ARKANSAS, USA — October and spooky season are here... And so will be the cooler air, earlier sunsets, and better chances for storms for the United States. October usually brings 10-20 degree temperature drops with stronger cold fronts. What will October 2022 bring?
Tap HERE for the latest forecast for Arkansas and Oklahoma.
We will take a look at daylight losses, rainfall chances, drought predictions, temperature drops, and hurricane chances for the 10th month of the year.
DAYLIGHT
October brings the second biggest monthly drop in daylight across the United States, barely second to the month of September. Most Americans will lose at least 60 minutes of daylight by Halloween night, except for locations closer to the Gulf of Mexico.
In western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma, most towns will get at least an hour drop in daylight As we lose around 2 minutes of daylight per day.
Bentonville: 1hr 6min daylight loss
Fayetteville: 1hr 5min daylight loss
Fort Smith: 1hr 3min daylight loss
Sunsets are about to take place before 6PM across Arkansas and Oklahoma.
WHAT DOES AN AVERAGE OCTOBER LOOK LIKE?
October typically brings higher rain chances and a 10-15 degree temperature drop in the southern Plains.
The winter brings better precipitation chances. Arkansas and Oklahoma need more rain as drought conditions are quickly worsening.
TEMPERATURE FORECAST
Much of the U.S. is looking warmer than normal. In fact there is a bullseye for above average heat for Arkansas and Oklahoma. Instead of having some days in the 60s, expect more afternoons spent in the 70s and 80s. Some mornings may be a bit cooler thanks to the drought. Drier conditions with less humidity allow nights to get chilly into the 30s and 40s. Expect large swings from sunrise to the afternoon.
RAINFALL FORECAST
It's usually too soon for snow in the south in October, so we'll stick with rain. If only we could get some rain farther south. The trends show drier than normal conditions for much of the central U.S., especially along the Mississippi River and Arkansas River.
Overall expect only a couple inches of rain at best across Arkansas and Oklahoma for October, instead of the usual 4-5 inches of rain. Unless a thunderstorm brings downpours to your neighborhood, expect mainly dry days for October.
HURRICANE CHANCES
After an overall quiet start for the first half of hurricane season, Hurricane Ian brought one of the strongest and more devastating hurricanes to southwest Florida. What about the rest of the month?
Peak hurricane season has come and gone, but October can still bring dangerous storms too. The origin points for hurricanes tend to start farther south as waters slowly start to cool in the Gulf of Mexico and western Atlantic. The most active waters will likely be in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Campeche. These storms can still travel north and hit the U.S.
Expect more storms in October, with more landfalls possible in the U.S.
-5NEWS Weather Team