October Kicks off With Warm, Mostly Dry Conditions

October 1-15 average temperatures ranged from 2°F below normal to more than 8°F above normal.

The first half of October was milder than normal for much for the Northeast, with average temperatures ranging from within 2°F of normal in parts of the Mid-Atlantic to more than 8°F above normal in northern Maine. At the 35 major climate sites, October 1-15 average temperatures ranged form 0.1°F above normal in Beckley, WV, to 8.5°F above normal in Caribou, ME, its warmest first half of October on record. Additionally, this October 1-15 period ranked among the 20 warmest on record for another 14 major climate sites.

This first half of October was record warm for Caribou, ME, and among the 20 warmest on record for another 14 major climate sites.

The warmth was especially notable in New York and New England from October 3-5 when several climate sites experienced one of their 10 warmest October temperatures as highs climbed into the 70s and 80s. In fact, Syracuse, NY, and Burlington, VT, had their warmest high temperatures for October with 89°F and 86°F, respectively, on the October 4. A couple of sites also recorded low temperatures that ranked among their 10 warmest for October between October 4 and 7.

Early October high temperatures were record warm for the month at two major climate sites and among the 10 warmest at several other sites.

October 1-15 precipitation ranged from less than 25% of normal to more than 200% of normal.

A large chunk of the Northeast saw below or near-normal precipitation during the first half of October, with the driest locations in coastal New England seeing less than 25% of normal precipitation. Meanwhile, a handful of locations were wetter including northern New York with more than 200% of normal precipitation. October 1-15 precipitation at the 35 major climate sites ranged from 7% of normal in Boston, MA, to 156% of normal in Burlington, VT, with 27 sites landing on the dry side of normal. This first half of October ranked among the 20 driest on record for three sites but among the 20 wettest for four sites.

This October 1-15 period was among the 20 driest for three major climate sites but among the 20 wettest for four sites.