October 2020 Weather Statistics

October was generally warmer than normal when temperatures for the entire month were averaged. But that average gives no indication of the extremes.
October precipitation departureOctober temperature anomaly
As in September, precipitation was below normal.
From the 1st through the 9th, the ridge kept temperatures around 10 degrees above normal. As in September, smoke and haze kept highs from achieving their full potential.
On the 2nd, the high of 87 at Ontario tied their record for the date. And on the 3rd, the high of 87 at Burns set a new record for the date. On the 4th, the high of 85 at Twin Falls set a new daily record.
On the 10th, strong westerly flow aloft flattened the ridge as it carried a cold front inland from the northwest coast. As it crossed southeast Oregon and southwest Idaho, the front routed the smoke as it pushed east. Rain which followed the front washed out most of the remaining aerosols.

Seasonable temperatures followed the front, but an impending major pattern change would bring an early taste of winter.
The high pressure ridge, which had provided summer-like temperatures early in the month, shifted west off the coast and expanded north toward Alaska, resulting in northerly flow aloft over the Intermountain Region.
The first cold front from Canada crossed our area on the 21st. By sunrise on the 22nd, temperatures had dropped below 32, the first freezing readings of the season at many lower valley locations. An even stronger cold front followed on the 24th, delivering an early season blast of Arctic air from northwest Canada.
On the 25th, record lows for the date were set at Jerome and Twin Falls, with 22 and 15 respectively.
The low of 17 at Boise on the 26th set a new record for the date. The temperature dropped to a frigid 3 above at Burns, setting a new record. It was 10 above at McCall, tying their record for the date. The 10 above at Mountain Home set a new record. The 16 at both Jerome and Twin Falls broke their old records.
It is interesting to note that just last year a nearly identical late October weather pattern also resulted in record lows, along with some light snow in the lower valleys.
The high pressure ridge began to drift back over the western U.S. on the 27th, bringing a warming trend.
The 71 at Burns on the 30th set a new record.