Snow in October?

October is here.  This allows me more flexibility in saying the word "snow" since technically it has snowed in October. So I take full advantage of this just to see who is paying attention.  The first few mentions of snow invariably invokes painful emotions and memories of winters gone by followed by sharp, poignant responses which run the gamut of colorful adjectives.  Depending on your age, these memories might start with the Blizzard(s) of 1978.  Maybe the Thanksgiving snowstorm of 1950 has a deeper resonance.  Maybe its the Blizzard of 1993 or the grand daddy of all snows: The Lake Effect Event of November of 1996 when Chardon, Ohio received almost 70 inches of snow in a few days.

Bottom line is this: Most people don't particularly like snow.  The level of disdain for frozen precipitation in these parts is on par with other evils of the world.  At least frozen precipitation melts and disappears.

What are the snowiest Octobers in Cleveland history? Here is the list. REMEMBER THAT THESE AMOUNTS ARE TAKEN AT HOPKINS AIRPORT

Here are the daily instances of October snowfall with the date and amount.  The snowiest month was in 1962. The earliest snow was in 2003.  Both are colored in blue.

2008  10/29  0.3"       2003  10/2    0.3"
2001  10/26  1.0"       2000  10/8    0.1"
1993  10/31  0.2"       1981  10/19  3.8"
           10/23  0.2"      1979  10/25  0.2"
1976  10/26  1.5"
           10/27  0.1"     
1974  10/2     0.1"
           10/19  1.4"
1972  10/18   1.4"
           10/19   4.1"

1969  10/22   0.6"     1967   10/28  0.1"
1962  10/25  1.3"
           10/26  6.7"     1957  10/27   2.5"
1954  10/16   0.3"
           10/30   2.0"
           10/31   4.1"     1952  10/20   0.8"
1937  10/24   1.0"      1935  10/4     0.3"
1934  10/27   0.3"
           10/28   0.5"     1932  10/18   0.2"
1925  10/22   0.3"
           10/28   0.7"
           10/30   0.8"   
1909  10/12   0.2"
           10/16   0.4"
1906  10/10   4.2"
           10/11   1.2"
           10/31   0.8"     1905  10/12   0.8"
1895  10/20   0.1"
           10/21   0.2"     1893  10/30   0.2"

Back in 2006, we just missed a MAJOR snow event.  Check out this radar loop from October 12, 2006 when Buffalo received 2 feet of snow in the middle of October. So it can happen...hopefully not this year!