As we rapidly approach my favorite month of the year, I am sure looking forward to a little preview of the cooler days ahead. The cold front slipping in here today will bring temperatures down into the 50s for most places tomorrow morning, and most likely some upper 40s for the cooler valleys of north Alabama. I am using 54 for a low in the forecast package for the Birmingham metro area; if we reach 54 degrees that will be our coolest temperature since May 25. The upper air pattern suggests this cool snap won’t last long, with temperatures back to levels above normal as we begin the month of October this weekend, and lasting into next week.
Looking ahead to October, the normal high is 80 and the normal low is 57 as we begin the month on Saturday. But, by Halloween, that normal high drops to 70, and the normal low is down to 46. October is typically our driest month of the year; the average for Birmingham is only 3.23”. Our wettest October in Birmingham came in 1995 when 11.90” was measured, most of that was thanks to hurricane Opal.
We can have long periods of delightful weather, with a cobalt blue sky, pleasant days, and chilly nights. The coldest temperature for the month is 27 degrees, measured on October 28, 1957 and October 29, 1952. Our first frost usually shows up toward the end of the month, but the average date of the first freeze here is November 8. Our earliest freeze on record was on October 18, 1948.
So, what will October 2005 bring? There is no doubt the beginning of the month should feature warmer than normal temperatures, and I have concern that there will be more tropical trouble in the Gulf of Mexico before the month is over. But, there are signs of our first real pop of chilly air arriving here in the 12 to 16 day time frame. I say bring it on!
Looking ahead to October, the normal high is 80 and the normal low is 57 as we begin the month on Saturday. But, by Halloween, that normal high drops to 70, and the normal low is down to 46. October is typically our driest month of the year; the average for Birmingham is only 3.23”. Our wettest October in Birmingham came in 1995 when 11.90” was measured, most of that was thanks to hurricane Opal.
We can have long periods of delightful weather, with a cobalt blue sky, pleasant days, and chilly nights. The coldest temperature for the month is 27 degrees, measured on October 28, 1957 and October 29, 1952. Our first frost usually shows up toward the end of the month, but the average date of the first freeze here is November 8. Our earliest freeze on record was on October 18, 1948.
So, what will October 2005 bring? There is no doubt the beginning of the month should feature warmer than normal temperatures, and I have concern that there will be more tropical trouble in the Gulf of Mexico before the month is over. But, there are signs of our first real pop of chilly air arriving here in the 12 to 16 day time frame. I say bring it on!