ACON - VA/NC/SC The Atlantic Coast Observer Network:  Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina http://members.cox.net/wxr/acon.htm SUMMARY OF CLIMATOLOGICAL DATA  OCTOBER 2002 ...Rainfall Increases for Many in a Usually Dry October... ...Temperatures Continue Above Normal... ...Long-term, Rainfall Deficits Lessen... ...First Snowfall Reported by Dave Lesher at Davis... Most of the stations throughout our region noted above normal temps and above normal rainfall, the latter a significant departure from most months this year. In fact, the Raleigh-Durham Airport recorded its wettest October since records began there! And look at Merriell Jay's rainfall total at his site NNW of the Raleigh-Durham areas. Moreover, Tri-Cities recorded its wettest October. In some areas, these rains- combined with the November totals- helped push several sites to excess year-to-date totals. Still, as the headlines above note, long-term deficits have decreased but are with us. Water restrictions in many areas of the three-state region were lifted. Please note the impact of such restrictions in Joyce Winfree's (New Market) narrative below. Several noted that what started out to be a warm month (1st week), ended cool and wet. Have a splendid holiday season! Instrumentation Calibration It's that time of year to check those weather instruments for accuracy. With today's surge of electronic instruments come greater chances for wiring and transmission/broadcast problems. Check for power problems and replace batteries. 'Tis the season to get those spliced wires cleaned, resoldered, and retaped. Wind cups need to be cleaned of dirt and cobwebs (indeed, spiders love to lay webs on my anemometer cups every fall and they're located 30' above ground!) Also, be sure to clean out your standard and electronic rain gauges from dirt, debris, algae, and mold. And recalibrate those barometers! A couple of you have some "out-of-this world" monthly readings!! And be sure to ask a loved one to splurge this holiday season on a weather instrument, especially if you need an upgraded model! (Have you seen the fantastic weather instruments at Ebay Online Auctions?) Report: Severe Weather & Flooding Event   Bob Woodson sends this link on the Central North Carolina Severe Weather 10/11/02 http://www.erh.noaa.gov/er/rah/events/20021011/index.html . Article: Winter Pulls A Slick One: Ice Storm Pelts Garrett (MD); power KO'd  Kevin Shaw of ACON DC/MD/DE sends us this one about the ice storm that hit the area on 10/29/02 http://216.15.229.16/news/full_story.cfm?story_id=5015 . Susan Funk's, NWS AKQ October 2002 Hydrological Report  http://www.erh.noaa.gov/er/akq/HYM/OctPre2002.txt Drought Monitor Update:  http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/ Drought Seasonal Outlook from Climate Prediction Center:  http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/expert_assessment/seasonal_drought.html Wind Chill Chart (updated including new formula) Check this out at the NWS Wakefield website, http://205.156.54.206/er/akq/windchill_sheet.pdf. Reminder National Weather Service station data listed herein is preliminary and may be subject to change.  The data has not been certified and cannot be used in legal actions.  Only reports certified by the National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, NC may be used for these purposes.

