SEATTLE — Seattle just wrapped up an unusually cool September, the coldest September here since 2007, with an average temperature of 60.4 degrees, more than 2 degrees below normal.
Despite the cool weather, we didn’t have much rain. In fact, Seattle had just 80 days with measurable rain through the first nine months of the year. That’s a record low, beating the old record of 82 days set last year and in 1979. Normally, we’d have about 105 rainy days by this point.
October is starting out dry as well. We’re looking at several more dry and mild days this week before our next potential rain arrives Friday into Saturday.
So how long can the October dry spell last? The record is 23 consecutive dry days, set in 1986. And October can go either way: Seattle’s driest October brought just 0.31 inches of rain in 1987, while the wettest dumped more than 10 inches in 2016.
So, for now, enjoy the sunshine. We’re starting October on the dry side, but historically, this is a month that can change pretty quickly.