The Season’s First Snow
By Russell Russ
The month’s high temperature of 67 degrees was observed on October 16. The low temperature of 25 degrees was observed on October 24. The average temperature was 46.0 degrees, 1.5 degrees below the October average. Throughout the entire month there were numerous days with frost at various locations around town. The season’s first hard freeze came on October 20 when the low temperature at the station hit 26 degrees. Even though a few days preceding Halloween were a bit cooler than normal it did warm up nicely for the actual day, resulting in another year with great trick-or-treating conditions. For those keeping track, it was Norfolk’s sixth year in a row with warm, dry weather for Halloween.
The total October precipitation was 3.72 inches, 0.27 inches below normal. The first snow flurries of the season came on October 22. The first measurable snowfall came during the late afternoon and evening of October 28. The snow melted quickly in many locations, but held on for a few days in some higher, cooler parts of town. There were also flurries on October 29. The station recorded 2.0 inches of snowfall for the month. The average October snowfall amount is just about an inch.
Whether you like it or not, now that we are entering the winter season we can again talk of snowfall amounts. For the 2008 calendar year through October the station has recorded 57.0 inches of snow. This is 39.1 inches below our normal yearly amount.
On the other hand, the total precipitation recorded so far for 2008 is 56.71 inches, 4.22 inches above the normal yearly amount. Comparing this to an average year through the month of October we are 13.63 inches above normal. With two months to go until year’s end we are still on pace for a Top Ten finish, if not a Top Five, for wettest years on record since 1932.