STN  A      B    C    D      E F     G    H I  J K L  M     N  O P Q R R1 S
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AHB 74.7  38.5  55.1  86.7   3 33.5  31  0  0  0 0 19 S 4,7,13 0 0 0 0  2 2400
ANN 62.77 49.74 56.26 84   3,5 37 30,31  0  0  0 0 23 WSW  13  0 0 0 0  0 2400
                                  29,30
BCB             53.8  82     3 30   18                                    2400
BRI 63.7  49.5  56.6  86     5 33    8   0  0  0 0             0 0 0 0  1 0515/1600
CEN 64.0  49.1  56.6  88     5 32   31   0  0  1 0 25 010°  5  0 0 0 0  1 1200/2400
CHO 64.1  47.2  55.7  86     3 34   18   0  0  0 0 21 170°  4  1 0 0 0  5 2400
                                                   21 040  16
                                                   21 220  19
DAN 67.5  51.6  59.6  90   3,5 35   18   2  0  0 0                        2400
DCA 65.6  51.7  58.6  90     5 38   31   1  0  0 0 29 030° 16  0 0 0 0  1 2400
IAD 64.0  45.9  55.0  87     5 31   31   0  0  2 0 25 010° 16  0 0 0 0  4 2400
FCH 66.9  51.6  59.3  90     5 38   18   1  0  0 0             0 0 0 0  0 2400
HAM 70.2  57.5  64.0  91     5 38   31   2  0  0 0 34 NE   11             2400
HRG 62.3  46.4  54.3  84.9   2 31.6 31   0  0  2 0 18 WSW   4  0 0 0 0  3 2400
HER                   83.7   5 33.3 31   0  0  0 0 17       4 NR 0 0 0 NR 2400
HRN 62.2  47.0  54.8  84.3   5 31.4 31   0  0  1 0 23 NNW  16  0 0 0 0  0 2400 
LKU 66.3  47.8  57.0  89     3 32   18   0  0  1 0 18 N     4  0 0 0 0  0 2400
LYH 65.4  48.6  57.0  87   2,3 30   31   0  0  2 0                        2400
LXI 65.3  48.0  53.9  85.1   3 30.9 18   0  0  1 0 19 N     4  1 0 0 0  5 2400
NEW 61.48 46.10 53.79 87     2 31   18   0  0  0 0 26 NW    5  0 0 0 0  2 1700
NPN 69.8  54.1  62.0  90     5 34   31   1  0  0 0             0 0 0 0  1 2300 
NOR 70.6  56.9  63.8  88     5 38   31   0  0  0 0             0 0 0 0  0 2400
ORF 70.2  58.5  64.3  89     5 43   31   0  0  0 0 35 050° 14  0 0 0 0  1 2400
POR 70.6  58.6  64.6  88     5 41   31   0  0  0 0 28 023  14  0 0 0 0  1 2400
MEC 69    53    61    94   3,5 37   18   3  0  0 0  9.4 NE 14  0 0 0 0  0 1800
RIC 67.8  52.2  60.0  89     5 36   31   0  0  0 0 35 010° 13  0 0 0 0  2 2400  
ROA 66.0  50.2  58.1  86     3 35   18   0  0  0 0                        2400
ROK 66.1  49.3  57.7  87   3,5 33   18   0  0  0 0 16 NW   31  0 0 0 0  0 2400
AKQ 70.8  52.7  61.8  91     5 34   31   1  0  0 0                        2400
                            24
WEE 67.0  46.58 56.79 90     5 34   31   1  0  0 0 31+     31  2 0 0 0  1 0800/2000
                            23
WOO 60.7  47.9  54.3  82     4 35   18   0  0  0 0             0 0 0 0 14 0800
WSH 61.8  47.8  54.8  84.6   3 35.9 30   0  0  0 0 13 S    31  0 0 0 0  2 2400

STN  A      B    C    D      E F    G     H I  J K L  M     N  O P Q R R1 S
------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 
AVL 67.2  52.1  59.7  83   2,3 32   18   0  0  1 0 30 340° 30  0 0 0 0 11 2400
CLT 69.5  53.9  61.7  87   3,5 36   31   0  0  0 0 22 070  21  1 0 0 0  4 2400
ECG 72.4  57.5  65.0  91     5 39   31   1  0  0 0 35 010° 14  0 0 0 0  5 2400
FAY 72.8  57.2  65.0  93     5 42   19   3  0  0 0 31 230° 11  1 0 0 0  2 2400
GSO 67.2  53.1  60.1  88    24 39   29   0  0  0 0 24 040° 21  0 0 0 0  5 2400
HSE             68.7
LBT 74.3  57.7  66.0  92     5 41   19   2  0  0 0 28 010° 14  3 0 0 0  3 2400
RAL 69.8  53.2  61.5  91     3 37   18   2  0  0 0 16      19  0 0 0 0  1 1900
RDU 69.3  53.9  61.6  91     3 38   18   1  0  0 0 26 060° 14  1 0 0 0  6 2400
ROX 67.9  53.0  60.5  89     3 35   31   0  0  0 0 21 NE 11,14 0 0 0 0  2 2100
                                                           31
ILM 75.6  59.5  67.6  90   3.5 44 19,31  2  0  0 0 29 360° 14  2 0 0 0  2 2400

