The average October temperature was 70.6 degrees, 0.1 degrees below normal. The average high was 81.5, and the average low was 59.7. Heating degree days 16 and cooling degree days 197. The highest temperature reached 91 on the 23rd. The lowest was 45 on the 28th. Highest wind gust was 37 mph from the north with a cold front on the 25th. Rainfall was 1.94 inches, 1.92 inches below normal. Rainfall from January 1st to October 31st, 2003...28.02 inches or 0.36 inches below normal.

October 2003 ended up a month varying from dry, fall weather with cool nights to mild days to periods of unseasonably warm and humid days. The first half of October 2003 brought several rain events. The most widespread and heaviest rain came Saturday the 11th, when Del Rio picked up 3.23 inches of rain. Some areas over Dimmit, Zavala, and Bandera counties had near 4 to near 5 inches of rain, the weekend of the 11th and 12th.

The beginning of October 2003 brought dry, autumn weather, with clear nights to sunny days, the 1st through the 3rd.  A big change to more humid conditions came the weekend of October 4 and 5, as humidity increased rapidly, bringing back a maritime tropical air mass. From Sunday the 5th to Sunday the 12th, a series of rain events came to the area.  On Sunday the 5th, widely scattered showers formed over parts of Central Texas.  Humidity increased to summertime levels early in the week, from a combination of moisture streaming north, on moderate to strong southerly winds from the Gulf and Bay of Campeche, where very high moisture remained in wake of tropical systems, and also from mid to high level moisture coming from the Eastern Pacific. In addition, a large low began to form over the northwest part of Mexico and adjacent parts of the Eastern Pacific. This large low help to pump large amounts of middle and high level moisture over South Central Texas from the southwest. By the 7th and 8th humidity approached summer levels of saturation.

During the rainy period from the 5th to the 12th of October, like September, the heavier rains fell over the southern parts of South Central Texas; however, unlike September, rains on the 11th and 12th brought the maximum October 2003 rains to the west and southwest part of the area. On October 6th, locally heavy rain fell over the east parts of South Central Texas, and also over parts of Edwards and Real Counties in the late afternoon. On the 7th, on the east side of the low, widely scattered showers formed west of the Rio Grande and moved north toward Del Rio on Tuesday the 7th. Further east on the 7th, widely scattered showers and thunderstorms formed in the day, east of San Antonio and south of Austin. On Wednesday the 8th, a weather system coming across New Mexico and Colorado, helped to increase the chances of rain with showers over the area. The day began with patchy drizzle and brief fog, then changed into scattered showers and rain in the afternoon. Locally heavy rain fell with some of the showers. In the evening, scattered showers with rain continued, ahead of the upper level weather system from West Texas to the Panhandle. The rain was located just west of Del Rio to near Junction, and moved east across North Texas, and parts of Central Texas. Rain, showers and thunderstorms formed, and by the next morning, the area of rain with showers and thunderstorms moved to Southeast Texas. This area of showers and thunderstorms left scattered rains from the late evening to after midnight and on through the morning hours of the 8th. Later during the day of the 8th, an outflow boundary from showers and thunderstorms over Southeast Texas moved west and southwest, and caused showers and thunderstorms to form in the early evening over the east part of South Central Texas. This caused locally heavy rain across the southeast part of South Central Texas in evening and after midnight over parts of Lavaca, Dewitt and Karnes Counties, where between 2 and 3 inches of rain fell. On Thursday the 9th, scattered showers showed up again.

On Friday the 10th, cloudy and rainy weather continued, as the large low over northwest Mexico help to bring unstable and humid conditions over the area from the southwest. The wave of rain eased up some by Friday evening. On Saturday the 11th, the rains became widespread and more areas of heavy rain formed, causing flooding over the western parts of South Central Texas, including the Del Rio area where a record daily 3.23 inches of rain fell Saturday October 11th. Two miles northwest of the Del Rio Airport had 3.30 inches of rain. Further south, 3 miles west of Carrizo Springs, 4.35 inches of rain fell.  Encinal in Webb County, just 25 miles southeast of Catarina in Dimmit County, had 8.50 inches of rain October 11th, while Cotulla on the Nueces River had 6.59 inches.  Further north, Bandera picked up 4.25 inches of rain on the 11th. Roads over parts of western hill country to the Del Rio area became flooded. A few other rainfall amounts from Saturday the 11th area as follows: 2 miles west of Big Wells in Dimmit County 2.70 inches; El Indio in Maverick County 2.25 inches; New Braunfels 2.24 inches; 10 miles west of Hunt and at Harper 2.80 inches; San Marcos 1.97 inches; San Antonio 1.04 inches; Austin Bergstrom International Airport 0.33 inches; Austin Mabry 0.28 inches; and Hondo 0.63 inches.  

Late the night of the 11th and early in the morning of Sunday the 12th, new areas of rain formed again and then moved southeast, leaving mostly light rain further north over South Central Texas. In the day of Sunday the 12th, mostly light rain lingered over parts of South Central Texas. On Monday the 13th, clouds continued ahead of a cold front that swept through the area Tuesday the 14th. October 2003 weather began a change to drier conditions from the 13th to the 14th. The drier regime that dominated from the 1st to the 3rd, returned once again the 14th and continued until the weekend of the 25th and 26th.

After the cold front of the 14th, another cold front came through the area Friday the 17th, bringing sunny and warm days to clear nights the weekend of the 18th and 19th. In the week of the 20th to the 24th, warmer afternoons came, as daily record highs were reached in the Austin Area on the 22nd and 23rd. On the 22nd and 23rd, afternoon highs reached the 90s in a few locations.  The high of 92 at Austin Bergstrom on the 22nd was a record high for October 22nd.  The high of 92 at Austin Mabry the 22nd and 94 the 23rd, were also record daily highs.

On the 24th and 25th, clouds returned, ahead of a cold front that came through the area in the afternoon and evening of the 25th. Warm and humid conditions on the morning of 25th, quickly became cooler in the evening and night of the 25th and the following day of Sunday the 26th. Cloudy skies continued through the day of Sunday the 26th, with much cooler temperatures. Occasional waves of rain moved across the area from the west from the late morning through the afternoon to the evening hours. Temperatures fell throughout the day, with the cold northerly winds and occasional rain. Rainfall amounts on Sunday the 26th were mainly around one tenth to near one half inch. The heaviest amount was 0.65 inches at Bulverde.