October Can Do Anything, But Did It Have to Go to Thanksgiving?
Saint Cloud October 2020 Weather Summary
The fall months have a wide variety of possible temperatures in Minnesota. In September, the temperature worked both ends of the extremes with 6 days at least 6 degrees warmer than average and 6 days at least 10 degrees colder than average (see NWS September St. Cloud high-low temperature table). October continued the wild weather swings, but someone left the barn door open for most of the month. The overall October temperature in St. Cloud was 40.0 degrees (high of 49.3; low of 30.7). That was the 5th coldest October on record and the coldest since 2002 (second place). The Octobers of 2020 and 2002 are the only ones in the past 95 years with an average temperature of 40 degrees or colder.
|
WARMEST |
COLDEST |
||||
|
Rank |
Temperature |
Year |
Rank |
Temperature |
Year |
|
1 |
58.2°F |
1900 |
1 |
35.8°F |
1925 |
|
2 |
56.6°F |
1947 |
2 |
38.8°F |
2002 |
|
3 |
56.5°F |
1963 |
3 |
39.3°F |
1887 |
|
4 |
54.6°F |
1914 |
4 |
39.6°F |
1917 |
|
5 |
54.2°F |
1938 |
5 |
40.0°F |
2020 |
|
6 |
53.7°F |
1953 |
6 |
40.1°F |
1976 |
|
7 |
53.1°F |
1924 |
7 |
40.4°F |
1895 |
|
8 |
53.0°F |
1910 |
8 |
40.7°F |
1896 |
|
9 |
52.6°F |
1920 |
9 |
40.8°F |
1988 |
|
10 |
52.2°F |
1956 |
10 |
40.9°F
|
2009
|
The dominant cold period was October 16-27. All but one of the days during this period were at least 10 degrees colder than average (see NWS October St. Cloud high-low temperature table). Most of those days generated a high around the freezing mark with lows as cold as the 20s and even a few teens (see NWS St. Cloud October high-low temperature graph). The average temperature for October 18-27 was 26.8 degrees (high 31.6, low 21.9), typical of the weekend after Thanksgiving.
This cold surge ended up producing 7 record cold temperatures in the four days between October 24 and 28. The 27 degree high on the 25th was the 5th earliest high colder than 30 degrees in St. Cloud records. The earliest one was October 17, 1930 when the high was 29. The temperature did end up getting down to 11 degrees early on the 27th, but the record cold low for that day was 5 degrees.
|
Daily Record Cold Temperatures for St. Cloud New records in blue
|
High Temperature | Low Temperature | Average Temperature |
| Sat 10/24/2020 |
30 (old record: 35 in 1919,1933,1981) |
20 (record: 15 in 2002) |
25 (record: 27 in 1925) |
| Sun 10/25/2020 |
27 (record: 29 in 1942) |
24 (record: 2 in 1896) |
26 (record: 22 in 1942) |
| Mon 10/26/2020 |
29 (record: 26 in 1925) |
13 (tie) (record: 13 in 1936) |
21 (old record: 23 in 1925) |
| Tue 10/27/2020 |
32 (record: 27 in 1925) |
11 (record: 5 in 1976) |
22 (tie) (record: 22 in 1925)
|
The cold weather was produced when the upper air high pressure area that spent most of the summer along the West Coast of North America pulled westward into the eastern Pacific. The northwest-to-southeast steering wind pattern allowed much colder than average air to push consistently from the Northern Plains through the Great Lakes and into the Mid-Atlantic.
In keeping with the yo-yo trend of the fall, there were still 5 days with a temperature at least 8 degrees warmer than average. This included an 81 degree high on October 9th. That's among the latest 15 percent for the last 80 degree in October. We may be done with 80 degree days in St. Cloud in 2020, but there is a good chance for a 70-degree high during the first week of November.
One factor that helped with the cold was early season snowfall. On October 20, a snowstorm produced a widespread 6-9 inches over central and southern Minnesota. On October 22, St. Cloud barely missed yet another shovelable snowstorm, producing 6-10 inches from Breckenridge and Fergus Falls to Little Falls, Royalton, and Pierz. Still, St. Cloud ended getting 7.0 inches of snow from the October 20 storm, breaking the daily snowfall record. That snow helped to keep temperatures cold since some of the sun's heat is lost melting the snow.
