THE DULL MONTH...

For local meteorologists, October is sometimes called "the dull month". I guess it's understandable. It seems that every month of the year is associated with some type of "active" weather, from possible snowstorms in January to severe weather in March. Even the lazy days of summer are punctuated by a hurricane every now and then. But October sometimes gets lost in the meteorological shuffle.

Of course, October 2009 has been a little more active than usual. Some areas had already picked up close to an inch of rain by October 6 (we usually only average about 3.21 inches for the entire month). In fact, October is usually one of the driest months of the whole year in North Carolina (climatologically speaking). In order to finish the month with above-normal rainfall, a late-season hurricane is sometimes required. Such events are rare, but there are notable exceptions (Hazel in 1954).

Daytime high temperatures are a little more difficult to gauge, especially at the beginning of the month. Our average highs for early October reach the upper 70's, but huge variations can occur. During the autumn months, changes in the jet stream can bring cool pockets of Canadian air into the Carolinas. Given ample cloud cover, it's not impossible for daytime high temperatures to fall into the low 60's! Of course, the sun angle is still sufficient for quick warm-ups when little cloud cover is present. The all-time record daytime high temperature for October is 95 degrees, set back in the 1950's and (and repeated in 1986).

Still, the typical October forecast calls for sunshine, low humidity, comfortable temperatures, and quiet weather. It may be a dull pattern, but you won't find me complaining...