It's another soggy October with above-average rainfall

Ken Stern | Nov 13, 20240

And the rain kept falling as October turned to November, with another inch Nov. 1-2. That more than matched the previous six days, 0.8 inches Oct. 26-31. Yet it was not the month’s wettest week: 2.5 inches came down Oct. 14-21. The 1.2 inches Oct. 19 was the most rain; 2 inches fell Oct. 18-21.

But rain has been common in October this century. The 4.2 inches of precipitation is only the ninth wettest of 11 years of 4-plus inches of rain. Six of those years have been since 6.1 inches fell 2014, the wettest year since 2000. This year’s rainfall is 0.7 inches above October’s century average of 3.5 inches.

The 1.1 inches in 2002 is the least October rain this century.

The 27.6 inches of rain year-to-date is almost 4 inches more than the century average and 13 inches more rain than through October in 2023.

No precipitation or temperature records were set last month.

The daily average temperature of 51.5 degrees and the daily average low temperature of 44.4 degrees were each about 0.3 within the century’s averages. The daily average maximum temperature of 59.2 degrees was 1.9 degrees above the average since 2000.

It did not frost, with the month’s low 37.3 Oct. 25, one of four mornings below 40 degrees. In 2023, two record lows were set for their dates.

The month’s high temperatures of 69.3 Oct. 7 and 69.6 Oct. 13 were the only days above 65 degrees.

Measurements and data are at Washington State University’s Mount Vernon weather station on Memorial Highway.

Rain Report: October

All totals in inches.

Rainfall in Oct: 4.2

Number of rain days: 18

Rain Oct. 27-Nov. 2: 1.8

Least rain, one day: 0.01, 3 days

Most rain, one day: 1.2, Oct. 19

Least rain: 1.07, 2002

Most rain: 6.07, 2014