...OCTOBER 2008 CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR HUNTSVILLE AND MUSCLE SHOALS...

TEMPERATURES...

RESULTS WERE MIXED REGARDING MONTHLY AVERAGE TEMPERATURES FOR THE
MONTH OF OCTOBER. WHILE HUNTSVILLE WAS SLIGHTLY ABOVE THE
CLIMATOLOGICAL NORMAL...MUSCLE SHOALS WAS SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL.
THE PRIMARY DIFFERENCE WAS AGAIN IN LOW TEMPERATURES...WHERE
MUSCLE SHOALS WAS ABOUT THREE DEGREES COOLER ON AVERAGE THAN
HUNTSVILLE. TEMPERATURES FOR THE MONTH STARTED OFF BELOW NORMAL
FOR THE FIRST FEW DAYS...THEN GRADUALLY CLIMBED UNTIL THE LATTER
PART OF THE FIRST WEEK WHEN A STORM SYSTEM BROUGHT SOME GENEROUS
RAINS AND SLIGHTLY COOLER CONDITIONS TO THE AREA. TEMPERATURES
CONTINUED ON A WARMING TREND AFTER THE SYSTEM DEPARTED AND A
STRONG RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE PUSHED A WARM AND HUMID AIRMASS BACK
INTO THE REGION. DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURES REACHED THE LOW TO MID
80S ON THE 14TH AND 15TH AT BOTH LOCATIONS. THE RIDGE OF HIGH
PRESSURE THEN BEGAN TO RETREAT TO THE SOUTH AS A TROUGH DEEPENED
ACROSS MUCH OF THE EASTERN UNITED STATES. TEMPERATURES DROPPED
ABOUT 10 TO 15 DEGREES OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS...WITH DAYTIME HIGHS
IN THE 60S AND LOWS IN THE UPPER 30S TO NEAR 40 ON THE 19TH.
TEMPERATURES THEN HOVERED NEAR NORMAL BEFORE A COLD FRONT MOVED
INTO THE AREA ON THE 24TH...DROPPING TEMPERATURES TO BELOW NORMAL
LEVELS ONCE AGAIN. A REINFORCING PUSH OF COLD AIR THEN DROPPED
TEMPERATURES DRAMATICALLY ON THE 27TH...WITH DAYTIME HIGHS ONLY
TOPPING OUT IN THE 50S...THE FIRST SUCH OCCURRENCE OF THE FALL
SEASON. LOW TEMPERATURES REACHED THE FREEZING MARK FOR THE FIRST
TIME THIS SEASON AT MUSCLE SHOALS ON THE MORNING OF THE 28TH AND
AT HUNTSVILLE ON THE 29TH. THIS FREEZE WAS ABOUT A WEEK EARLIER
THAN THE 30 YEAR CLIMATOLOGICAL AVERAGE FOR EACH LOCATION.


FOLLOWING ARE DAILY TEMPERATURE GRAPHS FOR EACH LOCATION...


 
 

 


 
 

 


FOLLOWING ARE TEMPERATURE STATISTICS FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER FOR
HUNTSVILLE AND MUSCLE SHOALS...

THE MONTHLY AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR OCTOBER 2008 AT HUNTSVILLE WAS
61.6 DEGREES. THIS IS 0.3 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL...BASED ON A
1971-2000 CLIMATOLOGY. ALTHOUGH THE TEMPERATURE WAS ABOVE THE 30
YEAR CLIMATOLOGICAL NORMAL...IT RANKS AS THE 42 COOLEST OCTOBER OVER
THE 102* YEAR HISTORICAL RECORD. THE MEDIAN OCTOBER TEMPERATURE FOR
THE ENTIRE PERIOD OF RECORD SINCE 1907 IS 62.1 DEGREES. THE HIGHEST
TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 84 DEGREES WHICH OCCURRED ON THE 5TH
AND 6TH...AND THE LOWEST TEMPERATURE WAS 30 DEGREES WHICH OCCURRED
ON THE 29TH. THE HIGHEST TEMPERATURE EVER RECORDED IN OCTOBER AT
HUNTSVILLE IS 96 DEGREES...WHICH OCCURRED ON THE 8TH IN 1911. THE
COLDEST OCTOBER TEMPERATURE FOR HUNTSVILLE IS 23 DEGREES...WHICH
OCCURRED ON THE 30TH IN 1952...AND ON THE 29TH IN 1910. NO DAILY
RECORD HIGH MAXIMUM OR RECORD LOW MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE SET FOR
THE MONTH. THE WARMEST OCTOBER ON RECORD OCCURRED IN 1919...WITH AN
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 69.4 DEGREES...AND THE COOLEST WAS IN 1952
WITH AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 53.7 DEGREES.

