Been waiting since November 1, 2006 for October to be here.
It arrived at midnight.
So, what am I going to do about it?
I am going to enjoy it to the fullest.
Might take a couple of short trips. Would love to spend a night at Cheaha, DeSoto or Guntersville State Park.
May go prowling one day up Washington Valley in St. Clair County.
Always high on my list is a drive up the beautiful Paint Rock River into some of those deep canyons in NE Alabama. Gotta do something. Haven’t taken an out-of-town trip in a long, long time. The tires on my car are itching to go.
It is my favorite month of the year. Actually, my favorite four weeks of the year extend from October 15 to November 15, because it almost always includes the maximum autumn foliage season for Central Alabama. There is quite a variation. Several years ago we did not get our peak color until the end of November.
How will the color be this year?
Don’t know. The drought has to be a big issue and now we must hope that we don’t get a sudden freeze and cause a brown-out. We need for our night cool spells to come on gradually. We also need a lot of rain, but I do not know if this will help greatly this late in the fourth quarter.
Anyway, let’s take a look at some low temperatures around the state on the first morning of my favorite month. These lows are from all sources.
42 at Belle Mina
44 Ashland, Muscadine
45 Odenville, Hamilton, Rock Mills
46 Meridianville, Cullman Airport, Talladega, Moulton, Owen Crossroads, Russell Cave National Monument
47 Hanceville, Scottsboro, Muscle Shoals
48 Decatur, Pinson, SW Huntsville, Concord/Hueytown, Black Creek, Centreville, Valley Head
49 Crossville, Vinemont, Alabaster (Navajo Pines)
50 Russellville, Collinsville, Alexander City, Bankhead National Forest
51 Anniston, Huntsville, Troy, Tuscaloosa, Livingston
52 Ft. Payne, Clanton
53 Evergreen, Union Grove, Shelby County Airport
54 Albertville
55 Auburn, Birmingham, DeSoto State Park, Guntersville
56 Montgomery
57 Dothan, Selma
60 Mt. Cheaha (skycam)
61 Mobile Regional Airport
65 Gulf Shores (on the beach/skycam)
GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK
37 atop Mt. LeConte
43 Gatlinburg
44 Newfound Gap
USA EXTREMES LAST 24 HOURS
99 Casa Grande, Arizona
23 Alamosa, Colorado
14 Arctic Village, Alaska
