The month of October is a big transition month in Connecticut. It's one of the few months where truly anything can happen weather-wise. Hurricanes, snowstorms, and tornadoes - we've seen it all.
This October is starting off on a warm note. We're expecting above normal temperatures for the first half of the month. The average high temperature on October 1 is 69 degrees. By Halloween the average high is only 58 degrees. Sunset on the first of the month is around 6:30 p.m. and by the end of the month its 5:46 p.m.
Severe thunderstorms are unusual in October but not unheard of. October 3, 1979 produced the most violent tornado in state history when an F-4 ripped through Windsor, Windsor Locks, Suffield, and Agawam.
Snowstorms are also unusual but can happen. The infamous October Snowstorm in 2011 was arguably the most crippling winter storm since the Blizzard of '78 and the Ice Storm of '73. Perhaps more remarkable was the October 4, 1987 snowstorm that dropped over a foot of snow in Litchfield County.
Connecticut has also dealt with hurricanes in October. Most recently Hurricane Sandy produced extremely high storm surges on Long Island Sound as it cut west into New Jersey on October 28 and 29, 2012.
