From +21 Degrees to Storm Winds: How the Beginning of October Turned Out in Latvia

The average air temperature in Latvia from October 1 to 10 was +11.7 degrees, which is 2.8 degrees above the climatic norm. This is evidenced by data from the Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Center, as reported by LETA. The warmest day of the first decade was October 1, when the air in Ventspils warmed up to +21.6 degrees. The lowest temperature during this period was recorded on October 3 in Daugavpils — +1.6 degrees. Thus, the difference between the maximum and minimum temperatures for the first ten days of the month reached 20 degrees. Despite the warm weather on average across the country, on certain days the temperature was already approaching zero. Precipitation at the beginning of October was noticeably less than usual. On average, Latvia received 14.5 millimeters of rain, which is only 59% of the norm for this period. At the same time, the distribution of precipitation was extremely uneven. In Sigulda, 32.3 millimeters fell over ten days, while in Kalnciems — only 3.3 millimeters. The difference between these two locations was almost tenfold. Despite the relatively dry start to October, soil moisture levels over the monthly period remained within the norm in most areas. Only in the Kraslava region was moderate over-saturation observed. Considering a longer, three-month period, the situation looks different: in many areas of Latvia, moisture levels remained elevated. The most pronounced over-saturation was noted in the Saldus region. This means that the lack of rain in the first days of October has not yet changed the overall picture of moisture that has formed over the previous months. The average relative humidity in the first decade of October reached 87%. The lowest readings were recorded in Liepaja and Ventspils — 82%, while the highest was in Madona — 90%. There were also strong winds. On October 9, gusts of up to 28 meters per second, or almost 101 kilometers per hour, were recorded in Ventspils. Thus, the first decade of October combined unusually high temperatures for this time of year, a lack of precipitation, and isolated episodes of very strong winds.