October brought warmer-than usual daytime temperatures and a slightly drier month to Waterloo Region, according to data from the University of Waterloo’s E.D. Soulis Memorial Weather Station. The station’s monthly summary showed the average temperature was more than 1.5 C above the long-term average, with daily highs averaging 17.5 C — more than 3 C above the historical average of 14.4 C. Daily lows, meanwhile, were close to normal, averaging 4.9 C compared with the long-term average of 4.7 C. “This was a result of the clear skies during most of the month that resulted in high daytime and low nighttime temperatures,” the report read in part. The first below-zero temperature of the fall was recorded at 3:45 a.m. on oct. 21, about a week later than the historical average. That marked the end of this year’s growing season, which lasted 162 days — close to the long-term average of 160 days. “October started off very wet, with about half the month’s precipitation coming in the first two days. The rest of the month was relatively dry, particularly the last two weeks,” the report read. The station recorded 68 millimetres of precipitation in October, below the long-term average of 78 millimetres. The station’s October records also showed a maximum temperate of 27.9 C and a minimum of -1.4 C.
