Watts Up With That?
Commentary on puzzling things in life, nature, science, technology, and recent news by Anthony Watts

BOB ZELLAR/Gazette Staff

Vehicles drive through the snow and slush Highway 3 between Zimmerman Trail and the airport Friday October 10, 2008.

Here in Northern California, we are getting some much earlier than normal cold weather. As you can see on my Bidwell Ranch Weather Station, we got into the 30’s last night, not a record, but darned early for fall weather here:

Russ Steele reports on his Nevada County Watch blog that his first freeze came last night, about a month early. Also a hat tip to him for alerting me to this story.
Pamela Gray in comments points out this record report from the NWS:

00SXUS76 KPDT 111801RERPDT

RECORD EVENT REPORTNATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR1100 AM PDT SAT OCT 11 2008…NEW DAILY RECORD LOW TEMPERATURES FOR OCTOBER 11TH…
NOTE: STATIONS MARKED WITH * INDICATE THAT THE STATION REPORTS ONCEPER DAY. FOR CONSISTENCY…THESE VALUES ARE CONSIDERED TO HAVEOCCURRED ON THE DAY THE OBSERVATION WAS TAKEN BUT MAY HAVE ACTUALLYOCCURRED (ESPECIALLY FOR MAX TEMPERATURE) ON THE PREVIOUS DAY.

STATION PREVIOUS NEW RECORDSRECORD/YEAR RECORD BEGAN
*JOHN DAY(CITY), OR 23 / 1990 21 1953MEACHAM, OR 20 / 2002 15 1948 :SINCE MID*MITCHELL, OR 26 / 2002 21 1949PENDLETON(ARPT), OR 33 / 1990 25 1934 :SINCE MID*PENDLETON(CITY), OR 24 / 1890 22 1890*PENDLETON(ES), OR 23 / 1990 18 1956WALLA WALLA, WA 35 / 1987 33 1949 :SINCE MID

Harbinger of a colder than normal winter perhaps.