STN  A      B    C    D      E F    G     H I  J K L  M     N  O P Q R R1 S
------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 
CAE 75.0  59.7  67.3  91     5 42    18  1  0  0 0 22 080° 14  1 0 0 0  2 2400
CHS 78.3  63.0  70.6  92     5 49    19  3  0  0 0 29 150° 11  6 0 0 0  3 2400
CRE 75.1  61.0  68.0  87   3,5 45    19  0  0  0 0 26 180° 11  0 0 0 0  2 2400
                                                   26 050  14
FLO 74.1  59.0  66.6  91     5 42    19  1  0  0 0 29 050° 14  1 0 0 0  4 2400
GSP 69.6  55.2  62.4  86     3 39    18  0  0  0 0 25 030° 14  1 0 0 0  2 2400
OGB 75.9  60.0  68.0  91     5 44 18,19  1  0  0 0 23 040° 14  3 0 0 0  5 2400

STN  A      B    C    D      E F    G    H  I  J K L  M     N  O P Q R R1 S
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TRI 68.5  51.0  59.8  86     3  37  18   0  0  0 0                        2400 
DAV 52.9  41.3  47.1  71     4  27  31   0  1  7 0             0 0 0 0  4 1900

STN  T     U       V      V1   W X   Y      Z  1  2 3    4    5      6       7        S 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
AHB  4.59  1.11 16 1.23 15-16 14 1 27.04  0.0          0.0  0.0  30.459 24 29.570 16 2400
ANN  5.65  1.58 16 1.70 15-16 13 1 28.19  0.0          0.0  0.0  30.45  24 29.55  16 2400
BCB  4.54  0.83 16                 29.56  0.0          0.0  0.0                      2400
BRI  4.78  1.24 16 1.48 15-16 13 1 32.16  0.0          0.0  0.0  30.33     29.74     0515/1600
CEN  6.66  1.44 16 1.60 15-16 12 2 31.27  0.0          0.0  0.0  30.43  25 29.51  16 2400
CHO  5.23  1.36 11 1.44 10-11 15 1 29.16  0.0          0.0  0.0  30.38  24 29.58  16 2400 
DAN  6.38  2.52 11            15 1        0.0          0.0       30.34  24 29.58  16 2400
DCA  5.00  1.38 16 1.47 15-16 13 1 25.54  0.0          0.0  0.0  30.34  24 29.52  16 2400
IAD  5.04  1.10 16 1.30 15-16 13 1 30.43  0.0          0.0  0.0  30.42  24 29.54  16 2400 
FCH  5.20  1.35 16 1.36 16-17 12 1 23.79  0.0          0.0  0.0                      2400  
HAM  7.77  3.60 11 3.60    11  6 3 40.05  0.0          0.0  0.0  30.30   1 29.70  10 2400
HRG  4.46  1.06 16 1.30 15-16 12 1 29.33  0.0          0.0  0.0  30.37  14 29.65  16 2400
HER  5.65 E1.26 16           E15 2 34.37  0.0          0.0  0.0  30.42  24 29.46  16 2400
HRN  5.76  1.29 16 1.41 15-16 12 2 33.89  0.0          0.0  0.0  30.401 24 29.573 16 2400
LKU  5.92  1.52 11 1.76    11 12 2 34.52  0.0          0.0  0.0  30.39     29.57     2400
LYH  4.64  1.05 16            13 0 27.59  0.0          0.0  0.0  30.37  24 29.61  16 2400
LXI  4.49  1.01 16 1.08 15-16 13 1 33.66  0.0          0.0  0.0  30.35  14 29.64  15 2400
NEW  5.45  0.97 11            11 0 32.14  0.0          0.0  0.0                      1700
NPN  6.69  2.22 11 2.41 10-11 12 1 38.98  0.0          0.0  0.0  30.28  24 29.43  16 2300
NOR  6.96  3.58 11            11 1 46.53  0.0          0.0  0.0                      2400
ORF  6.55  3.45 11 3.48 10-11 13 1 41.79  0.0          0.0  0.0  30.35  24 29.44  16 2400 
POR  6.87  3.85 11 3.85    11 11 1 40.98  0.0          0.0  0.0  30.340 24 29.429 16 2400
MEC  6.71  1.42 11 2.00 11-12 11 3 32.26  0.0          0.0  0.0  30.12  24 29.47  16 1800
RIC  6.09  1.17 11 1.52 10-11 12 2 30.04  0.0          0.0  0.0  30.38  24 29.55  16 2400 
ROA  4.66  1.32 16            13 0 26.17  0.0          0.0  0.0  30.36  24 29.63  16 2400
ROK  5.25  1.16 16 1.79 15-16 10 1 32.22  0.0          0.0  0.0  30.30  24 29.67  16 2400 
AKQ  5.41  2.04 11            12 1 39.88  0.0          0.0  0.0                      2400
WEE  6.78  1.60 11 1.60    11  9 2 39.55  0.0          0.0  0.0                      1630
WOO  4.05          1.05 29-30 16 1 30.45  0.0          0.0  0.0  31.03  24 30.38  16 0800
WSH  6.73  1.72 16 1.90 15-16 13 2 37.01  0.0          0.0  3.1  30.38  24 29.58  16 2400