St. Cloud ended up with 7.8 inches of snow for the month of October, breaking the previous October record (set in 1936) by a full inch. Records were also set in the Twin Cities with a near record in Duluth.
|
SNOWIEST
|
DRIEST
|
||||
|
Rank
|
Snowfall
|
Year
|
Rank
|
Snowfall
|
Year
|
|
1
|
7.8 IN
|
2020
|
1
|
31 Years Tied at 0.0 IN
|
|
|
2
|
6.8 IN
|
1936
|
|||
|
3
|
6.4 IN
|
2002
|
|||
|
4
|
6.0 IN
|
1995
|
|||
|
5
|
4.1 IN
|
1959
|
|||
|
6
|
4.0 IN
|
1969
|
|||
|
7
|
3.8 IN
|
1919
|
|||
|
8
|
3.5 IN
|
1916
|
|||
|
9
|
3.2 IN
|
1951
|
|||
|
10
|
3.1 IN
|
1991
|
|||
There were also 6 October days with a high of freezing or colder, the most in St. Cloud records dating back to 1893. The old record was 5 days in 1925. There were 21 days with a low of freezing or colder, which was the third most in the month of October. The record was set in 1988 (25 days).
The growing season came to an end with a hard freeze and a low of 27 degrees on October 2. This was about a week late for the median date of the first frost, but nearly right on time for the first 28 degree temperature. The last frost date in the spring was May 12, so the growing season between frost days in St. Cloud was a total of 143 days, in the upper half of longest growing seasons (average 137 days). However, it was a bit short on days without a freeze (also 143 days, since the first and last frost date had lows of 27 degrees). St. Cloud averages 158 days between freezes.
|
Temperatures (°F)
|
October 2020
|
Normal
|
|
| Average High Temperature (°F) |
49.3
|
56.3
|
|
| Average Low Temperature (°F) |
30.7
|
34.3
|
|
| Mean Temperaturee for October (°F) |
40.0$
|
45.7
|
|
| $5th coldest October on record | |||
|
Temperature Thresholds
|
Number of Days
|
Normal
|
|
| October 2020 Days with High Temperature of 32°F or lower |
6
|
0.4
|
|
| October 2020 Days with Low Temperature of 32°F or lower |
21
|
11.0
|
|
|
October Temperature Extremes
|
Temperature(°F)
|
Date
|
|
| Warmest High Temperature for October 2020 (°F) |
81
|
October 9
|
|
| Coldest High Temperature for October 2020 (°F) |
27 (set record; see below)
|
October 25
|
|
| Warmest Low Temperature for October 2020 (°F) |
45
|
October 5
|
|
| Coldest Low Temperature for October 2020 (°F) |
11
|
October 27
|
|
|
Record Temperatures in October 2020
|
Temperature(°F)
|
Date
|
Old Record
|
| Daily Record Cold High |
30
|
October 24
|
35 in 1919, 1933, 1981
|
|
27
|
October 25
|
29 in 1942
|
|
| Daily Record Cold Low |
13 (tie)
|
October 26
|
tied record set in 1936
|
| Daily Record Cold Average |
25
|
October 24
|
27 in 1925
|
|
21
|
October 26
|
23 in 1925
|
|
|
22 (tie)
|
October 27
|
tied record set in 1925
|
|
|
This Year
|
Normal
|
||
|
October 2020 Precipitation (in)
|
2.17
|
2.49
|
|
| Growing Season (April-October) 2020 Precipitation (in) |
20.69 (-2.55 from average)
|
23.24
|
|
|
2020 Total Precipitation (in)
|
23.94 (-1.59 from average)
|
25.53
|
|
|
Precipitation Thresholds
|
Number of Days
|
Normal
|
|
| October 2020 Days with Measurable (>= 0.01 inch) Precipitation |
10
|
7.4
|
|
| October 2020 Days with >= 0.10 inch Precipitation |
3
|
4.1
|
|
| October 2020 Days with >= 0.25 inch Precipitation |
2
|
2.5
|
|
| October 2020 Days with >= 0.50 inch Precipitation |
1
|
1.2
|
|
| October 2020 Days with >= 1.00 inch Precipitation |
1
|
0.4
|
|
|
October Precipitation Extremes
|
Precipitation (in)
|
Date
|
|
|
Most Daily Precipitation in October 2020
|
1.11 inch (set daily record, see below) |
October 11
|
|
| Precipitation Records Set | Amount | Date | Old Record |
| Daily Record Rainfall | 1.11 inch | October 11 | 1.01 inch in 1973 |
|
Snowfall (in)
|
This Year
|
Normal
|
|
|
October 2020 Snowfall (in)
|
7.8&
|
0.7
|
|
|
October Precipitation Extremes
|
Snowfall (in)
|
Date
|
|
|
Most Daily Snowfall in October 2020
|
7.0
|
October 20
|
|
| &Record October snowfall | |||
|
Record Snowfall in October 2020
|
Snowfall (in)
|
Date
|
Old Record
|
| Daily Record Snowfall |
7.0
|
October 20
|
5.8 inches in 1936
|
| October Monthly Snowfall |
7.8
|
October 2020
|
6.8 inches in 1936
|
Last Update: 3 November 2020
