Strong October cold front brings record-chilling temperature drop

ByElyse Smith KTRK logo

Monday, October 30, 2023

Looking at October's record-chilling temperature drop in Houston

Temperatures plummeted within 24 hours on Sunday in southeast Texas. ABC13 Meteorologist Elyse Smith puts October's record cooldown into perspective.

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- On Sunday afternoon, temperatures were in the upper 80s across southeast Texas, with a heat index that made it feel like the low 90s. But all that changed when a strong cold front moved through Sunday evening.

Temperatures plummeted and landed in the 40s Monday morning with a wind chill that made it feel like the upper 30s. While a cool down like this is something Houstonians can expect or look forward to each fall season, this particular temperature drop was pretty significant for more reasons than one.

First, after a record-warm summer and temperatures that were just in the 80s over the weekend, the fast-paced drop cool down might have felt like a shock to the system. And it turns out that this particular 24-hour temperature drop was the largest on record in October for the city of Houston.

Temperatures fell 43 degrees Sunday afternoon to Monday morning, from 89 to 46 degrees. The previous largest temperature drop on record for the city in October, based on observations from Bush Airport, was 35 degrees in 1980, when it fell from 85 degrees to 50 degrees from Oct. 27-28.

How often does El Niño occur? The warm phase of ENSO will last from December 2023 to February 2024 and will cause rainy weather systems in Texas.

Additionally, this cold front will pave the way for a chilly Halloween. Temperatures might only reach the upper 50s Tuesday afternoon. With a high temperature of 59 degrees for Tuesday, that would make this Halloween the fifth coldest on record for Houston, tying that of the holiday in 1949.

The coldest high temperature on record for Halloween in Houston was in 1925, when it only reached 47 degrees that day.

And these below-average temperatures for late October and early November will stick around for much of this week. And with a clearer sky and cold temperatures Tuesday night, temperatures might fall into the upper 30s by Wednesday morning. These conditions could lead to a patchy frost developing north of the city on Wednesday morning.

For more on this story, follow Elyse Smith on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.