STN  T     U       V      V1   W X   Y     Z   1  2 3  4     5       6       7        S 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
AVL  3.14  1.98 15 2.14 16-16 11 1 39.23  0.0          0.0  0.0  30.29  23 29.64  16 2400
CLT  5.43  2.24 11 2.25 10-11 14 1 31.04  0.0          0.0  0.0  30.31  23 29.62  16 2400 
ECG  6.81          3.95 10-11 13 2 48.47  0.0          0.0  0.0  30.32  24 29.45  16 2400
FAY  3.29          1.65 10-11 11 1        0.0          0.0  0.0                      2400
GSO  6.18          2.28 10-11 16 2 33.34  0.0          0.0  0.0                      2400
HSE  6.90
LBT  3.33  1.01 11 1.01    11 13 1 33.41  0.0          0.0  0.0  30.29  23 29.55  16 2400
RAL  8.78          4.71 10-11 10 0 38.45  0.0          0.0  0.0  30.34  24 29.71  17 1900
RDU  9.35  5.33 11 5.78 10-11 14 1 38.75  0.0          0.0  0.0                      2400
ROX 11.30  6.87 11 6.87    11 11 1 42.53  0.0          0.0  0.0  30.45  24 29.71  16 2100
ILM  2.34  0.63 11 0.69 10-11  9 0 43.76  0.0          0.0  0.0  30.27  23 29.55  16 2400

STN  T     U       V      V1   W X   Y     Z   1  2 3  4     5       6       7        S 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
CAE  4.97          1.16 28-29 15 1 40.32  0.0          0.0  0.0                   27 2400 
CHS  8.44  3.47 11 4.92 10-11 13 3 55.13  0.0          0.0  0.0  30.25  23 29.58  16 2400 
CRE  3.19  1.10 11 1.11 10-11 10 1 32.22  0.0          0.0  0.0  30.17  31 29.77  30 2400
FLO  3.20  1.34 11 2.00 10-11  8 1 31.55  0.0          0.0  0.0  30.28  23 29.56  16 2400 
GSP  4.66  2.56 15 2.83 15-16 13 1 36.96  0.0          0.0  0.0  30.28  23 29.62  16 2400 
OGB  3.93  1.48 26 1.83 25-26 11 1 25.79  0.0          0.0  0.0  30.21  30 29.72  27 2400

STN  T     U       V      V1   W X   Y     Z   1  2 3  4     5       6       7        S 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TRI  3.74  1.02 15 1.22 15-16 17 1 30.91  0.0          0.0  0.0                      2400 
DAV  5.08  1.05 16            20 1 50.86  0.7  31 3 0  1.0  1.0                      1900

