Oct. 2022 is in the books and it was the second consecutive month with below-normal temperatures.

What You Need To Know

  • Some areas were two degrees below normal in October

  • Rainfall was well below normal, as well

  • November is historically our driest month

  • November typically sees a larger temperature drop

Before the last week of the month, many areas were averaging almost five degrees below normal. The late-month warmup allowed temperatures to end up about two degrees below normal.

After Hurricane Ian passed through the state in late September, it pulled unusually dry air across the state. This allowed our mornings to run very cool for about a week to start the month. Then there was a significant cold front in the middle of the month when we saw temperatures about 15 degrees below normal for a few days.

Finally, at the end of the month, warmer air returned, with the last few days running about four to five degrees above normal.

Rain was very hard to find during October. Aside from the mid-month cold front, there were only a few spotty showers here and there, causing the month to end up quite a bit below normal. October is normally a pretty dry month, so there isn't much of a rainfall deficit concern, especially following our wet summer.

Here is a look at the numbers...

Tampa

Average temperature: 75.7 degrees (1.7 degrees below normal)

Rainfall: 1.10 inches (1.24 inches below normal)

Bradenton

Average temperature: 75.2 degrees (2.1 degrees below normal)

Rainfall: 1.78 inches (0.98 inches below normal)

Lakeland

Average temperature: 74.6 degrees (1.8 degrees below normal)

Rainfall: 0.41 inches (2.63 inches below normal)

Brooksville

Average temperature: 72.0 degrees (1.1 degrees below normal)

Rainfall: 0.99 inches (1.80 inches below normal)

Plant City

Average temperature: 74.5 degrees (2.2 degrees below normal)

Rainfall: 0.33 inches (2.25 inches below normal)

St. Petersburg

Average temperature: 76.2 degrees (1.6 degrees below normal)

Rainfall" 0.23 inches (1.87 inches below normal)

Looking ahead to November

November is historically our driest month, and we average only 1.40 inches of rain. It is also the month that we see quite a drop in our daily average temperatures. The "normal" temps on the 1st are 82 for a high and 64 for the low. But by the 30th, they drop to 76 and 58.

The hottest day in November in Tampa was on Nov. 4, 2015, when the temperature soared to 92 degrees. The coldest November day on record was on Nov. 25, 1970, when the morning was a freezing 23 degrees!

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