NATIONAL WEATHER SUMMARY
OCTOBER 2020
4-10: Category 2 Hurricane Delta made landfall on October 9 at 6:00 pm CDT with sustained winds of 100 mph near Creole, LA, located in the same parish (Cameron) as the town of Cameron, where Hurricane Laura moved ashore 43 days earlier. Once inland,
Delta quickly weakened, although heavy rain spread across the Southeast and stretched as far north as the Tennessee Valley.
Dry weather covered most other areas of the country, though showers dotted the Northwest and the Great Lakes and Northeastern States. Rain in the Northwest and Northeast eased the threat of wildfires but generally was not heavy enough to significantly
ease drought. Meanwhile, drought continued to worsen from California to the High Plains.
A dry weather pattern extended across much of the Midwest. Near- or below-normal temperatures were common from the Mississippi River eastward, except across the lower Southeast, where very warm, humid weather persisted. Weekly temperatures averaged as
much as 5°F below normal in parts of the Mississippi Delta and the mid-Atlantic. In contrast, warmth dominated areas from the Pacific Coast to the Plains and western Corn Belt. Weekly readings averaged more than 10°F above normal across large sections
of the High Plains and parts of the interior Northwest. An early-week cool spell delivered frost and freezes to parts of the Midwest, although most corn and soybeans were mature enough to withstand the chilly weather with negligible effects. On October 5,
low temperatures in Illinois included 27°F in Lincoln, a record for the date, and 30°F in Springfield. Subsequently, mild weather returned across the Midwest. Meanwhile, warmth dominated the West. In Montana, daily-record highs for October 4 rose to
84°F in Helena and 82°F at the Bozeman Airport. On the same date, triple-digit, daily-record highs included 105°F in Phoenix, AZ, and 100°F in Lancaster, CA. Phoenix reached or exceeded the 100-degree mark on each of the first 9 days of October,
boosting its year-to-date total to 142 days. The annual record for Phoenix remains 143 days in 1989. Similarly, Tucson, AZ, opened October with six triple-digit temperatures, increasing its year-to-date total to 106 days. Previously, Tucson’s annual
record had been 99 readings of 100°F or higher, set in 1994. Meanwhile in Texas, Borger reported six consecutive daily-record highs (91, 97, 95, 95, 96, and 97°F) from October 5-11. Hot weather also extended across the central Plains, where Dodge City
and Russell, KS, notched daily-record highs of 96°F on October 7. By the 8th, daily-record highs included 92°F in Chadron, NE; 91°F in Pueblo, CO; and 89°F in Rapid City, SD. With a high of 87°F on October 8, Colorado Springs, CO, tied a monthly
record previously achieved on October 3, 1935, and October 11, 2015. Temperatures topped the 90-degree mark through October 9 as far north as Nebraska, where daily-record highs included 95°F in North Platte and 91°F in Broken Bow, Grand Island,
Imperial, and Valentine. In Texas, consecutive, triple-digit, daily-record highs were set on October 10-11 in Del Rio (102 and 103°F, respectively) and San Angelo (101°F both days).
11-17: Early in the week, remnant moisture from former Hurricane Delta—interacting with a cold front—exited the middle and northern Atlantic States. Thereafter, most of the country experienced several days of dry weather. As the week progressed,
additional Northeastern rain provided drought relief, while periods of precipitation fell across the remainder of the nation’s northern tier. Late in the week, snow developed across northern sections of the Rockies and High Plains. Western wildfires
flared in several areas, including the Colorado Rockies, amid dry, windy conditions. Wind also raised dust across portions of the High Plains. Weekly temperatures averaged 5 to 15°F above normal in California and more than 5°F above normal in parts of
the Great Basin, Southwest, southern High Plains, and southern Atlantic region. In contrast, readings averaged at least than 5°F below normal in several locations from northern Montana into the upper Great Lakes region. Chilly air eventually settled
into the Midwest, where late-week temperatures fell to 32°F or below as far south as the Ohio River. Readings dipped below 20°F from Montana to northern Minnesota.
Windy anddry weather persisted. Colorado’s largest wildfire on record—the Cameron Peak Fire, west of Fort Collins—grew to more than 205,000 acres during a period of rapid expansion. The fire, which was ignited on August 13 and had been more than 50
percent contained, suddenly charged eastward amid a high-wind event. High winds also raised dust across the central and southern High Plains on October 11, when gusts were clocked to 75 mph in Hill City, KS; 69 mph in McCook, NE; and 68 mph in Akron, CO.
In advance of a cold front that helped to spark the dust storm, triple-digit, daily-record highs were reported on October 11 in Texas locations such as San Angelo (101°F), Abilene (100°F), and Wichita Falls, (100°F). On the same date, Dodge City, KS,
notched a daily-record high of 95°F. With a high of 97°F on October 14, Lubbock, TX, experienced its latest-ever reading of 95°F or higher (previously, 98°F on October 8, 1979). Meanwhile in Florida, record-setting highs for October 12 reached 93°F
in Fort Lauderdale and 92°F in Miami. Farther west, Phoenix, AZ, reported highs of 100°F on October 13-14 and 102°F on October 16. For the year, 145 days in Phoenix with highs of 100°F or greater surpassed the 1989 standard of 143 days. Triple-digit,
daily-record highs were common across California, where October 15 readings soared to 109°F in Palm Springs and 105°F in Woodland Hills. In contrast, Midwestern daily-record lows for October 16 dipped to 26°F in Lincoln, IL, and 31°F in Cape
Girardeau, MO.