Annandale - Lowell reports: "October was a month of extremes from near record heat and drought to record cold and wetness! The average maximum temperature had a departure of -2.37°F and the average minimum temperature had a +2.61°F departure. If this appears to be unusual it is easily explained by all the cloudiness in the month. October was the cloudiest October in the last 22 years at this station. It was the cloudiest month since February of 1989 but April of 2000 was nearly as cloudy. The cloudiness also gave October the lowest average temperature range ever recorded in October 13.03°F; the old record was 15.68°F or a departure of -2.65°F. The average mean temperature was 56.26°F basically average with a departure of only +0.12° F. The highest maximum temperature was 84°F recorded on both the 3rd and 5th and the highest temperature ever recorded in October since 1985 when 86°F was recorded. The 70°F minimum on the 4th tied the highest minimum ever recorded in October set in 1986. The lowest maximum temperature for the month was only 40°F on the 30th which was the lowest maximum ever recorded for the month (22-years of records). The previous record was 41°F that was set on 10-10-1979 when it snowed one inch but the maximum temperature on that day was 41°F. The first nine months of this year have averaged +2.63°F above the average mean making for a very warm year and October was only the second month to be near the average mean temperature. We had 13 days with measurable precipitation; only one year (1993) has had more with 14 being the record. The October rainfall had a surplus of +2.44" the most rain in October since 1995. Three days had rainfall amounts that set new 22-year records for the date. The 5.65" is the most rain to occur in one month since July of 2000 or 27 months and was more rain in October for the last three years combined. For the year we now have a deficit of -8.79" in precipitation and with last year's deficit of -7.84" we are still behind a total of -16.63". Last month this deficit was -19.07". Little wind was recorded this month with the maximum gust of only 23mph from the WSW on the 13th between 1800 & 1900 hours. October DAILY Records Tied or Broken (22-Years of records); 20 daily records were set: October had 3 daily HIGH maximum 22-year temperature records for the date, 2, 3, 5; October had 4 daily LOW maximum 22-year temperature records for the date, 14, 24, 29, 30; October had 4 daily HIGH minimum 22-year temperature records for the date, 3, 4, 11, 12; October had 6 daily LOW range 22-year temperature records for the date, 11, 12, 16, 28 29, 30; October had 3 daily HIGH 22-year precipitation records for the date, 11, 16, 29. " [ + + ]

Arlington - Dewey Walston of NWS WBC reports: " NO RECORDS WERE SET THIS MONTH. OCTOBER 2003 STARTED OFF WARM BUT ENDED ON A COLD NOTE. OVERALL... TEMPERATURES ENDED UP NEAR NORMAL. PRECIPITATION WAS ABOVE NORMAL. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME SINCE JUNE THAT PRECIPITATION WAS ABOVE NORMAL. Rainfall for the month was 1.78" above normal while average temps were 0.2° below normal. The average wind speed was 8.1 mph. [ - + ]

Ashburn - Gary Oldham checks in: " Well, given that this was the first (= +) month in 2002, October was pretty boring overall. In 2001, we had our first fall freeze on 8 October, but October 2002 had no days that reached freezing or below. Wind was very abnormally mild this month, with a monthly average wind of only 0.9 mph, a high wind speed of a mere 19 mph, and a monthly wind run of only 669.09 miles, a record low monthly wind run for my station. The high one minute wind speed was a mere 11 mph on the 5th. In contrast, during 2001, the October average wind was 1.6 mph, the high wind speed was 30 mph, and the wind run was 1196 miles, nearly double that of this year. Rainfall was the most out of the ordinary element for the month, totaling 4.59", a full 1.22" above normal. October was only the second month in 2002 with above normal rainfall (May was the other month, and that was only 0.22" above the norm). Temperature was only 0.1° above the normal of 55.0°, so I'm considering that even. The average dew point for the month was 48°, and the average humidity was 78.4%. There were four "clear" days, 10 "partly cloudy" days, and 17 "cloudy" days. To digress just a bit, during September and October, I have been using WxSolution software with my Vantage Pro. This software, which works with the Vantage Pro, the Davis Weather Monitor II, Davis Weather Wizard, and the Heathkit 5001, produces great reports, including daily, monthly, and annual Local Climatological Data (LCD) reports, daily, monthly, and annual wind roses, and strip charts of most data for periods up to 31 days (and a slightly different annual version.) I have no financial or other interest in this product other than finding it a fine tool for recording climatological data. You can see the results of this software at my site, http://www.qsl.net/n6skk/ and looking in the left navigation area for "Climate Records" (view September or October 2002) or under "Most Current Weather/Climate Data" and click on any of the links beginning with "WxS". This software is available for download for a 20 day trial at http://www.thunderheadtech.com if you're interested. On this site are climatology reports from this software that date back to 1998 and nicely show how the annual reports show means and extremes. Needless to say, I'm very impressed with this product as a tool for the serious weather/climate enthusiast." [ + + ]

