October 2013 Summary – Very Dry and Warm

Blue Hill Observatory
October 2013 Summary:

The month was the seventh driest October on record and warmer than average.  The 24-hour mean temperature for the month of 53.4F was more than two degrees warmer than the 120-year average for October.  The maximum temperature for the month of 78F occurred on the 2nd, and the coldest temperature of 30F on 29th was the first freeze of the season, which occurred nine days later than average. A stretch of 26 consecutive days with a mean temperature at or above the daily normal (30-year mean) ended on the 22nd, and this was the longest such period since at least 2000. The average temperature for the year to date (January to October) has climbed to the ninth warmest on record.  The total precipitation for October of 1.09 inches was about three inches less than the 120-year average, making last month the 7th driest October on record, and the greatest rainfall in 24 hours was only 0.56 inch on the 6th.  A mere 0.26 inch fell in the last 25 days of the month, and as a result there were a number of small brush fires on Great Blue Hill this month. The mean wind speed for October was only 11.2 mph, which is the lowest mean wind speed on record for the month, with a prevailing direction of W.  This surpasses the previous record of 11.8 mph in October 1997.  The peak wind gust was 48 mph from the S on the 7th.  Bright sunshine totaled 57 percent, which was just one percent above the long-term mean for October of 56 percent.