October Climate Highlights (Credit: NOAA National Center for Environmental Information-Climate)10/31/2017 It’s the spookiest day of the year and NOAA’s National Center for Environmental Information has released some spooktacular climate facts about temperature and precipitation in the month of October. October is a month where some states start seeing snow and cold while others hold onto the last days of summer warmth. Overall in October, the average temperature in the lower forty-eight was 54° F. The warmest October recorded was back in 1963 with an average temperature of 54.9° F, while the coldest October occurred back in 1925 with an average temperature of 48.9° F. Since the recording of temperature values began back in 1895, October temperatures have warmed at a rate of 0.8° F per century. Say it isn’t snow but October usually heralds in the first snowfall of the season for regions of the United States like the Rockies, the Northern Plains, and the Central Plains into the Upper Midwest regions. The average October snowfall is approximately 2 inches. The Eastern coast of the US is no stranger to snow but it’s usually the higher elevations that see snow in October. Back in 1952, the driest October was recorded with just 0.54 inches of precipitation that had fallen. The wettest October on record occurred in 2009. 4.29 inches of precipitation was recorded. Since the record began back in 1895, October precipitation has increased at a rate of 0.4inches per century. In the table below, check out some climate normals for some spooky named places across the United States. For more interesting climate stories and facts be sure to click here! ©2017 Meteorologist Shannon Scully
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Southwest Florida Temperatures Dip Below 70 Degrees (H. Michael Mogil, CCM, CBM, NWA-DS*)10/26/2017 Temperatures and dew points across southwest Florida finally dipped below 70 degrees Fahrenheit (F), yesterday morning (Oct. 25, 2017); this is a sure sign that the area has finally entered the autumn season. The last 70-degree temperature reading at Naples Municipal Airport (call sign APF), that did not involve cooler thunderstorm outflow winds, was back on May 11 of this year. Similar comparisons can be found across southwest Florida…To read the full story, click here - http://www.weatherworks.com/lifelong-learning-blog/?p=1429 © 2017 H. Michael Mogil To learn more about how to read/interpret various maps and charts used by meteorologists, be sure to click here!   DISCUSSION: There are numerous temperature records archived around the globe which have consistently shown that the Earth's average temperature is continuing to warm more and more with time. In fact, many global temperature records have shown that the rate of temperature increase at many locations around the world have actually gradually increased with time. There are some many consequential concerns for other atmospheric phenomena as a result of this gradually increasing rate of temperature increase from a global perspective. First and foremost, a higher average global temperature corresponds to there being a higher average capacity for a given parcel of air to hold more water.
Therefore, there is an inherently larger amount of water suspended within the lower to middle parts of the atmosphere within a planet which has a higher average temperature. As a consequence, there is a greater threat for heavier rainfall events as well as increasingly more potent tropical cyclones from a global perspective due to a higher atmospheric water content. Though, there is not a direct mathematical correlation between higher water content and more intense tropical cyclones, the fact is that tropical cyclones thrive within atmospheric environments which have a greater amount of atmospheric water content. Thus, with an atmosphere with greater water content, there typically is a greater propensity for greater tropical cyclone activity (and more intense activity often times as well). To learn more about this particular story written by Climate Central, click here! To learn more about other climate-related stories from around the world, be sure to click here! ©2017 Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz Just How Cold Is It in Juneau, Alaska...? (Photo Credit: Wyoming Roads, Juneau Harbor Cam)10/1/2017  Left: Snow beginning to fall on I-80 west of Laramie on Sunday, September 24th at 4:16 pm local time; Right: Partly cloudy skies looking south from Juneau Harbor toward the Gastineau Channel on Sunday, September 24 at 4:16 AKDT There are some illusions surrounding Alaska’s temperature and climate, specifically cooler temperatures in the summer and early fall months. But, what makes a location’s climate unique? Weather is comprised of individual events and climate is the average of these conditions. Proximity to a body of water, topography, and elevation all can play a factor in shaping the climate.
For the purposes of comparison, Albuquerque, New Mexico is one of the highest elevation cities at an average elevation of 5300 feet and a latitude of 35°N. This city lies at the northern edges of the Chihuahuan Desert, and thus, experiences large ranges in diurnal temperatures due to the specific heat of dry air being less than that of water (humid air takes longer to heat and cool than dry air does). Laramie, WY (located in southeast Wyoming along the Colorado Front Range) is located at 41°N and 7220 feet above sea level. Similar to Albuquerque, Laramie is also a semi-arid climate, but the high plains location is susceptible to long, cold winters. Juneau, Alaska (fondly referred to as Capital City by locals) is nestled between the Gastineau Channel to the west and several large mountainous peaks to the east, separating it from Canada. It is located at 58°N, with the Article Circle beginning at a latitude 65°N. Juneau is considered a maritime climate due to the stabilizing presence of the Pacific Ocean. Temperatures are relatively mild here and small variations may exist between high and low temperatures, contrary to what its latitude may suggest. During the last week of September, several differences were noticed for these locations. A slow-moving Pacific storm system hit Laramie, WY with its first “measurable” snow (greater than or equal to 0.01”) on Sunday, September 24th . With about a month and half away from its first predicted snowfall, Juneau experienced a heavy rain event beginning Monday evening the 25th through the 28th with up to 2.5” of precipitation in some areas, as a front pushed through the southeast Alaska panhandle. A separate backdoor cold front backed into eastern New Mexico and moved through the central portion of the state by Wednesday, September 27th. Meanwhile, Juneau International Airport experienced a maximum temperature of 59°F, almost 6 degrees above normal. The overnight low of 55°F in Juneau was almost 10 degrees warmer than portions of New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming (49°F in Albuquerque and a mere 36 degrees in Laramie, WY). To see more about climate, please click here! ©2017 Meteorologist Sharon Sullivan |
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