Blacksburg - NWS Blacksburg reports the monthly mean temp was 2.0° above normal while rainfall was 1.35" above normal. [ + + ]

Bridgewater - " The temperature was 1.5° above normal. The precipitation was 1.73" above normal. The year's precipitation is now only .67" below normal. " - report from Clayton [ + + ]

Centreville - Here are the October '02 numbers and words from CEN. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving. Plans are to get stuffed here, so it might be another week or 10 days before I'm able to fit behind the computer and do the new reports. All's well. Centreville was able to scare-up just one record for October. Eighty-eight degrees on the fifth broke the 1983 high temperature record by two degrees. From then on the daily high temperature never arose to the averages that we have come to expect. The month closed with the high average 4.5° below normal yet the mean for the month came in about 2.5° above normal. It must have been those average lows again that were responsible for stirring up such grave results. In fact our records show the nightly average of 49.1°; just about ten degrees above the 39.2° normal low average. The lowest temperature of 32° on Halloween didn't stand a ghost of a chance to set things right though. The 6.66" of precipitation for the month was certainly a treat with the greatest 24-hour rain trick of 1.60" on October 15th and 16th. This represented 24% of our monthly accumulation and was convincing enough that we weren't going to be as bone dry as we have been in the past. The 2.96" excess over our 3.70" average yielded 180% above normal precipitation for October witch reduced our annual rainfall deficit to 4.41" below normal. Finally some good news this month about the grave conditions all of us in the region have been experiencing. " - salutations and notes from Paul [ + + ]

Charlottesville - The monthly average temperature was 2.6° below normal while rainfall was 1.01" above normal. The average wind speed was 3.1 mph. [ - + ]

Dulles - The mean temp was normal. The monthly rainfall was 1.67" above normal. Average wind speed, 5.2 mph. - from NWS WBC [ +/- + ]

Falls Church - " October 2002 was a wet month, the wettest since the summer of 2001. The temperature was below average. The month started out on the warm side with one 90° day and then towards the middle of the month a cooling trend began that lasted into the beginning of November. The rain was very welcome! " - notes from Erica [ - + ]

Hampton - Report from Dave: " TEMPS NEAR NORMAL BUT A MUCH WELCOMED ABOVE NORMAL AND RECORD MONTHLY RAINFALL!!! " - [ +/- + ]

Harrisonburg - Terry sends these remarks: " Temperatures for October averaged 1.2° above normal. Total precipitation for the month was 4.46" which was .80" below normal. Yearly precipitation totals 29.33" which is 1.69" below normal. " [ + - ]

Herndon Bob notes: " My precip was 2.28" above "normal;" and for the calendar year 1.05" below the "normal" for Wash. Dulles. I was away Oct. 10-17, thus did not obtain daily temperature data for that period. " [ M + ]

Herndon - " A colder and much wetter weather pattern. The monthly temperature was 0.2° below average and rainfall was 2.39" above average. Record daily rainfall of 1.24" fell on the 11th and 1.29" on the 16th. " - notes from Russ [ - + ]

Lexington - Scott from WREL notes: " Average temperature in Lexington was 53.9° which is 2.3° below normal. October's mean was 14° below September's, so we cooled down in a hurry! Rainfall for the month as 4.49" which is 1/5" above normal. " [ - + ]

