000 CXUS53 KDTX 022233 CLMDTW CLIMATE REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI 515 PM EST MON NOV 2 2009 ................................... ...THE DETROIT MI CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER 2009... CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1971 TO 2000 CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1874 TO 2009 WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM NORMAL ................................................ TEMPERATURE (F) RECORD HIGH 92 10/07/1963 LOW 17 10/21/1974 HIGHEST 74 10/30 MM MM LOWEST 29 10/18 MM MM AVG. MAXIMUM 58.5 61.2 -2.7 AVG. MINIMUM 41.5 42.5 -1.0 MEAN 50.0 51.9 -1.9 DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 DAYS MAX <= 32 0 0.0 0.0 DAYS MIN <= 32 1 4.0 -3.0 DAYS MIN <= 0 0 0.0 0.0 PRECIPITATION (INCHES) RECORD MAXIMUM 7.80 1954 MINIMUM 0.30 1892 TOTALS 3.23 2.23 1.00 DAILY AVG. 0.10 0.07 0.03 DAYS >= .01 14 MM MM DAYS >= .10 6 MM MM DAYS >= .50 3 MM MM DAYS >= 1.00 0 MM MM GREATEST 24 HR. TOTAL 0.92 10/08 TO 10/09 STORM TOTAL MM (MM/DD(HH)) MM SNOWFALL (INCHES) RECORDS TOTAL 2.9 1980 TOTALS 0.0 0.3 -0.3 SINCE 7/1 0.0 0.3 -0.3 DAYS >= TRACE 0 0.3 -0.3 DAYS >= 1.0 0 0.1 -0.1 GREATEST SNOW DEPTH 0 24 HR TOTAL 0.0 STORM TOTAL (MM/DD(HH)) DEGREE_DAYS HEATING TOTAL 457 426 31 SINCE 7/1 530 559 -29 COOLING TOTAL 0 6 -6 SINCE 1/1 597 736 -139 FREEZE DATES RECORD EARLIEST 09/22/1974 ................................................. WIND (MPH) AVERAGE WIND SPEED 8.8 HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 33/230 DATE 10/31 HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 46/260 DATE 10/07 SKY COVER POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 0 NUMBER OF DAYS PC 12 NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 19 AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 71 WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH THUNDERSTORM 1 MIXED PRECIP 0 HEAVY RAIN 4 RAIN 9 LIGHT RAIN 19 FREEZING RAIN 0 LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 0 HEAVY SNOW 0 SNOW 0 LIGHT SNOW 0 SLEET 0 FOG 16 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 1 HAZE 6 - INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS. R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED. MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING. T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT. $$ ------------------------------------------------------------------- CLIMATOLOGICAL STATISTICS FOR THE NWS WHITE LAKE - OCTOBER 2009 ...TEMPERATURE DATA... ...PRECIPITATION DATA... AVERAGE MAXIMUM.... 55.0 MONTHLY TOTAL ........... 4.29 AVERAGE MINIMUM.... 37.6 GREATEST IN 24HRS........ 1.16 MONTHLY AVERAGE.... 46.3 ON THE 30-31ST 2009 TOTAL...............32.10 ...HEATING DEGREE DAYS... ...SNOWFALL DATA... MONTHLY TOTAL......... 584 MONTHLY TOTAL.......... 0.0 2008-09 SEASON TOTAL.. 842 2009-10 SEASON TOTAL... 0.0 ...COOLING DEGREE DAYS... MONTHLY TOTAL.......... 