THE MONTHLY AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR OCTOBER 2008 AT MUSCLE SHOALS
WAS 60.9 DEGREES. THIS IS 0.6 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL...BASED ON A
1971-2000 CLIMATOLOGY. THIS RANKS AS THE 42ND COOLEST OCTOBER AT THE
SHOALS IN 116** YEARS OF NEARLY CONTINUOUS RECORD KEEPING. THE HIGH
TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 86 DEGREES WHICH OCCURRED ON THE
6TH...AND THE LOW TEMPERATURE WAS 27 DEGREES WHICH OCCURRED ON THE
29TH. INCIDENTALLY...THIS IS THE COLDEST OCTOBER TEMPERATURE AT THE
SHOALS SINCE OCTOBER 25TH 1965 WHEN THE MERCURY ALSO DIPPED TO 27
DEGREES. NO DAILY RECORD HIGH MAXIMUM OR RECORD LOW MINIMUM
TEMPERATURES WERE SET FOR THE MONTH. THE HIGHEST TEMPERATURE EVER
RECORDED IN OCTOBER AT THE SHOALS IS 99 DEGREES...WHICH OCCURRED ON
THE 5TH IN 1925...AND THE COOLEST TEMPERATURE IS 23 DEGREES WHICH
OCCURRED ON THE 31ST IN 1917. THE WARMEST OCTOBER ON RECORD OCCURRED
IN 1941...WITH AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 69.1 DEGREES...AND THE
COOLEST ON RECORD WAS IN 1917 WITH AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 52.1
DEGREES.


PRECIPITATION...

AFTER A MUCH DRIER THAN NORMAL SEPTEMBER...PRECIPITATION AT
HUNTSVILLE WAS A LITTLE ABOVE NORMAL. THE STORY WAS DIFFERENT AT
THE SHOALS HOWEVER...WHERE PRECIPITATION WAS A HALF INCH BELOW
NORMAL FOR THE MONTH. THE PRIMARY DIFFERENCE IN RAINFALL FOR THE TWO
LOCATIONS CAME ON THE 7TH AND 8TH AS A STRONG STORM SYSTEM BROUGHT
WARM AND MOIST AIR NORTHWARD FROM THE GULF OVER THE REGION. A HEAVY
BAND OF PRECIPITATION MOVED ACROSS CENTRAL PORTIONS OF NORTHERN
ALABAMA...WHILE ANOTHER MOVED ACROSS EXTREME NORTHWESTERN ALABAMA
AND NORTHERN MISSISSIPPI. HUNTSVILLE RECEIVED JUST OVER THREE INCHES
OF RAINFALL ON THE 8TH...WHILE THE SHOALS RECEIVED JUST 0.83 INCHES.
THE 3.01 INCH TOTAL AT HUNTSVILLE WASN`T ENOUGH TO SET A RECORD FOR
THE DATE...BUT IT WAS THE GREATEST DAILY TOTAL SINCE DECEMBER 6TH
2004 WHEN THE AIRPORT LOCATION RECEIVED 3.07 INCHES OF RAINFALL. A
FAIRLY STRONG COLD FRONT BROUGHT ONLY LIGHT TO MODERATE RAINS TO THE
AREA ON THE 16TH AND 17TH. ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT COLD FRONT BROUGHT
MORE RAINS TO THE REGION ON THE 23RD AND 24TH...WITH THE HEAVIEST
RAINS OCCURRING IN NORTHERN AND WESTERN PARTS OF THE HUNTSVILLE
FORECAST AREA. THE SHOALS RECEIVED OVER ONE INCH OF RAIN DURING THIS
TWO DAY PERIOD...WHILE RAINFALL AT HUNTSVILLE WAS LESS THAN ONE
INCH.


THE GRAPH BELOW SHOWS OCTOBER PRECIPITATION ESTIMATES FROM ACROSS 
THE HUNTSVILLE FORECAST AREA AND SURROUNDING AREAS.  

 

 

FOLLOWING ARE PRECIPITATION STATISTICS FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER FOR
HUNTSVILLE AND MUSCLE SHOALS...