Louisa - " We've gotten quite a bit of precip this past month, almost six inches, but Lake Anna hasn't risen hardly at all. We got our first frost a few days ago . . . time to start thinking about hibernating. " - report from Joe [ M + ]

Lynchburg - Rainfall for the month was 1.23" above normal while the mean temp was 0.9° above normal. - from NWS Blacksburg
[ + + ]

Norfolk - NWS AKQ reported the mean temp at ORF was 3.2° above normal. Rainfall was 3.08" above normal. Rainfall for the year was 2.06" above normal. The average wind speed was 8.3 mph. [ + + ]

Newport News - Gary Leonard reports:" Warm and dry for the 1st 7 days; then, cool and finally wet through the rest of the month. "

Portsmouth - This October was the 3rd wettest and 4th warmest in the database to 1976. The average temp was 3.1° in excess of the normal. Rainfall was 191% (+3.27") of the normal. Station records set in include: 3rd - Temperature - Maximum Minimum 70° [previously 68° in 1985]; 6th - Temperature - Maximum 88° [previously 87° in 1995]; 10th - Temperature TIED - Maximum Minimum 66° [previously in 1997]; 11th - Precipitation - 3.85" [previously 0.34" in 1980]; 28th - Precipitation - 0.74" [previously 0.30" in 1995]; 29th - Precipitation - 0.65" [previously 0.32" in 1977]; 31st - Temperature - Minimum Maximum 48° [previously 58° in 1980]. The average wind speed was 2.81 mph from a dominant N direction. For the year, mean temps are running about 2.4° above normal while rainfall was 0.39" below normal (99%). The long-term deficit is 8.93" (since September 2001). [ + + ]

Richmond - NWS AKQ reported the mean temp at RIC was 1.7° above normal. Rainfall was 2.49" above normal. For the year, rainfall was 7.69" below normal. The average wind speed was 6.7 mph. [ + + ]

Mechanicsville - Glenn notes: " Praise the Lord!! We are finally getting some decent rainfall totals! "

New Market = " We are around 1° cooler than normal for the month's high avg. and around 1° warmer for the low temperature. The rains this month has saved us. I can take a shower now and not worry plus wash some clothes at home and not at the laundromat. That is great news to us. " - notes from Joyce [ +/- M ]

Roanoke - Wendell reports: " October was a little warmer than normal, by 1.5°. Rainfall was above normal by 1.23" for a very welcome change. Total for October was 5.25" " [ + + ]

Roanoke - NWS Blacksburg reports that the monthly mean temp was 1.0° above normal. Rainfall was 2.16" above normal. [ + + ]

Woodstock - " Third coldest and third wettest in 17 years. Nevertheless this year I had the latest "first 40's" date ever (10/8), and by two weeks, with still no freeze. The barometric pressure highs in October have also been exceptional: Three days at or above 31 inches of mercury as opposed to no recording that high in my first 10 years of record keeping. " - notes from Lauck [ - + ]

North Carolina:

Asheville - from NWS GSP: The monthly mean temp was 4.5° above normal and the rainfall was 0.04" below normal. The average wind speed was 4.9 mph. Average relative humidity 83% while the average sky cover was 70%. [ + - ]

Charlotte - NWS GSP reports the mean temp here was normal and precip was 1.77" above normal. The average wind speed was 4.4 mph. The average sky cover and relative humidity were 70% and 83% respectively. [ +/- + ]

Elizabeth City - The Elizabeth City Coast Guard Station [ECG] reported an average wind speed of 8.7 mph. The mean temp was 2.4° above normal while rainfall was 3.95" above normal. - from NWS AKQ [ + + ]

Fayetteville - NWS RDU reports the average wind speed was 5.2 mph and the average relative humidity was 83% while the average sky cover was 60%.

