October Review And Two Big Storms

For the contiguous United States, October was the third coolest on record with records back to 1885. From the Pacific Northwest to the western Great Lakes, every state ranked in the top 10 coldest.It was also the wettest October on record with almost the entire Midwest and lower Mississippi Valley ranking in the top 5.

A storm of 946 millibars in the Gulf Of Alaska developed today and produced 60 knot wind gusts and 32 foot waves (buoy 46085).

Meanwhile, the remnant of Ida moves away from the east coast after hitting the Mid-Atlantic with 75 mph winds and over 10 inches of rain. At Norfolk, Virginia, the 7.40 inches of rain that fell exceeds the record for the entire month of November with records going back to 1871. The old record was 7.01 inches set in 1951. The tide gauge near Norfolk recorded a value of 7.74 feet above mean lower low water, which is only o.2 feet less than hurricane Isabel, and the 5th highest on record since 1930.