The Season’s First Snow
By Russell Russ

A summary of October’s weather as recorded at Norfolk’s National Weather
Service Cooperative Weather Observer Station, Norfolk 2 SW, by the Great
Mountain Forest Corporation.
The months high temperature of 67 degrees was observed on October 16. The
low temperature of 25 degrees was observed on October 24. The average
temperature was 46.0 degrees, 1.5 degrees below the October average. Throughout
the entire month there were numerous days with frost at various locations around
town. The season’s first hard freeze came on October 20 when the low temperature
at the station hit 26 degrees. Even though a few days preceding Halloween were a
bit cooler than normal, it warmed up nicely for the actual day with great trick-or-
treating conditions. For those keeping track, it was Norfolk’s sixth year in a row
with warm, dry weather for Halloween.
The total October precipitation was 3.72 inches, 0.27 inches below normal. The
first snow flurries of the season came on October 22. The first measurable snowfall
came during the late afternoon and evening of October 28. The snow melted
quickly in many locations, but held on for a few days in some higher, cooler parts
of town. There were also flurries on October 29. The station recorded 2.0 inches of
snowfall for the month. The average October snowfall amount is just about an
inch.
Whether you like it or not, now that we are entering the winter season we can
again talk of snowfall amounts. For the 2008 calendar year through October, the
station has recorded 57.0 inches of snow. This is 39.1 inches below our normal
yearly amount.
On the other hand, the total precipitation recorded so far for 2008 is 56.71
inches, 4.22 inches above the normal yearly amount. Comparing this to an average
year through October, we are 13.63 inches above normal. With two months to go
until year’s end we are still on pace for a Top Ten finish, for the wettest year on
record since 1932.