The Star - News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area

We received almost double the mean amount of rain for October, with 1.38 inches measured here at the home weather station. The measuring station at the dam showed 1.72 inches for October. The mean is 0.72 inches. I didn’t hear anyone complaining about the wetness either.

We were on the higher end of mean temperature too. The mean here at the house was 54.9°F some 3.8°F higher than mean (51.1°F). We had a high temperature of 86.1°F (Oct. 6) and a low of 35.3°F (Oct. 27). No record-breaking measurements for the month.

The Washington state climatologist has stated for November, December and January: “The Climate Prediction Center (CPC) seasonal outlook for November is persistence, and is predicting a very similar outcome to what occurred in October. There is an increased chance of higher than normal temperatures across the entire state. Precipitation, on the other hand, has increased chances of above normal precipitation statewide, largely due to the enhanced precipitation expected during the first week of November. However, it looks as if the second week of the month will be on the dry side. The November-December-January (NDJ) CPC outlook also has higher chances of warmer than normal temperatures across the state, with higher chances west of the Cascade Mountains. The NDJ precipitation outlook calls for increased chances of below normal precipitation, particularly in far eastern WA.”

We had a full moon on Nov. 6. Now, we should be watching for three planets visible in the night sky. Mars is out in the early evening sky, Jupiter will be seen from mid-night till dawn, Mercury will be sitting low in the east sky before sunrise. If you were in a prime viewing area on October 23rd, you likely saw the partial solar eclipse. Though we were in a good location here in the Grand Coulee region, the sky didn’t cooperate giving us a nice gray layer of cloud.