000 NOUS41 KOKX 012014 PNSOKX CTZ005>012-NJZ002>006-011-NYZ067>081-021000- PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...RECORD RAINFALL IN OCTOBER NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE UPTON NY 315 PM EST TUE NOV 1 2005 ...RAINFALL RECORDS SMASHED AFTER SOGGY OCTOBER... AFTER THE FIRST SIX DAYS OF THIS PAST OCTOBER...IT APPEARED THAT THE LOCAL REGION CONTINUED LOCKED IN A VERY DRY WEATHER PATTERN. AT THAT POINT THERE WAS A GROWING DEFICIT OF RAIN THAT WAS BUILDING ON 5 CONSECUTIVE MONTHS OF BELOW NORMAL RAINFALL. THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER IN CENTRAL PARK NEW YORK TOTALLED A MEASLY 0.48 INCHES OF RAIN... 3.75 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. WHEN RAINDROPS BEGAN FALLING DURING THE DAY ON THE 7TH HOWEVER...WHO COULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT OCTOBER WOULD RIVAL THE WETTEST MONTH ON RECORD IN CENTRAL PARK...SEPTEMBER OF 1882? SEPTEMBER 1882 THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER 1882 IN NEW YORK CITY WAS THE WETTEST MONTH ON RECORD WITH 16.85 INCHES OCCURRING. CLIMATE RECORDS FOR NEW YORK CITY DATE BACK TO 1869. THE FIRST OF THAT MONTH BROUGHT PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES WITH LIGHT RAIN MOVING IN AT NIGHT. AFTER A BREAK IN THE MOISTURE ON THE SECOND AND THIRD...RAIN MOVED BACK INTO THE CITY ON THE 4TH. BY DAYS END...RAIN PICKED UP IN INTENSITY AND NEARLY THREE QUARTERS OF AN INCH WAS DEPOSITED. A FEW DAYS OF DRY WEATHER WAS FOLLOWED BY INFORMATION RECEIVED BY THE SIGNAL SERVICE OF THE WAR DEPARTMENT OF A TROPICAL CYCLONE ENTERING THE UNITED STATES NEAR PENSACOLA FLORIDA. THE WEATHER BUREAU AT THE TIME FORECASTED THIS CYCLONE TO COME NEAR THE CITY IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS. A RAPIDLY MOVING TROPICAL CYCLONE...LIKELY STILL AT OR NEAR HURRICANE STRENGTH...APPROACHED THE CITY FROM THE SOUTH ON THE 11TH AND HAD MOVED THROUGH BY THE 12TH. NOTES FROM THE WEATHER JOURNAL KEPT BY THE SIGNAL SERVICE INDICATE "HIGH NORTHEASTERLY WINDS... GALES BEGAN 11:07 AM AND ENDED 1:02 PM." THE EVENT DROPPED 3.23 INCHES BY DAYS END ON THE 12TH. AT THAT TIME...WEATHER OBSERVATIONS WERE RECORDED ON THE ROOF OF THE EQUITABLE BUILDING. NEWSPAPER ACCOUNTS INDICATE "STREETS FILLED WITH RUNNING WATER ON THE 12TH." THE MIDDLE OF THE SEPTEMBER 1882 GAVE THE CITY A CHANCE TO DRY OUT A BIT AFTER THE DELUGE CAUSED BY THE TROPICAL VISITOR. HOWEVER...A MUCH MORE FEROCIOUS RAIN WAS GETTING READY TO UNLEASH ITS TORRENTS BY THE 20TH. THE FOLLOWING 7 DAYS RAINED DOWN IN SUCH A FASHION TO BRING THIS MONTH TO THE RECORD BOOKS. FROM THE PERIOD OF THE 20TH TO THE 26TH...12.23 INCHES OF RAIN OCCURRED. JOURNAL REPORTS INDICATE "UNPRECEDENTED LOSS UPON FARMS AND DWELLING ARE REPORTED FROM NEW JERSEY" DUE TO THE FLOODS. THE JOURNAL ALSO INDICATES "SERIOUS OVERFLOWS OF THE PASSAIC AND ASSUNPINK RIVERS..." AND MUCH DAMAGE WAS DONE TO EXCAVATIONS AND NEW BUILDINGS." DISTRICTS IN NEW JERSEY INDICATED "ABOUT THIRTY BRIDGES WERE DESTROYED OR SERIOUSLY DAMAGED, WITH MANY LIVES LOST." IF IT WASN`T FOR THE 0.43 INCHES THAT OCCURRED ON THE 28TH AND 29TH OF THAT SATURATED MONTH...THIS PAST OCTOBER WOULD HAVE BEEN THE WETTEST MONTH ON