October second-warmest, second-driest on record for U.S.: NOAA

October 2024 was both the second-warmest and second-driest October ever recorded in the U.S., according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The 48 contiguous U.S. states saw an average temperature of 59 degrees Fahrenheit in October, 4.9 degrees warmer than the 20^th century average, according to NOAA. Only one previous October, 1963, was hotter in the 130 years of NOAA’s records.

Multiple states experienced their outright warmest October on record, including Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Utah, while California, Colorado, Montana and Wyoming all saw their second warmest. The month was among the 10 warmest Octobers for a total of 18 states.

The national average temperature for the first 10 months of the year, 58.3 degrees, was 3.3 degrees above the 20^th century average, the second hottest first three quarters of the year on record. Eleven states experienced their warmest January-October period on record, and unlike the October average, they ranged far beyond the southwest region: Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

In terms of drought conditions, October 2024 was tied with 1963 as the second-driest October on record, with average precipitation across the continental U.S. of 0.95 inches. Only October 1952 was drier. A total of 21 states experienced an October among the top 10 driest on record, with Delaware and New Jersey both setting all-time records.

However, NOAA also found that the first 10 months of the year were in the upper third of the wettest January-October period on record, with a total of 26.17 inches of precipitation.

The NOAA data follows numbers last week from the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service indicating October will almost certainly be the warmest year on record worldwide, with October coming in as the second-warmest recorded, behind only last year.