Special Weather Extremes for October

As the arctic air continued to spread southward on October 8, 2000, it continued to set impressive records all the way to the Mexican border. Just before midnight on October 7, the temperature dropped to 55° F at the Brownsville Airport. This tied the record low for October 7th set in 1915. Continuing after midnight, the 55° F also set a record low high for October 8th. The old record low high was 67°F set in 1967. The new record of 55°F for October 8th was also the coldest maximum ever for so early in the season. Later, just before midnight of October 8th, the temperature fell to 45° F, setting a new record low minimum temperature for the date and a new record for the coldest temperature ever for so early in the season. It was also the earliest the temperature had ever plunged into the 40's.

Phenomenally cool record low maximum temperatures continued to be set in Central and South Texas on October 9, 2000 for the third day in row. The temperature at Del Rio, TX only reached a maximum of 44° F, breaking the previous lowest maximum for the date of 70° F set in 1970; thus breaking the daily record by 26° ! (This was also 40 degrees below the normal daily maximum temperature for the date.) It also set a new record for the coldest low maximum of record for any calendar day in October for Del Rio. Similarly, the temperature at Brownsville, TX only reached 50° F, breaking the previous lowest maximum for the date of 68 degrees set in 1994. It also set a new record for the coldest low maximum temperature of record for any calendar day in October, breaking the previous lowest maximum temperature for the month of 52° F set on October 30, 1925.

At other locations, the temperature at San Antonio only reached 46° F, breaking the previous coolest maximum for this date of 70° F, set in 1900. At Corpus Christi the afternoon high temperature only reached 47° F establishing a new daily record low maximum, the previous maximum being 65° F in 1900.