It will come as no surprise that October, 2009 was wetter and cooler than normal throughout much of Galveston County.

In Galveston at Scholes Field, 6.76" of rain was measured during the month. This amount was 3.27" above long-time norms at that location. Further east, near Galveston College, 11.80" fell during the month. On the mainland, a soggy 14.03" of rain soaked the League City/Dickinson area, giving that location its rainiest October since 2002, when 15.66" was recorded.

Temperatures during the month ranged from much cooler than normal on Galveston Island to near normal across inland areas of the County. The average temperature in Galveston was 71.9 degrees, which is 2.2 degrees below average for the month. This gave the city its second consecutive cool October, nearly matching the 71.2 monthly average for 2008. League City, meanwhile, reported a 70.9 degree average for the month, which was 0.6 degree warmer than the long-term October norm of 70.3 degrees.

Despite the heavy rains, most locations across the region still are running somewhat below normal in terms of total yearly rainfall to date. This can be a little misleading, however, as the heavy rains this fall have pretty much eliminated drought conditions over the area. In fact, the major concern now is potential flooding if the wetter than normal trend continues through November. Unfortunately, the Climate Prediction Center is calling for the wet spell to continue through this month. On the other hand, it looks as though most of this coming week will be sunny and dry.

What is the old adage about "make hay while the sun shines"? I guess I better take advantage of this dry spell and get my yard-work finished.