The “cold war” hits home – October in like a lion, out like a fridge

The “cold war” hits home – October in like a lion, out like a fridge

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It’s not looking good for the coming Halloween. Button up those trick or treaters. Fall, we hardly knew ya. Here’s a roundup of interesting cold weather events this month. Check out the forecast graphic at the bottom of this story.

From Bill Steffen, WOOD-TV.

October 22nd. A weather station in Berchtesgaden National Park in Bavaria has recorded the coldest temperature ever in Germany during the month of October. The thermometer dipped to -24.3C or -11.7F.  Clear skies, calm winds and fresh snow was the perfect combination for the record chill.   The city of Augsburg, Germany has been 9.3 degrees colder than average during the past week. Prague in the Czech Republic is supposed to be in the mid 50s at this time of year. They had 3 days with temperatures stuck in the 30s and even picked up some snow flurries.

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From CBS-TV in Chicago:

October Cold Snap Sets 82-Year Record

High On Tuesday Was Only 47 Degrees

October in Chicago is usually equal parts balmy T-shirt weather and nippy light jacket temperatures, but if it’s felt more like winter coat weather this year, it’s not your imagination. Chicago has spent the last 17 days with below-average temperatures, and a high of a mere 47 degrees made Tuesday the coldest Oct. 13 in 82 years, CBS 2’s Mary Kay Kleist says.

Comparing temperatures for the first 14 days of October 2008 to this year seems like comparing the tropics to the tundra.

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From Bill Steffen, WOOD-TV. October 14th. The biggest snowstorm in 25 years hit central Europe with amounts up to five feet atop Zugspitze, the highest peak in Germany.   In Austria, two day snowfalls of 2-3 feet caused some ski areas to have their earliest-ever opening day.  The Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland were hit hard.  Up to 20″ of snow fell in the mountains of the Czech Republic.  Trees and power lines were toppled, with up to 700,000 customers without power during the unusual cold wave.  In southern Poland three people froze to death.

Huge waves destroyed a pier at Sopot in northern Poland.  Tens of thousands of Ukrainians were without power after the storm.  A major rail line from Switzerland to Austria was blocked by trees felled from the weight of the snow.   The Polish government mobilized troops to assist the clean-up.

Temperatures dropped to 11 above zero in southern Poland, extremely cold for this time of year.   Back in the U.S., check out the snow on top of Mt. Washington in New Hampshire.  Mt. Washington hasn’t been above freezing in nine days.  They had over a foot of snowfall in the first two weeks of October and temperatures for the month are more than 7 degrees cooler than average.

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Record-breaking cold this morning, widespread frost

Termperatures are rebounding after what was record-breaking cold morning in Charlotte.

Temperatures fell below the freezing mark for the first time since last winter in Charlotte, and frost was reported across the metro region. A number of National Weather Service official reporting stations had sub-freezing lows.

This morning’s unofficial low at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport was 30 degrees. That is the coldest since March 5, when the low was 29. This morning’s reading broke the old record for the date, 31 degrees, set in 1948.

A low of 28 degrees was record in Albemarle, North Wilkesboro and Rutherfordton. The morning low was 30 degrees in Salisbury and Statesville. It dropped to 32 degrees in Gastonia, Hickory, Monroe and Rock Hill.

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From NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center: