October stands out on the weather calendar as a relatively tranquil month. For much of our area, it's the driest month of the year, with rainfall averaging between two and a half and three inches.

Another sign of October's weather tranquility is that it can have some rather foggy mornings. Fog is most likely when skies are clear overnight with light winds - how's that for tranquil weather? Those conditions are ideal for fog because they allow the air near the ground to cool rapidly at night - and by month's end, nights will have lengthened to 13 and a half hours. Of course, that means decreasing amounts of daylight and thus lower temperatures. Average highs drop from the low 70s early in October to the low 60s by month's end.

About the only major fly in the October weather ointment are tropical systems. It is still hurricane season, so the door is at least partially open for tropical rains to visit.