Last month was the warmest October as measured at the Southeast Fire Centre’s weather office in Castlegar since record-keeping began in the 1960s.
“A blocking ridge of high pressure allowed this year’s extended summer weather to persist until around Oct. 19,” forecaster Jesse Ellis said.
That heat contributed to a new record average temperature for the month of 10.6 degrees, which was 2.6 degrees higher than average.
The warmest temperature of the month of 25.5 degrees on the 3rd was one of four daily record highs set, including new marks established on three consecutive days:
Oct. 2: 23.9 (old record 22.7 in 1991)
Oct. 3: 25.5 (old record 24.9 in 2011)
Oct. 4: 25 (old record 24.8 in 1993)
Oct. 12: 22.7 (old record 21.3 in 1991)
However, the all-time record high temperature for the month of 27.2, set on Oct. 7, 1980, was not toppled.
It was the fourth straight month with warmer and drier than average conditions and the first frost-free October in over 10 years.
Ellis said the extended summer ended around Oct. 20 when a series of Pacific frontal systems brought a return to near-normal temperatures with rain falling in 10 of the last 11 days of the month. Until that point, there had been no precipitation at all.
The monthly total of 29.8 millimeters was 40 per cent less than the average of 49.4 millimeters, but it was still far more than the record low of 2.2 millimeters recorded in 2002.