Record-breaking weather: Last month was Spokane’s coldest October

Spokane had the coldest October on record last month, with an average temperature of 42.3 degrees.

The record is only slightly less, however, than the normal October average in Spokane, which is 43.1 degrees.

The previous coldest October was in 1905, with an average temperature of 42.8 degrees.

Temperatures dropped to freezing 13 days last month, including on Halloween. Only 12 days in the previous five Octobers hit 32 degrees or less.

Across most of the northern Rockies cold temperatures broke October records, including in Missoula and Butte.

Looking forward over the next week, a high pressure system is expected to keep major weather changes at bay, said meteorologist Laurie Nisbet at the National Weather Service’s Spokane office.

“With the ridge over us for the next week or so, it’s going to be below average precipitation until the end of next week at least,” Nisbet said.

That goes for winds as well, but temperatures will “stay a little bit cool at the beginning of this month,” Nisbet added.

The weather service issued an Air Stagnation Advisory through Tuesday. With little to no wind, there is a poor mixing of the atmosphere, which will allow pollutants to accumulate, according to NWS. Minor impacts to air quality are expected, which could cause problems for individuals with respiratory concerns.

For the whole of November, temperatures are expected to stay in the normal range. The average high temperature for November is 41.6 degrees and the average low is 29.8.