Is this Columbus' nicest October in recorded history?
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Illustration: Maura Losch, Lindsey Bailey/Axios
Columbus is in the midst of a beautiful stretch of weather — and by our calculations, it might be the nicest October we've ever had.
Why it matters: It's your favorite month, with Central Ohioans trick-or-treating, visiting pumpkin patches and attending football games and festivals.
- The near-perfect weather has enhanced all of it.
The big picture: How do you define a "nice" day? Smarter people than us have tried.
- A 2017 Princeton study defines a "pleasant" weather day as a high between 64 and 86 degrees with no more than .04 inches of rain.
- A 2024 MIT study puts the daily mean temperature for "outdoor days" between 50 and 77 degrees.
We'll define "nice" days as those with a high between 65 and 79 and no measurable precipitation.
State of play: Through Monday, we've had 17 days this month that qualify under that definition, per National Weather Service data.
- Our blemishes have been a few rainy days, a few chilly days and a few that were too warm (for some tastes).
By the numbers: That puts us in historic territory.
- Per an Axios analysis of NWS data dating back to 1878, only Octobers in 1897, 1901, 1924 and 2024 appear to have had as many nice days.
- 1924 set the apparent record with a whopping 21 nice days.
Stunning stat: We can beat 1924 this year if every remaining October day is a nice one.
- The forecast is looking pretty great, with sunny days and highs in the 70s.
The drama: We're in for a nail-biter on Halloween night, with a chance of rain in the early hours of the next morning.
Yes, but: This lovely month also serves as a reminder of the way climate change is shifting our weather.
- Per our analysis, the average October high between 1961-2010 was 64.8 degrees, with 3.2 freezing nights.
- Over the last decade, those averages are 67.9 degrees and 0.7 freezing nights.