NATIONAL STORM SUMMARY

OCTOBER 2011

1st-8th…Early-week snow dusted parts of the Appalachians, with more
than 6 inches reported on a few peaks in West Virginia. With a half-
inch of snow on October 1, Beech Mountain, NC, set a record for the
earliest measurable snow in North Carolina (previously, 4.0 inches
atop Mt. Mitchell on October 5, 1980). By October 3, heavy
precipitation arrived along the Pacific Coast. Ukiah, CA, netted
consecutive daily-record amounts on October 3-4, totaling 2.35 inches.
During the first 6 days of the month, 4.40 inches soaked Crescent
City, CA. On October 5, another surge of moisture resulted in daily-
record totals in locations such as Stanley, ID (1.39 inches), and
downtown Los Angeles, CA (1.15 inches). Later in Wyoming, daily-record
snowfall amounts reached 8.7 inches (on October 7) in Riverton and 6.0
inches (on October 8) in Cheyenne. Riverton’s October 6-7 storm-total
snowfall climbed to 10.9 inches. Elsewhere in Wyoming, Sheridan (1.79
inches on October 7) experienced its wettest October day on record
(previously, 1.60 inches on October 30, 1974). In Nebraska, Kearney’s
October 6-9 rainfall reached 4.82 inches. Farther south, daily-record
totals in Texas for October 8 included 3.57 inches in Abilene and 3.26
inches in Wichita Falls. The heavy rain continued into the following
day, when record-setting amounts for October 9 reached 5.83 inches in
Waco, TX, and 2.71 inches in Oklahoma City, OK. Farther east, a low-
pressure system near the southern Atlantic Coast generated late-week
downpours and high winds. From October 6-9, Vero Beach, FL, received
11.86 inches of rain and recorded a peak wind gust to 52 mph. The
majority (8.30 inches) of Vero Beach’s rain fell on October 8,
representing its second-wettest day on record behind 8.82 inches on
January 21, 1957. Melbourne, FL, experienced its second wettest
October day (5.68 inches) on October 8, followed by a wind gust to 54
mph on October 9. Melbourne’s only wetter October day occurred on
October 17, 1956, when 6.03 inches fell.

9th-15th…The nation saw some active weather on Tuesday with
precipitation in the Southeast through the Northwest. Precipitation in
the Southeast was mainly due to a storm which slowly drifted up the
eastern seaboard. This storm brought heavy rainfall to portions of the
region from Georgia through the Carolinas. Today's rainfall totals
brought the accumulated precipitation from the past few days to over 5
inches in some locations. A high surf warning for the coast was
cancelled, but the risk for rip currents remains along the entire
southeastern coast. The Northwest also saw some significant
precipitation on Tuesday. Heavy rainfall was reported throughout the
Cascades and over the Olympic Peninsula. The entire Puget Sound region
also saw precipitation, but with mostly drizzle and light rain. The
region's precipitation was caused by a Pacific storm that slammed into
Southern Alaska. In addition to heavy rain, strong winds brought high
surf to the coast, and some of the highest elevations saw snowfall.

16th-22nd…Unsettled weather continued in the eastern half of the
nation on Wednesday as a deepening low over eastern Kentucky absorbed
low pressure from the Southeast. These systems pulled in ample
moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and western Atlantic Ocean as they
began to merge during the afternoon and produced showers, periods of
heavy rain, thunderstorms, and strong wind in areas from the Great
Lakes and Ohio Valley through parts of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.
Some storms in the Mid-Atlantic had the potential to turn severe. The
main concerns with these storms were hail, damaging wind gusts, and
tornadoes or waterspouts. Meanwhile, showers and thunderstorms
continued ahead of an associated cold front that reached through the
Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida.
A strong storm system and cold air mass continued to impact this
Colorado and the Central Rockies with showers, thunderstorms, snow
showers, periods of heavy snowfall, and strong wind gusts through the
afternoon. As of this afternoon, snow totals in parts of Colorado
range up to about 4.5 inches and up to 1 foot in higher elevations.
Various Winter Storm Warnings, Winter Weather Advisories, and Freeze
Watches and Warnings remained in effect for much of Colorado and parts
of northern New Mexico.
A strong early season winter storm developed across the Eastern US as
a low pressure system moved in from the Mississippi Valley. Counter-
clockwise flow around this system pulled in ample moisture from the
Atlantic Ocean. At the same time, the back side of this system pulled
in cool air from Canada. This combination produced a large swath of
snow that stretched from the Central Appalachians through New England.
Coastal areas remained warmer, moderated by the ocean temperature, and
saw 1 to 2 inches of rain. However, most of the region saw snowfall
accumulation between 3 to 7 inches, while up to 12 inches have been
reported at highest elevations. This heavy wet snow caused damage to
tree limbs and power lines across the Northeast, especially since most
of the trees still have their leaves. Heaviest rainfall along the
coasts was reported at Wallops Island, Virginia with a mid-day total
of 1.83 inches of rain.