Climatological Report (Monthly)
Issued by NWS Portland, ME
Issued by NWS Portland, ME
311 CXUS51 KGYX 012104 CLMPWM PWMCLMPWM 000 TTAA00 GYX 011743 CLIMATE REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME 143 PM EDT WED NOV 01 2023 ................................... ...THE PORTLAND ME CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER 2023... CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD: 1991 TO 2020 CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1941 TO 2023 (FOR TEMPERATURES) CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1871 TO 2023 (FOR PRECIPITATION) CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1882 TO 2023 (FOR SNOWFALL) WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S) NORMAL ................................................................ TEMPERATURE (F) RECORD HIGH 88 10/07/1963 LOW 15 10/28/1976 HIGHEST 81 10/03 75 6 74 10/06 LOWEST 31 10/31 26 5 30 10/29 10/30 AVG. MAXIMUM 62.8 59.5 3.3 60.6 AVG. MINIMUM 46.2 41.0 5.2 41.5 MEAN 54.5 50.3 4.2 51.0 DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0 DAYS MAX <= 32 0 0.0 0.0 0 DAYS MIN <= 32 1 6.3 -5.3 3 DAYS MIN <= 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 PRECIPITATION (INCHES) RECORD MAXIMUM 16.86 1996 MINIMUM 0.09 1924 TOTALS 2.93 5.25 -2.32 7.83 DAILY AVG. 0.09 0.17 -0.08 0.25 DAYS >= .01 10 10.9 -0.9 10 DAYS >= .10 6 6.8 -0.8 8 DAYS >= .50 2 2.9 -0.9 5 DAYS >= 1.00 1 1.4 -0.4 3 GREATEST 24 HR. TOTAL 1.34 10/21 TO 10/22 SNOWFALL (INCHES) RECORDS TOTAL 5.2 2011 TOTALS 0.0 0.2 -0.2 0.0 SINCE 7/1 0.0 0.2 -0.2 0.0 SNOWDEPTH AVG. 0 DAYS >= TRACE 0 0.1 -0.1 DAYS >= 1.0 0 0.1 -0.1 GREATEST SNOW DEPTH 0 24 HR TOTAL 0 DEGREE DAYS HEATING TOTAL 318 459 -141 425 SINCE 7/1 437 632 -195 588 COOLING TOTAL 1 2 -1 0 SINCE 1/1 423 446 -23 542 ................................................................ WIND (MPH) AVERAGE WIND SPEED 5.8 HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 23/330 DATE 10/13 HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 32/260 DATE 10/08 SKY COVER AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.62 AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 81 WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH THUNDERSTORM 0 HEAVY RAIN 2 RAIN 5 LIGHT RAIN 14 FREEZING RAIN 0 LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HEAVY SNOW 0 SNOW 0 LIGHT SNOW 0 FOG 19 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 3 HAZE 1 - INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS. R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED. MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING. T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT. && A BROAD RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE ALONG THE EAST COAST DOMINATED THE WEATHER THROUGH THE FIRST WEEK OF OCTOBER. THIS BROUGHT A PERIOD OF DRY AND VERY WARM CONDITIONS WITH A RECORD HIGH OF 81 DEGREES BEING SET ON THE 3RD. THE RIDGE BROKE DOWN BY THE END OF THE FIRST WEEK WITH A FRONTAL SYSTEM CROSSING THE AREA BRINGING RAIN AND MUCH COOLER TEMPERATURES. AN UPPER LOW LINGERED NEAR NEW ENGLAND THROUGH MUCH OF THE SECOND WEEK OF THE MONTH KEEPING TEMPERATURES NEAR NORMAL WITH SHOWERY WEATHER. ADDITIONAL UPPER LOWS AND TROUGHS CROSSED THE NORTHEAST THROUGH THE THIRD WEEK OF THE MONTH LIMITING ANY SIGNIFICANT WARM UPS, ALTHOUGH CONDITIONS WERE MOSTLY DRY WITH ONLY A COUPLE LIGHT RAIN EVENTS. A MORE SIGNIFICANT SYSTEM IMPACTED THE PORTLAND AREA THE WEEKEND OF THE 21ST INTO THE 22ND AS LOW PRESSURE TRACKED ACROSS SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND INTO THE GULF OF MAINE BRINGING A SOAKING RAIN. A BRIEF WARM UP ENSUED THE FINAL WEEK OF THE MONTH FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM BRINGING RAIN AND A SHOT OF MUCH COLDER AIR TO CLOSE OUT THE MONTH. THIS SHOT OF COLD AIR ALLOWED THE TEMPERATURE TO DROP BELOW FREEZING FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS FALL WHEN THE LOW REACHED 31 DEGREES ON THE 31ST. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 54.5, WHICH WAS 4.2 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL AND TIED FOR THE THIRD WARMEST OCTOBER ON RECORD. THE WARMEST OCTOBER WAS IN 2017 WHEN THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS 56.1 DEGREES. THE COOLEST WAS 43.5 DEGREES IN 1976. THE FOLLOWING TABLE LISTS THE WARMEST OCTOBERS ON RECORD AT PORTLAND. WARMEST AVERAGE TEMPERATURE IN OCTOBER (SINCE 1941)... RANK TEMP YEAR 1 56.1 2017 2 55.3 1947 3 54.5 2023 <=== 54.5 2014 5 53.9 2021 6 53.7 2007 7 52.9 2012 8 52.8 1968 9 52.5 1971 10 52.4 1990 A TOTAL OF 2.93 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION FELL, WHICH WAS 2.32 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. THE DRIEST OCTOBER ON RECORD WAS IN 1924 WHEN ONLY 0.09 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION FELL. THE WETTEST WAS 16.86 INCHES IN 1996. THE FOLLOWING DAILY RECORDS WERE SET OR TIED IN OCTOBER 2023... DATE RECORD PREVIOUS OCT 3 81 - WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 80 IN 2000 OCT 6 60 - WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 56 IN 2005 OCT 7 60 - WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 59 IN 2005 OCT 26 63 - WARMEST AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 62 IN 1971 OCT 27 64 - WARMEST AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 63 IN 1963 OCT 28 66 - WARMEST AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 62 IN 1989 AND 1971 OCT 28 80 - WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 78 IN 1947 $$ DS