Welcome to October

October is my favorite month of the year for a variety of reasons. Naturally, we begin to experience Autumn across southwestern Connecticut, and the pleasant temperatures afford us the opportunity to enjoy the many outdoor activities planned throughout the month. Whether it be a hayride with the family, a visit to a pumpkin patch, or a seat at the local high school football game, October is just about the ideal month to be outside.

However, the last two Octobers have been anything but quiet and tranquil around these parts. I'm sure you remember the unusual early Autumn Nor'easter which delivered record-breaking October snow and massive power outages across Connecticut the weekend of October 29 and 30, 2011. By the time the storm pulled away, over a foot of snow fell across much of Northern Fairfield County, and four inches blanketed Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford, making Saturday, October 29, the snowiest October day on record.

Many trees and tree branches came crashing down due to the weight of the heavy, wet snow, the leaves still on the trees, and the gusty winds. There were more than 760,000 customers of Connecticut Light and Power and 9,000 United Illuminating customers without power Monday morning, October 31. Many school systems were closed or had delayed openings Halloween morning.

The snow totals were unbelievable for October. Danbury reported 17 inches of snow, while Ridgefield (15.5") and Shelton (12.8") received over a foot. Locally, Wilton (10.8"), New Canaan (6.0"), Norwalk (5.5"), and Bridgeport (4.0") also had record-breaking snow. Viewer Ralph Fato of Norwalk sent this photo of the Route 7 connector Saturday afternoon, October 29.

Last year, Hurricane Sandy devastated much of the Eastern seaboard with powerful winds, record-low pressure, and historic tidal surges. The hurricane, which brought heavy rain and flooding across the mid-Atlantic region, made its heralded landfall near Atlantic City, N.J., around 8 p.m. Monday evening, October 29. It arrived slightly earlier than originally projected because it had picked up speed, moving at about 28 mph.

Although our region was spared the heavy rainfall, winds increased throughout the day Monday, reaching a peak wind gust of 76 miles-an-hour at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford Monday evening. The hurricane-force gusts resulted in massive power outages, downed trees and power lines, and three deaths in Connecticut.

Unfortunately, the storm came during a Full Moon, causing a storm surge of 10 feet at Bridgeport harbor late Monday night. Sandy's strength and angle of approach combined to produce a record storm surge of water into New York City. The surge level at Battery Park topped 13.88 feet at 9:24 p.m. Monday, surpassing the 10.02 feet record water level set by Hurricane Donna in 1960.

The local shoreline communities, especially Fairfield and Milford, were hit hardest. Many homes, which had been hammered by Tropical Storm Irene just over a year earlier, were severely damaged or destroyed by Sandy. Here is a video of the storm surge at nearby St. Mary's by the Sea in Bridgeport.

                    
 
Flooding prevented some homeowners from even getting to their homes near the beach in Fairfield. People were getting around by kayaks and canoes in the shoreline neighborhood, which was buzzing with the sound of pumps taking water out of houses. At one point Tuesday, United Illuminating reported that 100% of its Fairfield customers were without power. Schools were closed at least through Friday, and Fairfield Ludlowe High School opened a shelter for displaced residents and pets.

An Easton volunteer firefighter died while clearing debris in front of a fire truck Monday night on Judd Road. Lt. Russell Neary was struck by a falling limb. The body of a missing 34-year-old man, who was seen swimming in the heavy surf after jumping from a pier Monday evening, was recovered in Milford. Also, a 90-year-old Mansfield woman was killed and two family members were seriously injured when a tree fell on them during the storm Monday.

Hopefully, this October will be much quieter. Temperatures begin to cool dramatically throughout the month. In fact, the average daily mean temperature at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford falls from 60 degrees October 1 to 50 degrees by Halloween. The average daily high temperature drops from 69 degrees to 58 degrees, and the overnight low cools from 52 degrees to 42 by the end of the month.

The warmest temperature ever recorded in October in southwestern Connecticut was 89 degrees, which was set October 8 of 2007. That broke the previous mark of 86 degrees set on October 6, 1997. It occurred one day after another record high of 78 degrees was established on October 7, 2007. The mercury also hit 85 degrees on October 10, 1949.

The warmest October on record, not surprisingly, happened six years ago (2007) when the mercury averaged 61.8 degrees, breaking the previous mark of 60.2 degrees in 1971. The coldest Octobers on record were in 1981 and 1988 when the temperature averaged 50.5 degrees. The coldest temperature ever recorded for the month was 26 degrees, set three times, most recently on Halloween of 1988. The other two times were on October 24, 1969, and October 20, 1972.

October’s average rainfall is 3.54 inches. The wettest October ever recorded happened in 1955 when 10.72 inches fell across southwestern Connecticut. On three occasions over four inches of rain fell in one day: October 7, 1972 (4.14″), October 15, 1955 (4.76″), and October 19, 1996 (4.12″). The driest October (0.33″) happened in 1963.

Daylight dramatically decreases during the month. October 1 we enjoy 11 hours and 45 minutes of daylight. The Sun rises at 5:49 and sets at 5:34. However, by the middle of the month, October 15, the Sun rises at 6:04 and sets at 5:12. By Halloween, after the return to standard time, we only have 10 hours and 26 minutes of daylight. Sunrise happens at 5:23 while it sets at 4:49 in the afternoon.

We don’t “fall back” to Eastern Standard Time until Sunday morning, November 3, at 2 o’clock. That’s when we set our clocks back one hour and gain one extra hour of sleep. Daylight Saving Time was extended for one month beginning in 2007 as a result of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. So, the Halloween trick-or-treaters will get one extra hour of daylight in the evening.

Happy October!

Paul