Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

October Rainfall Above Normal

Though it may seem hard to believe, it actually rained more than normal in October.

According to John W. Teeter, local meteorologist, the normal rainfall for October is 3.27 inches. But, he added, a total of 3.43 inches fell last month giving the area a 0.16 inch surplus.

Additionally, the area is ahead on rainfall for the year. The normal amount to have fallen in the first 10 months of the year is 41.46 inches, but 43.53 inches have fallen to date. This is 2.07 inches above the norm.

Ironically, it only rained four days out of the month, he said. the largest single day total was 1.18 inches on Oct. 9 and 31.

In spite of the month being above normal in rainfall, Teeter said, October was still a dry month.

In Cale, weatherman Davis Benton said, it rained 2.73 inches in October, bringing the yearly total to 37.59 inches.

This, Benton said, is still about 12 inches below normal for this time of year.

Teeter said only 0.37 inches of rain fell between Oct. 10 and 30, though the other rain falling was a welcome relief from the two weeks of dry weather.

The temperature for October was also below normal, Teeter said.

The norm is 65.2 degrees, while the average daily temperature was 58.2 degrees. This, he said, was a ful seven degrees below normal.

The highest the mercury climbed for the month, Teeter said, was 89 degrees on Oct. 4.

On the other hand, the low for the month was 39 on Oct. 21.

The temperature extremes in the southern part of the county, Benton said, were 87 for the high and 34 for the low, with a light, scattered frost.

"We haven't had a cold winter since 1983," Teeter said. "We need some freezing weather or the ticks, chiggers and fire ants will take over.

There was one thunderstorm in October, on the night of the 30-31. There were no weather watches or warnings posted during the month.

Looking ahead to November, he said, the normal amount of rainfall is 4.43 inches, while the average daily temperature is 53.5 degrees.