000
NOUS42 KMLB 050115
PNSMLB
FLZ041-044>047-053-054-058-059-064-141-144-147-091800-
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL
800 PM EST WED NOV 4 2009

...ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND CONTINUED DRY WEATHER WERE OBSERVED
DURING OCTOBER 2009 ACROSS EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA...

OCTOBER 2009 WILL BE REMEMBERED FOR ITS RECORD BREAKING HEAT AND
BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE AREA. DESPITE THE INFLUENCE OF
A COUPLE EARLY SEASON COLD FRONTS INTO CENTRAL FLORIDA...MOST OF THE
MONTH WAS DOMINATED BY A HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE WHICH KEPT TEMPERATURES
WARM AND DRIER CONDITIONS IN PLACE.

AVERAGE TEMPERATURES STARTED OUT SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL DURING THE
FIRST FEW DAYS OF OCTOBER DUE TO A COOLER AIRMASS THAT BUILT IN
BEHIND A COLD FRONT. HOWEVER A WARMER AIRMASS QUICKLY TOOK OVER WITH
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE DEPARTURES RANGING FROM 4 TO 8 DEGREES ABOVE
NORMAL AND SEVERAL HIGH TEMPERATURE RECORDS BROKEN OR TIED THROUGH
MID MONTH. A STRONGER COLD FRONT THEN MOVED IN ON THE 17TH AND
BROUGHT MUCH COOLER TEMPERATURES...AROUND 12 TO 17 DEGREES BELOW
NORMAL...ACROSS CENTRAL FLORIDA. IN FACT ON THE 18TH DAYTONA
BEACH...ORLANDO...MELBOURNE...AND VERO BEACH ALL OBSERVED THEIR
LOWEST MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE ON RECORD. ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES THEN
BUILT IN AGAIN FOR THE REST OF THE MONTH WITH SEVERAL RECORD HIGHS
EITHER TIED OR BROKEN ONCE AGAIN. TEMPERATURE DEPARTURES FOR THE
ENTIRE MONTH RANGED FROM 1.7 DEGREES (MELBOURNE) TO 2.6 DEGREES
(DAYTONA BEACH) FAHRENHEIT ABOVE NORMAL ACROSS THE AREA. BOTH
DAYTONA BEACH AND ORLANDO HAD THEIR 8TH WARMEST OCTOBER ON
RECORD...WHILE MELBOURNE OBSERVED THE 9TH WARMEST AND VERO BEACH
THEIR 6TH WARMEST.

SOME OTHER HEAT RELATED RECORDS OF NOTE. VERO BEACH HAD 16 DAYS
WHERE THE HIGH TEMPERATURE WAS 90 DEGREES OR BETTER. THIS WAS WELL
ABOVE THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 6 DAYS IN 1980. DAYTONA BEACH ALSO HAD
A NEW RECORD WITH 7 DAYS...ORLANDO AT 11 DAYS TIED FOR THIRD HIGHEST
AND MELBOURNE AT 5 DAYS TIED WITH 2006 FOR THE MOST 90 DEGREE OR
BETTER HIGH TEMPERATURE.

THE FRONTS THAT MOVED THROUGH CENTRAL FLORIDA DURING THE MONTH OF
OCTOBER BROUGHT LITTLE IN THE WAY OF PRECIPITATION AND DAILY
AFTERNOON SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WANED AS WE HEADED INTO
THE CLIMATOLOGICAL START OF THE DRY SEASON. ORLANDO ACTUALLY ENDED
UP NEAR NORMAL IN TERMS OF PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER.
THIS WAS DUE TO A DAILY RECORD BREAKING LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN EVENT ON
THE 10TH THAT BROUGHT 2.68 INCHES TO ORLANDO INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT...WHICH IS 96% OF THE MONTHLY NORMAL PRECIPITATION.
OTHERWISE MOST OF THE AREA REMAINED QUITE DRY WITH LOCAL CLIMATE
SITES REPORTING RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 3 TO 5 INCHES BELOW NORMAL FOR
THE MONTH. VERO BEACH ONLY REPORTED 0.48 INCHES DURING OCTOBER
MAKING FOR THEIR DRIEST OCTOBER ON RECORD. THIS BROKE THE PREVIOUS
DRIEST OCTOBER ON RECORD OF 0.75 INCHES SET IN 1962. MELBOURNE HAD
ITS 5TH DRIEST OCTOBER ON RECORD WITH ONLY 0.74 INCHES OF RAINFALL
AND DAYTONA BEACH HAD THEIR 11TH DRIEST ON RECORD WITH 1.44 INCHES
OF RAINFALL.

BELOW IS A LIST OF OBSERVED PRECIPITATION TOTALS AND RAINFALL
STATISTICS FOR SELECT SITES ACROSS EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA FOR THE
MONTH OF OCTOBER 2009:

STATION         OCTOBER 2009    30 YEAR   DEPARTURE     PERCENT OF
                  RAINFALL      NORMAL    FROM NORMAL     NORMAL

DAYTONA BEACH      1.44"         4.48"      -3.04"          32%
(DAB)
ORLANDO            2.85"         2.73"       0.12"         104%
(MCO)
MELBOURNE          0.74"         4.76"      -4.02"          16%
(MLB)
VERO BEACH         0.48"         5.04"      -4.56"          10%
(VRB)
CLERMONT           0.34"         2.40"      -2.06"          14%
(CLRF1)
DELAND             0.61"         4.09"      -3.48"          15%
(DELF1)
SANFORD            0.07"         3.56"      -3.49"           2%
(SFNF1)
TITUSVILLE         0.42"         4.29"      -3.87"          10%
(TITF1)
OKEECHOBEE         0.13"         3.62"      -3.49"           4%
(OKEF1)
STUART             2.33"         6.29"      -3.96"          37%
(STRF1)

$$

WEITLICH/DIETZMANN