Temperatures around the northeastern United States averaged 0.7 degrees warmer than the thirty-year normal during October 1998. This was the eighth warmer-than-normal month that was recorded in the Northeast during 1998 and the third in a row. Only the months of June and July reported average temperatures that were cooler than normal this year. New York averaged 1.1 degrees warmer than normal this month, while Delaware reported the smallest departure at just 0.1 degree warmer than the 1961-1990 normal.
Temperatures for the months of January through October combined averaged 2.9 degrees warmer than normal (52.4 this year; 49.5 normal). This ranks as the third warmest such period on record, behind 52.6 degrees in 1921 and 52.5 degrees in 1949. If the Northeast averages about 1.8 degrees warmer than normal for the months of November and December, it will be the warmest year in 104 years of record. The last time these two months were this warm was 1994.
Precipitation was in excess of normal across most of New England and drier than normal nearly everywhere else in the Northeast in October. Connecticut was the wettest state with 130% of their normal October precipitation. West Virginia, Maryland and New Jersey, meanwhile, were all quite dry with 60%, 62% and 67% of normal, respectively. Overall, the twelve northeast states on the average received 95% of their normal October precipitation accumulation.
Monthly Summary of State Temperature and Precipitation Averages.
Daily Precipitation Records (inches) City Date New Previous Hartford, CT 8th 1.82 1.33 in 1996 Worcester, MA 8th 2.00 1.09 in 1948 Harrisburg, PA 8th 1.30 1.13 in 1976 Portland, ME 10th 5.21 2.76 in 1971 Maximum Temperature Records (degrees F) City Date New Previous Beckley, WV 17th 79 76 in 1980 Beckley, WV 18th 77 76 in 1963 Providence, RI (tie) 25th 75 75 in 1963