0 2009 TOTAL.............306 ================================================================== CLIMATOLOGICAL SUMMARY FOR DETROIT - OCTOBER 2009 ...OVERALL A COOL AND WET OCTOBER CONTRASTS A DRY AND WARM SEPTEMBER... ...UNSEASONABLY COLD FIRST HALF RANKS IN THE TOP TEN OF ALL TIME... ...WARMER WEATHER LATTER THIRD OF THE MONTH OFFSETS THE EARLIER COLD... ***DOMINANT TEMPERATURE/RAIN TREND...BELOW NORMAL/ABOVE NORMAL*** MOTHER NATURE REVERSED THE DRY AND WARM TREND SEEN EARLY THIS FALL... BACK TO THE COOL AND WET SCENARIO SEEN MOST OF THE SUMMER. RIGHT FROM THE GET GO...OCTOBER OPENED UP COOL AND WET IN THE FIRST FEW DAYS WITH TEMPERATURES BELOW NORMAL ALONG WITH A HALF INCH TO INCH OF RAIN. THE COOL WEATHER PERSISTED AND BECAME MORE PRONOUNCED AS WE ENTERED MID- MONTH. THE COLDEST (LARGEST BELOW NORMAL DEPARTURES) OCCURRED BETWEEN THE 11TH AND 18TH WHEN READINGS AVERAGED A HUGE 10 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. AS THE LARGE AS THE BELOW NORMAL DEPARTURES WERE...THE PERSISTENCE OF THE COLD WAS EVEN MORE IMPRESSIVE (ESPECIALLY COMING THE FIRST PART OF THE MONTH). BY THE 15TH...OCTOBER AVERAGED 48.5 DEGREES /6.5 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL/ AND RANKED 8TH OUT OF TOP TEN COLDEST FIRST HALVES OF OCTOBER SINCE 1874. THEREFORE...THERE HAVE BEEN ONLY 7 OCTOBERS SINCE 1874 THAT HAVE HAD COLDER FIRST HALVES. THE COLDEST DUPLICATE PERIOD BY FAR WAS WAY BACK IN 1876...WHEN THE FIRST 15 DAY TEMPERATURE AVERAGE CAME IN AT A VERY COLD (RELATIVELY SPEAKING) 42.7! KEEP IN MIND...THE TYPICAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THIS PERIOD /1ST-15TH/ IS AROUND 55 DEGREES (WITH HIGHS IN THE MID TO UPPER 60S). THE LATTER THIRD OF THE MONTH MODERATED WITH SOME BRIEF PERIODS OF INDIANA SUMMER-LIKE WEATHER. THE TEMPERATURE CLIMBED TO 71 DEGREES ON THE 21ST AND THEN ON THE 30TH (THE WARMEST OF THE MONTH)...IT ROSE TO 74! I SAY INDIAN SUMMER -LIKE- SINCE A TRUE INDIAN SUMMER HAS TO HAVE SEVERAL DAYS OF MAINLY SUNNY WEATHER AND GENERALLY CLEAR NIGHTS. HIGH TEMPERATURES SHOULD AVERAGE WELL ABOVE NORMAL AND ALL OCCURRING AFTER A KILLING FROST/FREEZE. WHILE THIS OCTOBER PERIOD MODERATED LATE IN THE MONTH...THE TWO WELL ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURE DAYS BOTH CONTAINED RAIN...SO THERE WAS NO STRETCH OF WARM WEATHER NOR SUNSHINE. SPEAKING OF RAIN...THE ENTIRE MONTH WAS ON THE WET SIDE WITH 3.23" OF THE NORMAL 2.23" FALLING. THE RAIN WAS FAIRLY SPREAD OUT TOO WITH THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS FALLING ON THE 2ND-3RD /.68"/...THE 9TH /.88"/ AND 22ND-23RD /.79"/. THE DRIEST PERIOD ACTUALLY ACCOMPANIED THE COLDEST PART OF THE MONTH (RATHER THAN THE WARMEST) WITH NEGLIGIBLE AMOUNTS /.01"/ FALLING FROM THE 10TH THROUGH THE 20TH. ON THE STORM FRONT...A FEW DEEP LOWS (MORE REMINISCENT OF NOVEMBER) BROUGHT PRE-FRONTAL THUNDERSTORMS /3RD/ AND SUBSEQUENT HIGH WINDS /7TH AND 31ST/ IN THEIR WAKE. STRONG WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 40 MPH IMPACTED THE AREA DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF THE 7TH. HIGHEST WIND GUSTS RANGED FROM 51 MPH AT FLINT...49 MPH /PONTIAC/...48 MPH /YPSILANTI/...46 MPH AT DETROIT METRO TO 45 MPH MT CLEMENS. THEN ON HALLOWEEN...A STRONG POLAR FRONT BROUGHT MUCH COLDER AIR INTO THE REGION AFTER A BALMY 30TH DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF 31ST. HIGHEST WINDS GUSTS WERE CLOCKED AT 45 MPH AT DETROIT METRO ARPT... PONTIAC AND SAGINAW. AS WOULD BE EXPECTED...BOTH SYSTEMS BROUGHT SOME SCATTERED POWER OUTAGES AND TREE DAMAGE. LASTLY...A WIDESPREAD KILLING FREEZE OCCURRED FOR MOST OF SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN THE MORNING OF THE 11TH. LOCATIONS NORTH OF THE M-59 SAW TEMPERATURES DROP SOLIDLY INTO THE MID AND UPPER 20S...WHILE LOCATIONS FROM METRO DETROIT SOUTH RANGED FROM THE UPPER 20S TO LOW 30S. ON AVERAGE...THIS WAS ABOUT A WEEK EARLIER THAN NORMAL...ESPECIALLY OVER EXTREME SOUTHEAST LOWER MICHIGAN. DEEDLER