October 2023 was warmer and quite a bit drier than usual, as it ended up being the 8th driest October on record. The temperature was 2.6 degrees above average, while the rainfall was only 0.12″, nearly an inch below average.
All of the rain fell on the first 2 days of the month with some thunderstorms moving through the area. Across the valley, rainfall amounts for those 2 days varied from about 0.05″ to 0.15″. After that, there was no more measurable precipitation in the month, just some sprinkles on the 28th and then a few flurries on the night of the 29th/30th.
The month was notable for periods of warm sunny days, interrupted by a few days of cooler weather as cold fronts passed through on the 3rd, 12th, 24th, and 29th. The first 10 days of the month had highs in the upper 60s to mid 70s and lows in the 30s to mid 40s, with the first widespread frost on the 5th. Temperatures dipped the 12th to the 14th with highs down into upper 50s to mid 60s and lows in the mid 20s to near 30, with the first killing freeze of the season occurring on the 13th with a low of 23 degrees.
This was followed by a long stretch of warm and sunny weather from the 15th to the 23rd, with highs in the mid to upper 70s and lows in the 30s. It then cooled off a bit on the 24th to the 28th as highs dropped in the 60s with lows in the 30s. Finally, a strong cold front moved through the region on the 29th, bringing much colder temperatures for the end of the month as highs fell into the mid 40s to low 50s with lows in the teens to mid 20s.
The warmest high for the month occurred on the 20th with a high of 79 degrees, while the coldest high was 45 degrees on the 30th. The warmest low was 49 degrees on the 1st, while the coldest low was 12 degrees on the 31st.
Wind speeds overall were a little below average for the month, with just 6 days having gusts of 35 mph or higher. The day with the highest average wind speed was on the 12th, while the highest gust of 50 mph occurred on the 2nd with thunderstorms around.
Here are the actual numbers for the month…
Average Temp . . . . 51.1 degrees, +2.6 degrees above average
Average High . . . . . 68.5 degrees, +3.7 degrees above average
Average Low . . . . . 33.8 degrees, +1.5 degrees above average
Total rainfall . . . . . . 0.12 inches, -0.98 inches below average
Total snowfall . . . . . Trace on Oct 29/30
OCT 2023 Daily data
| DATE | HIGH | LOW | MON. DEP. | PCPN | REMARK |
| 1 | 75 | 49 | +6.9 | 0.04″ | |
| 2 | 70 | 46 | +5.0 | 0.08″ | |
| 3 | 64 | 38 | +2.2 | ||
| 4 | 67 | 36 | +1.2 | ||
| 5 | 72 | 32 | +0.8 | ||
| 6 | 75 | 36 | +1.1 | ||
| 7 | 71 | 36 | +1.2 | ||
| 8 | 74 | 37 | +1.5 | ||
| 9 | 74 | 36 | +1.7 | ||
| 10 | 73 | 34 | +1.8 | ||
| 11 | 71 | 36 | +1.8 | ||
| 12 | 57 | 30 | +1.1 | ||
| 13 | 61 | 23 | +0.4 | ||
| 14 | 66 | 29 | +0.3 | ||
| 15 | 71 | 29 | +0.3 | ||
| 16 | 73 | 32 | +0.5 | ||
| 17 | 77 | 35 | +0.9 | ||
| 18 | 76 | 32 | +1.2 | ||
| 19 | 77 | 32 | +1.5 | ||
| 20 | 79 | 36 | +2.0 | ||
| 21 | 78 | 34 | +2.4 | ||
| 22 | 74 | 37 | +2.7 | ||
| 23 | 73 | 38 | +3.1 | ||
| 24 | 65 | 38 | +3.2 | ||
| 25 | 67 | 38 | +3.4 | ||
| 26 | 65 | 37 | +3.5 | ||
| 27 | 65 | 34 | +3.6 | ||
| 28 | 64 | 35 | +3.7 | Trace | |
| 29 | 52 | 29 | +3.4 | Trace | Trace snow |
| 30 | 45 | 21 | +3.0 | Trace | Trace snow |
| 31 | 51 | 12 | +2.6 | ||
| AVGS/ TOTAL | 68.5 | 33.8 | 51.1 | 0.12″ |
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Taos Weather 