How Cold has it been this October?

An Arctic airmass invaded the Central Plains early on October 10 and combined with periodic reinforcing shots of cold air and persistent cloud cover to create very cool conditions for the following several days.  Although temperatures did not get that cold at night, daytime high temperatures were more common of those experienced in late November and early December.  These conditions followed temperatures during the first ten days of the month that were already somewhat below normal.

Here are some statistics for Topeka and Concordia to put the recent cold air in perspective.  Observations for Topeka began being recorded in 1887 and at Concordia in 1885.

Lowest 15-Day Average of Maximum Temperatures from October 1 to October 15

Rank	Topeka	Year	Concordia	Year
1	58.1	2009	55.5	2009
2	63.3	1925	60.2	1925
3	63.4	1959	61.2	1959
4	65.0	1986	62.9	1891
5	65.1	1985	63.5	1986

Lowest 15-Day Average of Average Temperatures from October 1 to October 15

Lowest 7-Day Average of Maximum Temperatures from October 1 to October 15

Lowest 7-Day Average of Average Temperatures from October 1 to October 15

This bout of cold air continues the cool stretch of weather that set in during the middle portions of the summer.  See the table below for the details...

Lowest Average of Average Temperatures from July 1 to October 15

More cold air could be in store for the remainder of the month.  The outlooks from the Climate Prediction Center issued on October 16...