A Reading in the 90s Makes October 2019 Memorable in New York

 

 

Although above average rainfall characterized October 2019, a day of sizzling heat at the beginning of the month is likely what many New Yorkers will remember.  After having no days in the 90s in September, the high on 10/2 was a torrid 93°, 24 degrees above average - and the first 90-degree reading in October since 1941.  (The high the next day, however, was thirty degrees chillier.)  As for the rain, 6.15" was measured, the most in October since 2006, and the second rainiest month of the year (May had 6.77").  A little more than half of the month's rain fell on two days: on 10/16, when 1.83" fell, and 10/27 (1.38").

 

The month was three degrees warmer than average and was the 24th mildest October on record (but it ranked 12th for average low).  And although it had just a few days with highs of 70° or warmer or lows in the 60s, the month also had very few days with highs in the 50s or lows in the 40s (the chilliest reading was 43° on the 19th).  Similar to September, October ended with 11 days in a row with above average readings (averaging six degrees above average).  Temperatures between 10/3-20 were average while the other 13 days of the month were seven degrees above average.

 

In the years since 1900 three out of four Octobers have had their chilliest readings in the 30s or 20s.  October 2019 joined only five other Octobers whose chilliest lows were 43° or milder.  (The mildest reading to be the chilliest October low is 45°, which happened in 1945 and again in 1971.)  The typical chilliest October temperature is around 38° (fourteen Octobers since 1900 had chilliest readings of 32° or colder; the last time it occurred was in 1988).

 

 

The low on Halloween was 60°, 15 degrees above average.  It joined 10/1 and 10/2 as the only days in October with lows in the 60s.  The high of 71° on 10/31 was the warmest reading on the holiday in ten years, when the high was also 71°.  It was also the mildest reading since 10/14.  (And although 10/31's high of 71° was 22 degrees cooler than 10/2's, its low was just three degrees lower.)

 

 

Finally, October's plentiful rainfall followed a very dry September, in which just 0.95" was measured.  And while this was a decided contrast, it wasn't nearly as extreme as Sept/Oct 2005 when  October saw 16.73" after a paltry 0.48" in September; April/May 2007, when April had 13.05" and May had just 1.88"; and Aug/Sept 1882, when September had 16.85" and August only 1.14".

Here are links to other October recaps:

2018

2017

2016

 

 

 

Comments

[William]

this month had fifteen days with measurable rain. this tied 1919 as the most in October on record. however, neither month is even close to being the wettest on record. October 1919 had roughly half as much rain as this month did (3.59").

[Benny R.]

It was also the tenth consecutive October in a row to be above normal temperature-wise, making all the 2010s Octobers to be above average in mean temperature. Talk about today's warming climate...

[William]

this was the fifth October of the decade with no readings <40°, the most of any decade. interestingly, the other four Octobers were followed by a cold and snowy winter. the 1990s had four Octobers with no lows colder than 40° ('94-'96 & '98).

[William]

this month had four days with lows under 50°, tying 1971 as the fewest on record in October. by comparison, the Octobers of 2015, 2016 and 2018 had 13, 13 and 17 such lows respectively.

[William]

October had a warmer reading than September this year (93 vs 89). is 1997 (83 in September vs 85 in October) the only other year in which this has happened or have there also been other years in which this has happened? what were the other years if there are any?

[Rob]

There have been a handful of other years: 1975, 1949, 1941, 1939, 1938, 1928 and 1883. 1941 was especially noteworthy because September's hottest reading was 93.