by Barney Leach
October rainfall came in below normal at 2.46 inches. We had three days with measurable rainfall with a greatest one-day total of 1.10 inch on October 22. Total rainfall for the year now stands at 39.30 inches. Normal rainfall through October is 35.97 inches.
October temperatures were somewhat below normal with a high of 95 degrees on October 9 and a low of 28 degrees on October 28. We had our first frost for the fall about a month early on October 28 and 29. According to the 2018 Farmer’s Almanac, on an average, we usually see our first frost (Corsicana area) around November 27. We had two days with freezing temperatures on October 28 and 29.
2017 RAINFALL BY MONTH IN INCHES
Month | Rainfall (inches) | Normal | Departure
January 5.75 3.62 +2.13
February 3.25 3.36 -0.11
March 4.25 4.33 -0.08
April 5.06 3.30 +1.76
May 4.82 4.59 +0.23
June 4.16 4.03 +0.13
July 2.53 1.95 +0.58
August 5.41 2.43 +2.98
September 1.61 3.06 -1.45
October 2.46 5.30 -2.84
November 0 0 0
Totals 39.30 35.97 +3.33
LOOKING AHEAD TO NOVEMBER: November is normally our fifth coldest month of the year. Normal rainfall for November is 3.87 inches. According to the 2018 Farmer’s Almanac, we should see normal temperatures in November for Texas and near normal rainfall with ½ to one inch for west Texas and 1 ½ to 4 inches for east Texas.
The above rainfall and temperature data was recorded by Barney Leach, former volunteer co-op weather observer for the National Weather Service and former weather volunteer for Channel 8 in Dallas, Channel 10 in Waco, and radio station KNES in Fairfield.
