Wet October setting records

Our unusually wet October weather pattern is starting to set some records.

We've had rain or snow 13 of 21 days so far in October.

Let's start with snow. This is already the snowiest October in 18 years. We've recorded 2.8" of snow at Twin Cities Airport this month. This is already the 7th snowiest October on record. We may add to that snowfall total before the month is done.

The snowiest October was in 1991 during the onset of the Halloween Mega-Storm. The last time we saw this much snow this early in October was in 1977.

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Now the rain.

After another .50" of rain so far today the Twin Cities has recorded 4.3" of precipitation this month as of about 4pm Tuesday. That's more than twice the monthly average of 2.11 inches. Many locations in Minnesota have recorded over 5" of rainfall this month.

In fact, the Twin Cities are now approaching the top 10 wettest Octobers on record. If we get roughly another .6" of rain, that will put us in the top 10 wettest Octobers. Right now the number 10 spot is held by October 1904 at 4.94" of precipitation.

Even if it's a bit dreary, our wet October weather pattern is a blessing after over a year of drought. The added rainfall is recharging soils, lakes and rivers.

October temperatures are also way below average. After a very warm September (+5.5 degrees) we are running 8.4 degrees below average for October. So in a month, we've gone from the 11th warmest September or record to what may be one of the top 10 coldest Octobers on record.

There's certainly plenty for meteorologists to talk about in Minnesota these days!

PH