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Indianapolis, IN

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October 2009 was a cold and very wet month.  November like weather persisted for much of the first 18 days of October. From the 14^th through the 16^th temperatures did not reach 50 degrees in much of central Indiana.  Maximum temperatures warmed by more than 20 degrees after the 19^th.  After beginning very cool, temperatures reached 70 degrees in many areas on the 21^st, 23^rd and 30^th.   The warm and rainy weather on the 30^th stripped most of the remaining leaves from the trees.

 

Temperatures

Monthly temperatures during October 2009 averaged well below normal.  Temperature departures ranged from 1 to nearly 5 degrees below normal.   Compared to September, average temperatures declined 15 to 17 degrees.  Typically temperatures fall around 12 degrees from September to October.

 

October began cold and remained cold through 18^th.  Temperatures did not rise out of the 40s in many areas from the 14^th – 16^th.   Above normal temperatures generally prevailed after the 19^th.    Most areas reached the 70 degree mark several times from the 21^st -30^th.  A few areas near the Ohio River in southeast Indiana touched 80 degrees on the 30^th.

 

The growing season ended in all of central Indiana by the 18^th.  The coldest temperatures of the month occurred on the 18^th when the temperature fell into the upper 20s to low 30s.   No temperature records were set at Indianapolis this month.

 

Site	October 2009 Avg Temp	October 2009 Difference from normal	Highest Temperature	Lowest Temperature
Indianapolis	51.6	-3.0	70 on 23	31 on 18
Lafayette	51.9	-1.3	73 on 21	30 on 18
Muncie	50.0	-3.1	75 on 30	26 on 18
Terre Haute	50.7	-4.9	69 on 5	27 on 18
Bloomington	50.8	-4.4	71 on 23	28 on 18
Shelbyville	51.0	-3.6	75 on 30	26 on 18
Indy – Eagle Crk.	50.9	-3.7	69 on 20, 21 and 23	47 on 30

 

At Indianapolis, there were 21 days with below normal temperatures, 9 days with above normal temperatures, and 1 day with exactly normal temperatures.

 

October 2009 tied for the 19^th coldest in the Indianapolis area since 1871.

Precipitation

 

October 2009 was a very wet month for all of central Indiana.   Rainfall exceeded 3 times the normal in areas of southern Indiana.  Monthly rainfall ranged around 4½ inches to more than 10 inches in south central Indiana.  Rain was so frequent that the Indiana agricultural community on October 20^th set a new record low harvest pace for soybeans with only 34 percent harvested.  The old record low for that date was 39 percent harvested in 1990.  The longest dry period in October was only 5 or 6 days.     

 

Unusual October river flooding occurred along the White River in southwest Indiana following rains of 2 to nearly 5 inches on the 8^th and 9^th.  Lowland flooding lasted less than 2 days.  Rain of 1 to 2 inches on the 30^th pushed the Wabash, White and East Fork White Rivers in southern Indiana to near bank full levels.

 

Site	October 2009 Precipitation	October 2009 Difference from Normal	Wettest Day	Longest Dry Stretch
Indianapolis	5.59	+2.83	1.56” on 8-9	6 days 16-21
Lafayette	6.26	+3.53	1.82” on 8-9	5 days 17-21
Muncie	5.33	+2.71	1.39” on 1-2	6 days 16-21
Terre Haute	4.52	+1.52	1.53” on 8-9	6 days 16-21
Bloomington	8.10	+4.96	2.93” on 8-9	5 days 17-21
Shelbyville	6.24	+3.42	1.73” on 1-2	5 days 17-21
Indy – Eagle Crk.	5.43	+2.67	1.44” on 8-9	6 days 16-21

 

October 2009 tied for the 9^th wettest in the Indianapolis area since 1871.

 

Severe Weather

October was a quiet severe weather month in central and southern Indiana.  Flash flooding of county and state roads occurred in portions of southern Indiana on the 9^th.  Winds gusted over 40 mph on the 6^th and 23^rd.

 

For information on severe weather in other areas during October, visit the Storm Prediction Center “Severe Weather Event Summaries” website at http://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/online/

 

Miscellaneous

At the Indianapolis International Airport, the peak wind gust this month was 47 mph from the southwest on October 23.  Thunder was reported on 2 days. Fog or haze was observed on 17 days, with 1 day of dense fog observed.

 

November 2009 Outlook

The official outlook for November 2009, from the Climate Prediction Center, indicates an equal chance of above, below, or near normal temperatures and precipitation across Central Indiana.

 

Data prepared by Indianapolis Forecast Office.

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