October 2014 Goes Out With a Bang

The month of October is known for major temperature swings, strong low pressure systems, and sometimes the first snowflakes of the year. October of 2014 did not disappoint! The Midwest and Ohio Valley saw a bit of everything this month, including a late month low pressure system that brought the first snowfall of the winter season.

In term of temperatures and precipitation, Chicago saw a very normal month. The average temperature was 52 degrees, only half a degree below normal. Precipitation totaled 2.48” at O’Hare, which is only 0.67” below normal. However, October went out with a bang, with a very potent low pressure system bringing rain, snow, and powerful winds. O’Hare received 0.1” of snow on October 31st, making it the snowiest Halloween on record! The main story was not the snow, as many places received wind gusts in excess of 55 mph. In fact, some locations on Lake Michigan reported wind gusts of 67 mph! These winds generated the 2nd highest waves on record, which reached heights of over 21 feet!

Farther south towards Indianapolis, temperatures and precipitation were also very close to normal for the month. (See below) The most notable weather occurred towards the end of the month with a potent low pressure system (described above) that brought rain, snow, and wind to the area. Like Chicago, Indianapolis also reported 0.1 inches of snow on October 31st, which had not occurred since 1890! The winds were not quite as drastic in Indianapolis, but still rather strong as most winds maxed out around 45 mph.

Back towards Ohio, the month of October was a bit more mundane, with nothing out of the ordinary. Precipitation and temperatures were very close to average across the state. The most notable periods of the month came during the first and last week in October. While an unseasonably cool air mass took hold of the region early in the month, a ridge of high pressure provided very pleasant conditions during the last week in October. The late month storm did bring a bit of snow to the region, but little to no accumulation occurred.