Summary:
- Record-breaking October with more days over 80 degrees for the month in many locations across the west leading to temperatures mostly 2-8 degrees above normal*.
- No rain to speak of until the 21st of the month, resulting in a very dry October for most of the west, except for continued late-season monsoon flow in the southwest, portions of the Rockies, and much of Montana.
- Growing degree-days ended up near average to above average (1991-2020) for wine regions in the west.
- November has turned the page with cold and wet conditions over the western US thanks to the jet stream breaking down the ridge allowing our typical every-other-day systems to dip southward. Temperatures will likely be substantially below average over the next few weeks with early-season snow even down to lower elevations.
- The 90-day forecast is dominated by the influence of the triple-dip La Niña and colder SSTs in the North Pacific. As such forecasts are hinting at the PNW likely to see a cool and wet start to the winter while California and the southern tier of states have an increased probability of warmer than average temperatures and a near average to drier than average first half of winter.
