Good morning bloggers,
Welcome to October. Did you know it has snowed the last three Octobers? Take a look at the last three years that it snowed during this month:
- 2020: It snowed on October 25th and 26th with 0.9" officially falling on the the 26th last year. We had our first freeze on the 26th with the snowfall (a low of 28°)
- 2019: It snowed on October 28th, 30th, and 31st, with .3", .9", and .1", for a total of 1.3" of snow. We had our first freeze with 32° on the 28th and it was 21° with a killing freeze on Halloweeen
- 2018: It snowed on October 14th with .2" of snow. We had our first freeze on the 15th with a hard freeze of 26° on the 16th
This is the only time in KC recorded history where we had measurable snow on three consecutive Octobers. Will this year be our fourth year in a row with snow in October? Will the dry weather pattern continue? We will be having these discussions in the coming days and weeks. Let's take a look at the developing weather pattern.
The new LRC is setting up and by the time this next map verifies, below, we will have started the new weather pattern; the weather pattern that we will experience for the next year. What do I see on this map? I see some snow in Northern California & western Wyoming. I see a developing tropical system near Cuba. And, I see south winds, dry weather, and another warm-up in KC
In the past LRC, we are due for a tropical system to form near south Florida in the next week, so this one showing up on the latest map near Cuba is interesting. It will be the beginning of the new LRC, so confidence is lower due to that fact we will have started the new pattern. Let's see if this system keeps showing up.
That storm coming into the western states is also intriguing. It is something to monitor. There has been a horrific drought out west and there are other signs pointing towards another possible dry year out there, such as another developing La Niña (cooling of the Tropical Pacific Ocean). The LRC will help us predict the continuation of that drought or a break in it. Right now it is too early to make these predictions.
Kansas City Weather: Sprinkles are in today's forecast with the chance of measurable rain pretty low
We have a stable cloud layer this morning over KC. Stratus means "layer", and we have a big layer of clouds overhead this morning. When they start having more well defined edges, they are turning into stratocumulus clouds. When it is foggy, the fog is a big stratus cloud on the ground. These stratus clouds are above the ground, so there is no fog. But, we do have some sprinkles. Measurable rain is 0.01" or more, and the chance of that is low.
This year's LRC began last October with the first 19 days of October being dry. There is a chance of a few showers the next couple of days, but the rain continues to find ways to miss the local metro area. Yesterday, we had showers and thunderstorms all around KC, but nothing hit the immediate KC metro area. We could use a good drink of water.
Here is a picture of Rainbow & Sunny The Weather Dogs early this morning doing their "pose" trick, and they sit and pose for the pictures while I take them. They are so very patient, when I say "pose".
There are a few sprinkles this morning, but the rain keeps missing us. Here is the KC Weather Time-Line:
- Today: Overcast this morning with these stratus clouds. There is a slight chance of a few sprinkles. The clouds will break up just a bit with a little sun coming out. There is a 20% chance of a shower or thunderstorm later today. There will be very light winds from varying directions today at around 5 mph. High: 76°
- Tonight: Mostly cloudy with a 20% chance of a few showers. Low: 66°
- Saturday: Mostly cloudy with a 30% chance of showers or thunderstorms. It may rain for an hour or two, but most of the day will likely stay dry. High: 74°
- Sunday: There is a chance of a morning shower, and then it will become sunny. High: 75°
Thank you for sharing in this weather experience, and spending a few minutes reading the weather blog. Have a great Friday!
Gary