18-24: Historically cold weather for so early in the season and winter-like storms occurred across the North. Weekly temperatures averaged more than 20°F below normal in parts of Montana and the western Dakotas—and were at least 10°F below norm in a
broader area covering the northern half of the Plains and the upper Midwest. Temperatures remained below 40°F all week in many locations from Montana into the upper Great Lakes region and plunged below 0°F toward week’s end in northern sections of
the Rockies and High Plains. Weekly temperatures averaged as much as 10°F above normal in scattered locations across northern California, southern Texas, the Four Corners region, the South, and the East. Cold conditions, already in place in the north-
central U.S. as the week began, continued to surge southward and further intensify. On October 20, International Falls, MN, posted a daily-record low of 10°F. Two days later, on October 22, Glasgow, MT, recorded its second-earliest reading of 0°F,
behind only October 19, 1905. In fact, Glasgow logged consecutive daily-record lows (0 and -4°F, respectively) on October 22- 23. Several Montana locations, including Billings (20, 10, 7, and 5°F) and Livingston (7, 3, 6, and 5°F) tallied four
consecutive daily-record lows from October 22-25. Sub-zero, daily-record lows on October 23 plunged to -5°F in Havre, MT, and Casper, WY. On the 24th, Cut Bank, MT (-10°F), experienced its coldest October day since 1991, when lows of -14°F occurred on
October 29 and 30. At week’s end, frigid weather extended into the Midwest, where record-setting lows for October 24 fell to 15°F in Sioux City, IA, and Sioux Falls, SD. On the same date in Kansas, daily-record lows dipped to 16°F in Tribune and 19°
F in Colby and Goodland. Starting on October 18, Rochester, MN, endured its longest October spell with the temperature remaining below 40°F (previously, 6 days from October 22-27, 1887). In contrast, warmth lingered in the South, East, and West. Paso
Robles, CA, collected a daily-record high of 98°F on October 18. Consecutive daily-record highs occurred on October 18-19 in California locations such as Palmdale (93 and 95°F) and Lancaster (94 and 95°F). Red Bluff, CA, notched a daily record high of
96°F on October 20. In New Mexico, Roswell noted several daily-record highs, including a reading of 92°F on October 22. Farther east, daily-record highs soared to 89°F (on October 21) in Vicksburg, MS; 86°F (on October 22) in St. Louis, MO; 83°F (on
October 23) in Erie, PA; and 81°F (on October 23) in Buffalo, NY.
Mostly dry weather persisted through week’s end from California to the central and southern High Plains, maintaining stress on rangeland, pastures, and winter wheat.
25-30: A record-setting cold wave—with weekly temperatures averaging 10 to 20°F below normal—continued for several days across the Rockies, Plains, and upper Midwest. Temperatures plunged below 0°F as far south as Colorado. Chilly weather also
extended eastward into New England. In contrast, lingering Southeastern warmth boosted weekly temperatures more than 5°F above normal. Farther west, a winter-like storm system produced rain, sleet, freezing rain, and snow across central and southern
sections of the Rockies and Plains.
Several Montana locations, including Billings (20, 10, 7, 5, and 9°F) and Livingston (7, 3, 6, 5, and -7°F) tallied five consecutive daily-record lows from October 22-26. Record-low October temperatures were set on the 26th in numerous locations
including Bozeman, MT (-20°F), and Rapid City, SD (-7°F). Previous records had been -14°F (on October 29 and 30, 2019) in Bozeman and -2°F (on October 31, 1991, and October 30, 2019) in Rapid City. Another wave of monthly records occurred on October
27, when lows plunged to -26°F in Laramie, WY; -10°F in Scottsbluff, NE; and 0°F in Burlington, CO, and Goodland, KS. Laramie’s previous record had been set on October 30, 1993, with a low of -18°F. Scottsbluff’s lowest October reading had been -
6°F, on October 31, 1991. Goodland’s previous earliest reading of 0°F or below had occurred on November 2, 1951; the October record in that location had been 1°F on October 29, 1917. Once cold weather reached the Intermountain West, it was slow to
ease. Grand Junction, CO, registered four consecutive daily record lows (21, 16, 11, and 22°F) from October 25-28. In contrast, record setting warmth lingered in the Southeast, including Florida, where Tampa tallied a trio of daily-record highs (92°F
each day) from October 26-28. Meanwhile in California, downtown Los Angeles set a record with at least 194 consecutive days, from April 21 – October 31, having high temperatures reaching 70°F or greater (previously, 190 days from April 28 – November
3, 1885). During the mid- to late-week period, cold weather shifted into the South and East, while warmth returned across the Northwest. In Arizona, daily-record lows on October 28 dipped to 30°F in Safford and 31°F in Nogales. In Oregon, however,
record-setting highs for October 29 rose to 79°F in Redmond and 74°F in Pendleton. Elsewhere, October ended with consecutive daily-record lows (22 and 18°F, respectively) in Plattsburgh, NY. Other record-setting Northeastern lows for October 31
included 13°F in Houlton, ME, and 15°F in Montpelier, VT. At the height of the cold spell, the temperature in Rochester, MN, stayed below 40°F for 10 consecutive days from October 18-27. Rochester’s previous October record had been 6 such days, from
October 22-27, 1887. The 27th featured the lowest maximum temperatures on record during October in locations such as Abilene, TX (32°F; previously, 37°F on October 29, 1925), and Oklahoma City, OK (32°F; previously, 34°F on October 28 and 29, 1925).

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