Wettest October in U.S., 3rd Coldest

Aided by the heaviest precipitation in 115 years of record, October 2009 temperatures were the third coldest on record in the United States. The National Climatic Data Center preliminary analysis for the month, released this afternoon, shows that the national monthly average temperature of 50.8°F was 4.0°F below the 20th Century average. Eight of the nine climatic regions were colder than average, with five of those much colder. Oklahoma set a record for its coldest October, and 10 other states were in the top five coldest:

• Second: Kansas, Nebraska
  
• Third: Iowa, Wyoming
  
• Fourth: Colorado, South Dakota, Arkansas
  
• Fifth: Montana, Minnesota, Missouri

The only region with near normal temperatures was the Southeast, where Florida was the only state with warmer than average temperatures.

The national average precipitation of 4.15" was almost double the long-term October amount of 2.11". The East North Central and South regions both had their wettest Octobers, and the Central region had its second wettest. Three states had record wettest Octobers: Iowa, Arkansas, and Louisiana. Fourteen other states were ranked in the top five wettest for the month. Only three states had below-normal precipitation.

Images (click to enlarge): U.S. October average temperature since 1895, statewide temperature and precipitation ranks for October 2009; from National Climatic Data Center