October's Weather Can Hold Surprises

MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Now that it's October there are some things you might not have known about the 10th month of the year.

For example, October is a bad month for tornadoes, floods and land falling hurricanes here in South Florida.

While its widely thought that the "peak" of hurricane season is September 10th, that's "not" the case here in South Florida. We've been hit by 19 hurricanes in the month of October since 1865, that's the most of any month, according to CBS4 meteorologist John Gerard.

You might remember some of these names King (1950), Irene (1999) and Wilma (2005). They all hit in October.

Watch Meteorologist John Gerard's Report

We've also had some significant flooding events in October as recently as 2001, 2008, 2010 and 2011. More than a foot of rain fell from these storms which flooded parts of South Florida. And it was the middle of October back in 2011, when a tornado with 135 mile per hour winds, ripped through Sunrise, and Plantation, damaging homes and businesses.

October is a month of temperature extremes too. The record low for the month is 44 degrees set on October 24, 1923. The hottest October day ever was on October 9, 2000 when South Florida reached a sizzling 98 degrees.

Seasonal high tides and the pull of the moon tends to make high tides extra high in October, which has caused flooding along the coast in places like Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale. The highest high tide of the year called the "King Tide" comes up on October 9th.

Speaking of the moon, don't forget about the lunar eclipse and the next "Blood Moon" which occurs during the early morning of October 8th.

So even though a welcome change of seasons is almost here, October can also be a dangerous month and you cannot let your guard down.

Here at CBS4, our expert team of experienced meteorologists have been here a long time and we'll always help keep you and your family prepared, and safe! And remember, if you're tired of the heat and humidity our first big cold front is coming soon!

John Gerard, CBS4 Weather Control

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