October saw warm temperatures and long stretches of dry time
Another month has flown by allowing meteorologists to pore over thirty days of weather conditions. Preliminary data for the last month indicates it was a notably warm and deceptively dry October for Central Missouri.
Last month was in the top 20 warmest Octobers recorded in Columbia as temperatures boiled 4 degrees above average. Columbia experienced 25 days above 70 degrees last month, the 4th most on record for this time of year. While this is certainly significant, rainfall (or more appropriately, the lack thereof) was a much bigger story last month.
When first looking at rain totals the full scale of the dry conditions isn't immediately clear. Columbia recorded 1.65 inches of rain during the month, compared to 3.47 inches on average. This is a top 40 driest October for Columbia, and the majority of this meager rainfall only fell in a short amount of time. Measurable rainfall was only recorded on three days out of the month, which is the 4th least amount of wet days for October. Most of the rain fell just before Halloween, before which Columbia was on track for a top 5 driest October.
From late September to later October we saw no measurable rain for a full 30 days. This is the 6th longest stretch of dry time Columbia has ever experienced, just a few days shy of most of the top 5. Extended dry conditions and very warm temperatures have contributed to a flash drought as parts of Central Missouri near the Lake of the Ozarks have added on several categories of worsening drought in just the last month.
Early November has looked promising with several rounds of rain and good relief, but it will take an extended time of rainfall to help Central Missouri catch up and recover from a years-long persistent drought.
