October Muskegon Weather

4 straight months of warm weather for Muskegon ended in October. The October average temperature of 47° was 2.7 below the normal. This was the 3rd time in the last 4 years that October has been a cool month for Muskegon which is one Lake Michigan's east shore/Michigan's west side.

The month ended with 18 of the last 19 days showing below normal temperatures. The last 12 consecuctive were below normal. The month began with warm weather, 9 of 12 days registering above normal. Historically it was the 10th coldest October in Muskegon.

The 1st day of the month provided the high temperature of 77 degrees. A reading of 26 on Thursday the 17th was the monthly low. This gives October 51 degrees between high and low. This is the same as in October 2000 when the monthly high was 79°, while the lows was 28°.

Precipitation was also below normal. 1.99 inches fell, which is .81 inches below typical. The rainiest day came early on the 4th when .41 inches of rain fell. This compares to last October when 6.09 inches of rain fell!

The average wind speed was 8.9 knots, .3 below normal. Windiest day was the 6th @ 16.8 knots. 2.9 knots on the 10th was the bottom daily average wind speed.

Year to date Muskegon temperatures are + 2.2 from the norm. This is ahead of the previous 2 years.

November should see the beginning of snow fall. Muskegon's November snowfall average is 8.8 inches, although November 2001 was snowless.

Another noted November weather event is the 'gales of november'. On the 10th in 1975 a storm sank the Edmund Fitzgerald. 78 MPH winds were recorded at Grand Rapids. In 1940 there were 59 shipwreck deaths due to a storm on Armistice Day. In 1989 on the 16th 63 MPH winds were recorded at Whitefish Point on Michigan's Upper Penunsulia. For more see http://www.lsmma.com/gales2002/g2002fs.html