October 2020 Weather Recap: 'Mother Nature' Dresses Up as 'Jack Frost' for Halloween
October 2020 was slightly milder and wetter than average in New York. The month's first week-and-a-half was uneventful, with just 0.06" of rain. Then three significant rain events soaked the City, each bringing more than an inch of rain: 1.30" fell on 10/12-13; 1.36" on 10/17 and 2.17" on 10/29-30. The first and third rainmakers were from remnants of hurricanes Delta and Zeta. The month ended up with 5.05" of rain, 0.65" above average. Overall, the month was one degree above average, making it the 11th October in a row that was milder than average. The low was nearly two degrees above average while the high was just about average (+0.1 degree).
Until the end of the month the chilliest reading had been 44°, which would have been one of the mildest readings for this distinction in October (October 1946's and 1971's coolest reading was 45°; October 2007's was 44°; last October's was 43°). But then a shot of Arctic air followed the rainstorm of 10/29-30 and Halloween morning dawned with a low of 32°, the coldest reading in October since 1988. This was three weeks earlier than the average date of the first freezing or colder reading in Central Park.
The month's mildest reading was 74° (on 10/7), which was the coolest warmest reading in October since 2009, which also had a mildest reading of 74° (October 2009 was the last time the month was chillier than average). The last time the warmest reading was cooler than this was in 1987, when it was 72°. (By contrast, last October's warmest reading was a sizzling 93°.) There were just six days with highs in the 70s (the October average is nine), none of which occurred back-to-back. This was just the third time this has happened in October in the past 100 years. And this October was the only one of the three that was above average temperature-wise.
Although the month was one degree milder than average, both the warmest and chilliest readings of October were six degrees cooler than what the average warmest and chilliest readings are in October.
Finally, there were just eight days with mean temperatures five degrees or more above average, and four days that were five degrees or more below average. The lengthiest streak of days that were five degrees or more above average was five (10/20-24); this streak was nine degrees above average (high/low of 69°/58°). There were no extended periods of significantly chillier than average temperatures, but the last two days of the month were twelve degrees below average (high/low of 47°/34°).
Here are previous recaps of October's weather: