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Northeast Regional Climate Center |
The Northeast's monthly average temperature for October 2004 was 49.5 degrees. This was only 0.4 degrees above normal and 1.9 degrees warmer than October 2003, and the warmest October since 2001. State departures ranged from 0.8 degrees below normal in Delaware to 2.1 degrees above normal in West Virginia.
After three consecutive months of above normal precipitation, the region got a break in October. Only 2.43 inches of rain fell over the Northeast during the month, making it the driest October since 2001. The Northeast's total was 69% of the 30-year average, with Vermont the driest state (39% of normal) and West Virginia the wettest (117% of normal).
October 2004 was a quiet month compared to the previous three. The greatest weather impact on the region this month was from rough surf along the Delaware and New Jersey coastlines. From the 20th to the 25th, circulation around a stationary high pressure system over Canada and a low pressure system in the Atlantic Ocean generated waves from six to eight feet high that eroded beaches, damaged dune systems, undermined homes and exposed bulkheads. In addition, minor coastal flooding occurred during high tide on Barnegat Bay, Raritan Bay and Delaware Bay.
Monthly Summary of State Temperature and Precipitation Averages.
