October 2015 Summary – Drier than Average

Blue Hill Observatory
October 2015 Summary:

The month was notable for being generally drier than average with near normal temperature. The 24-hour mean temperature for the month of 51.1 deg F was equal to the 120-year average for October, and -0.3 degrees cooler than the 1981-2010 30-year average. The maximum temperature for the month was 76F on the 12th, and the coolest temperature was 26F on the 19th.  Despite the near normal average, the daily temperatures were relatively variable with frequent shifts from colder to warmer days. The month was much drier than average with a precipitation total of 2.69 inches, which was well over an inch less than the 120-year average and about two inches less than the 1981-2010 mean. Much of this total, 1.58 inches, fell in less than 24 hours on the 28th-29th in heavy rainfall that was in part associated with the remnants of Hurricane Patricia, which had reached its peak intensity in the Eastern Pacific off the west coast of Mexico on the 23rd. The mean wind speed was 12.9 mph with a prevailing direction from the north-northwest. A peak gust of 53 mph was observed from the south-southwest on the 28th and from the south on the 29th during the heavy rainfall on those dates. October was slightly sunnier than average with 57 percent of the possible bright sunshine being observed, which was one percent more than the long-term mean.