Bill Karins, Meteorologist

O hushed October morning mild,
Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;
To-morrow's wind, if it be wild,
Should waste them all.

-from "October" by Robert Frost

October is a deceptively quiet weather month that often awes us with destructively diverse weather events. When you picture October, you think plunging temperatures and splendid leaf displays, but what about hurricanes, tornadoes and blizzards? No other month of the year produces this trifecta threat on a yearly basis. (Nov. distant 2nd) The interesting thing about October weather is that most location around the country will see 3 out of 4 weeks of beautiful weather. It’s the other week of nasty October weather that grabs our attention.

The weather in October can get really tricky.

Hurricane season may peak in September but hurricane landfalls in the U.S. are very common in October. Cat 3 Wilma was a reminder of October’s tropical danger. Other infamous October landfalls include Opal, Irene, Lili and Isabell. In total, by my count we’ve seen 10 land falling October hurricanes in the last 42 years.

October is also the first battleground month heading into winter. In September, a few cool outbreaks invade from Canada but they don’t last long or push too all that far South. It’s not until October that the strong cold fronts can penetrate deep enough into the tropical air to provide summer relief in the South. The dry, cool air is appreciated but its push southward is often accompanied by severe weather. In 2001, 3 separate outbreaks hit tornado alley, the southeast and the Great Lakes. The tornadoes in Indiana were left behind one of the states worst tornado outbreaks ever.

Finally, October can also produce incredible snowstorms. Just look at last year when an early season blizzard paralyzed Colorado. Up to two feet of snow fell on the Front Range, shutting down airports and closing highways. The weight of the snow brought down hundreds of trees and left 90,000 residents in Denver without power.

Winter also stuck Buffalo last October, when what may have been the storm of the year surprised everybody with 2-3 feet of heavy wet snow. The leaf covered trees snapped like twigs damaging cars and houses. Power was out in some areas for over a week.

October 2007 is sure to produce more beautifully diverse weather, stay tuned!

-BK