PRECIPITATION FOR OCTOBER 2008 AT HUNTSVILLE TOTALED 4.12 INCHES.
THIS IS 0.58 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL...BASED ON A 1971-2000 CLIMATOLOGY.
THIS RANKS AS THE 29TH WETTEST OCTOBER IN 115 YEARS OF NEARLY
CONTINUOUS RECORD KEEPING. THE GREATEST CALENDAR DAY PRECIPITATION
TOTAL OCCURRED ON THE 8TH...WHEN 3.01 INCHES WAS RECORDED. THE
SINGLE WETTEST DAY IN OCTOBER HISTORY AT HUNTSVILLE OCCURRED ON THE
17TH IN 1928 WHEN 5.43 INCHES OF RAIN WAS RECORDED. NO SNOWFALL WAS
REPORTED FOR THE MONTH...WHICH IS NORMAL. THE EARLIEST RECORDED
SNOWFALL AT HUNTSVILLE WAS ON OCTOBER 19TH 1989 WHEN JUST A TRACE
FELL. MEASURABLE SNOW HAS NEVER BEEN REPORTED AT HUNTSVILLE IN
OCTOBER. THE WETTEST OCTOBER ON RECORD OCCURRED IN 1975 WITH A TOTAL
OF 12.06 INCHES...AND THE DRIEST WAS IN 1924 WHEN NO RAINFALL WAS
REPORTED FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH.

PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER AT MUSCLE SHOALS TOTALED 2.72
INCHES. THIS IS 0.50 INCHES BELOW NORMAL...BASED ON A 1971-2000
CLIMATOLOGY. ALTHOUGH PRECIPITATION WAS BELOW THE 30 YEAR
NORMAL...THIS RANKS AS THE 49TH WETTEST OCTOBER IN 116 YEARS OF
NEARLY CONTINUOUS RECORD KEEPING. THE GREATEST CALENDAR DAY TOTAL
OCCURRED ON THE 24TH...WHEN 0.98 INCHES WAS RECORDED. THE SINGLE
WETTEST DAY IN OCTOBER HISTORY AT THE SHOALS WAS ON THE 20TH IN 1918
WHEN 4.16 INCHES OF RAIN WAS RECORDED. NO SNOWFALL WAS REPORTED FOR
THE MONTH...WHICH IS NORMAL. THE EARLIEST RECORDED SNOWFALL AT THE
SHOALS WAS ON OCTOBER 20TH 1913 WHEN JUST A TRACE FELL. MEASURABLE
SNOW HAS NEVER BEEN REPORTED AT THE SHOALS IN OCTOBER. THE WETTEST
OCTOBER ON RECORD OCCURRED IN 1918 WITH A TOTAL OF 11.05
INCHES...AND THE DRIEST WAS IN 1924...1963...AND 2000 WHEN NO
RAINFALL WAS REPORTED FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH.


OUTLOOKS...

THE MONTHLY OUTLOOK FOR NOVEMBER FROM THE CLIMATE PREDICTION
CENTER...

THE ONE MONTH OUTLOOK FOR NOVEMBER INDICATES EQUAL CHANCES FOR
BELOW...NEAR...OR ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND PRECIPITATION FOR
THE AREA.


* TEMPERATURE DATA FOR HUNTSVILLE GO BACK TO 1907...WHILE
PRECIPITATION DATA ARE AVAILABLE SINCE 1894. ANY MONTHS THAT CONTAIN
MISSING DAILY TEMPERATURE DATA ARE NOT COUNTED IN THE RANKINGS.

** TEMPERATURE DATA FOR MUSCLE SHOALS GO BACK TO 1893...HOWEVER
SPORADIC OUTAGES OF DATA OCCUR...ESPECIALLY IN THE 1910S AND AGAIN
FROM SEPTEMBER 1995 THROUGH MAY 1997. ANY MONTHS THAT CONTAIN
MISSING DAILY TEMPERATURE DATA ARE NOT COUNTED IN THE RANKINGS.

NOTE...ALL DATA ABOVE ARE PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO CORRECTION. ALL
TEMPERATURE DATA ARE EXPRESSED IN DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.

OFFICIAL CLIMATE DATA ARE AVAILABLE FROM THE NCDC WEBSITE AT...
HTTP://WWW.NCDC.NOAA.GOV.

ONE MONTH AND SEASONAL TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION OUTLOOKS MAY BE
OBTAINED FROM THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER WEBSITE AT...
HTTP://WWW.CPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV.

$$