RECORD. ...WHAT HAPPENED OCTOBER 2005...? AS MENTIONED EARLIER...LAST MONTH STARTED OUT DRY AND LOCAL AGENCIES WERE WORRIED ABOUT PREPARING DROUGHT DECLARATIONS. IN FACT...THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY ISSUED A DROUGHT WATCH FOR THEIR STATE. THE WEATHER MAP ON THE 7TH SHOWED ALL THE EARMARKS OF CHANGES TO COME. THE CHARTS SHOWED AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA. THE FRONT WAS SLOWING ITS FORWARD PROGRESS AS IT LABORED AGAINST A STRONG AND STUBBORN HIGH PRESSURE CELL IN THE WESTERN ATLANTIC. IN THE UPPER REACHES OF THE ATMOSPHERE...A BUCKLING JETSTREAM WAS FORMING A CUT OFF LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM HEADING TOWARD THE MID ATLANTIC STATES. THESE INGREDIENTS MIXED TOGETHER A RECIPE FOR A WHOLE BUNCH OF RAIN. THE QUARTER INCH OF RAIN WHICH FELL ON THE 7TH QUICKLY BECAME AN INSIGNIFICANT MEMORY BY DAYS END ON THE 8TH DUE TO THE 4.26 INCHES THAT FELL THAT DAY! THE BLOCKING HIGH TO THE EAST CAUSED THE FRONT TO STALL AS IT REACHED THE COAST. UNLIMITED MOISTURE WAS ALLOWED TO RIDE ALONG IT WITH THE HELP OF LOW PRESSURE WAVES. THIS WEATHER PATTERN NEVER REALLY BROKE DOWN EVEN THOUGH THE RAIN SPUTTERED OUT ON THE 9TH. THE FRONT DID EVENTUALLY MOVE OFF THE COAST...BUT IT STALLED AGAIN A COUPLE OF HUNDRED MILES TO THE EAST. THE STRONG BLOCKING HIGH WAS STILL THERE...EVER SO TENACIOUS. THE BUCKLED JETSTREAM WAS TOO...SUPPORTING ANOTHER CUT OFF BALL OF ENERGY. AND OF COURSE...THE ATLANTIC OCEAN AND CARIBBEAN SEA WAS STILL MIGHTY WET! THESE INGREDIENTS WHIPPED UP INTO ANOTHER BOUT OF HEAVY RAIN. RAIN FELL HEAVILY AT TIMES ALL THE WAY FROM THE 11TH THROUGH THE 14TH. HEMISPHERIC SATELLITE IMAGES SHOWED CLEARLY THAT THE MOISTURE SOURCE FOR THIS EVENT COULD BE TRACED ALL THE WAY DOWN INTO THE TROPICAL LATITUDES...NEAR SOUTH AMERICA! THE HEAVIEST DAY OF RAINFALL OCCURRED ON THE 12TH...WHEN 4.26 INCHES FELL IN CENTRAL PARK. READINGS AROUND THE PARK...ESPECIALLY TO THE EAST...SHOWED EVEN MORE IMPRESSIVE TALLIES. BY THE END OF THE 14TH...13.25 INCHES OF RAIN HAD FALLEN. THIS AMOUNT HAD ALREADY BROKE THE RECORD FOR THE WETTEST OCTOBER BY NEARLY 5 FULL INCHES. COULD MORE FOLLOW...AND COULD OCTOBER 2005 THREATEN THE ALL TIME WETTEST MONTH FOR NEW YORK CITY? RAIN DID RETURN...DUE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF A WINTER LIKE WEATHER PATTERN. THE RAIN ONCE AGAIN BECAME HEAVY. BETWEEN THE 22ND AND 26TH...AN ADDITIONAL 3.48 INCHES OF RAIN FELL. THE TOTAL NOW STOOD AT 16.73 INCHES...SHORT OF THE RECORD BY 0.12 INCHES! THE LAST 5 DAYS OF THE MONTH STAYED DRY. THE FOLLOWING ARE RAINFALL TOTALS FROM THIS PAST OCTOBER FROM SOURCES ACROSS THE REGION. LOCATION OCTOBER RAIN OLD OCT RECORD REMARKS CENTRAL PARK 16.73 13.31 (1903) WETTEST MONTH 16.85 SEP 1882 BRIDGEPORT 12.10 10.72 (1955) WETTEST MONTH 17.70 JUNE 1972 NEWARK 13.22 8.20 (1943) WETTEST MONTH ON RECORD ISLIP 14.07 8.71 (1989) WETTEST MONTH ON RECORD JFK AIRPORT 14.97 6.58 (1989) WETTEST MONTH ON RECORD LAGUARDIA AP 14.71 7.32 (1983) WETTEST MONTH 16.05 AUG 1955 HERE ARE SOME OTHER RAINFALL TOTALS FOR OCTOBER 2005 FROM OTHER SOURCES. NWS UPTON LONG ISLAND...21.86. OCEANSIDE LONG ISLAND...18.26. CENTERPORT LONG ISLAND...18.69. $$ MORRIN