Cape Hatteras - The average temperature in October 2002 was 2.0° warmer than the 1895-2002 average, the 26th warmest October on record. 6.90" of precipitation fell. This was 2.48" more than the 1895-2002 average, the 22nd wettest such month on record (1895-2002). - from NCDC [ + + ]

Greensboro - NWS RDU notes a mean temp here of 1.6° above normal. Rainfall was 2.91" above normal. The average wind speed was 5.8 mph. The average relative humidity was 85%. The average sky cover was 70%. RECORDS SET FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER: TIED THE DAILY RECORD HIGH MINIMUM TEMPERATURE ON THE 12TH; SET A DAILY RECORD LOW MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE ON THE 15TH AND 29TH; SET DAILY PRECIPITATION RECORDS ON THE 11TH AND 28TH. [ + + ]

Lumberton - The average wind speed was 5.4 mph. The average monthly temperature 5.0° above normal while rainfall 0.03" below normal - from NWS ILM [ + - ]

Raleigh - NWS RAH reported the monthly average temp was 1.6° above normal while rainfall was 6.17" above normal. The average relative humidity was 84% while the average sky cover was 60%. THIS WAS THE WETTEST OCTOBER ON RECORD FOR THE RDU AIRPORT...WHERE RECORDS BEGAN IN JUNE, 1944. THE PREVIOUS OCTOBER RECORD FOR THE AIRPORT LOCATION WAS 9.10 INCHES...SET IN 1995. THIS WAS THE THIRD WETTEST OCTOBER ON RECORD FOR THE RALEIGH AREA. CONTINUOUS RECORDS HAVE BEEN KEPT IN AND AROUND RALEIGH SINCE JANUARY 1887. THE RAINFALL ON OCT 11...5.33 INCHES...SET A DAILY AND MONTHLY RAINFALL RECORD FOR OCTOBER. THE PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 4.05 INCHES ON OCTOBER 4, 1995. THE FOLLOWING TEMPERATURE RECORDS WERE SET: TIED THE DAILY RECORD HIGH ON THE 3RD; SET A DAILY RECORD LOW MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE ON THE 29TH AND 30TH; SET A DAILY RECORD HIGH MINIMUM TEMPERATURE ON THE 3RD. - [ + + ]

Raleigh - Bob reports: " Significant rainfall finally occurred during October. The bulk of the rainfall fell on October 10th and 11th. There was urban flooding in the Raleigh City limits plus at least two tornadoes in the eastern part of the state. Rainfall for the year is actually above normal and water restrictions for Raleigh have been cancelled. Temperatures for the month averaged more than one degree above normal. " - [ + + ]

Roxboro - Merriell writes: " October was mostly gray and cool. The first week was dry, but the rest of the month was wet. This is one of the wettest Octobers in this area for many years. Temperatures averaged a couple of degrees above normal. There was minor flooding on the 11th. " [ + + ]

Wilmington - From NWS ILM: The average temp was 2.7° above below normal while rainfall was a 0.87" below normal. The average wind speed was 5.5 mph. [ + - ]

South Carolina:

Charleston - NWS CHS reports the monthly mean temp was 3.5° above normal. Rainfall was 3.02" above normal. The average wind speed was 6.5 mph. [ + + ]

Columbia - NWS CAE reports that the mean temp here was 3.6° above normal. Rainfall was a 2.08" above normal. The average wind speed was 4.6 mph. Average average relative humidity was 79% while the average sky cover was 70%. [ + + ]

Florence - The mean temp here was 2.5° above normal while rainfall totals were 0.26" above normal. The average wind speed was 5.7 mph. - from NWS ILM [ + + ]

Greenville-Spartanburg - The monthly mean temperature was 1.9° above normal while rainfall was 0.78" above normal. The average wind speed was 5.8 mph. The average relative humidity was 83% and the average sky cover was 60%. - from NWS GSP [ + + ]

North Myrtle Beach - The mean temp was 3.3° above normal while rainfall was .04" below normal. The average wind speed was 5.9 mph. - from NWS ILM [ + - ]

Orangeburg - NWS CAE reports the average wind speed was 4.5 mph. The average sky cover was 60% while the average relative humidity was 83%.

Nearby Cities:

Tri-Cities - The mean temp was 4.8° above normal while the monthly precip was 1.44" above normal. The 3.74" of rain which fell this month established a new record rainfall total for October. For the year, rainfall was 3.95" below normal. - from NWS MRX [ + + ]