of an inch of rain during the first 19 days of October, following a record-dry September featuring less than one tenth of an inch. On that list were Nebraska communities such as Norfolk (0.03 inch in September and no rain from October 1-19) and Omaha (0.09 inch in September and a trace of rain from October 1-19). Joining that list were Mobridge, SD (0.01 inch in September and 0.02 inch from October 1-19), and Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN (0.06 inch in September and a trace from October 1-19).

20-26: Locations in Texas reporting no measurable rain from October 1-28, along with 4-week precipitation deficits of 3 to 5 inches, included Houston, Victoria, San Antonio, Austin, Waco, Dallas-Fort Worth, Lufkin, Longview, and Tyler. Similar October 1-28 dryness (zero rainfall or a trace), with deficits of 3 to 5 inches, extended northward to Oklahoma City, OK, and eastward into parts of Louisiana (Lake Charles, Alexandria, and Lafayette); Arkansas (Fort Smith, Fayetteville, Texarkana, El Dorado, De Queen, and Harrison); Mississippi (Greenville, Greenwood, Jackson, Meridian, and Vicksburg); Alabama (Huntsville and Muscle Shoals); and Georgia (Rome). Asheville, NC, hammered in late September by flooding from Hurricane Helene, received rainfall totaling just 0.01 (3.04 inches below normal) from October 1-28. Dry October weather extended northward along the Atlantic Coast, with totals through the 28th of a trace or less—and deficits of 3 to 4 inches—in Newark and Trenton, NJ; New York’s Central Park and JFK Airport; Wilmington and Georgetown, DE; and Philadelphia, PA. The spell without measurable rain in Philadelphia reached at least 30 days (September 29 – October 28), breaking the station record of 29 consecutive days, set from October 11 – November 8, 1874. Meanwhile across the central Plains and upper Midwest, October 1-28 precipitation totaled 0.01 inch and was more than 2 inches below normal in locations such as Sioux Falls, SD, and Norfolk, NE. During the same period, Sioux City, IA, received a trace, 2.06 inches below normal. Late in the week, precipitation arriving in the Pacific Northwest was accompanied by high winds, which on October 27 in western Washington gusted to 60 mph in Hoquiam and 59 mph in Bellingham.

Jim G. Munley, jr.
http://www.jimmunleywx.com