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Topekans just weathered their chilliest first half of October on record -- by a significant margin.

And more cold air could be in store the rest of this month, says Kyle Poage, meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Topeka.

Poage released a list Saturday of the coolest 15-day periods to begin October the weather service has recorded since it began keeping temperature records in 1885 in Concordia and in 1887 in Topeka.

Poage said the lowest average temperature ever recorded in Topeka for the period of Oct. 1-15 is 49.4 degrees, set this month. Finishing second through fifth were 1949, at 53.2 degrees; 1964 and 1977, at 53.3 degrees each; and 1952, at 53.5 degrees.

The weather service determines average temperatures for specific periods by:

* Adding together the high and low temperatures for a day, then dividing the total by two to come up with the day's average temperature.

* Adding together the average temperature for each day in the time period, then dividing the total by the number of days in that period.

Weather service records show the first 16 days of this month in Topeka were all cooler than average for their particular date, with the city setting records Oct. 11, 12 and 13 for the lowest high temperature recorded on each date.

Poage said the records fell after an Arctic air mass invaded the central Plains early Oct. 10 and combined with periodic reinforcing shots of cold air and persistent cloud cover to create very cool conditions for several days.

"Although temperatures did not get that cold at night, daytime high temperatures were more common of those experienced in late November and early December," he said. "These conditions followed temperatures during the first 10 days of the month that were already somewhat below normal."

Poage also said that outlooks issued Friday by the U.S. Climate Prediction Center indicate temperatures are expected to be cooler than normal in Topeka for the rest of October, including well below normal through Oct. 26. Sunday's forecast calls for sunny skies and a high around 64, which is still below Topeka's average high temperature for Oct. 18 of 68 degrees.

Poage noted that the past three and one-half months have been Topeka's coolest period of July 1 through Oct. 15 since the weather service started keeping records, with recent cold air coming on the heels of a cooler-than-average summer.

Topeka's average temperature between July 1 and Oct. 15 was 68.5 degrees this year, Poage said. Finishing second through fifth on the list of lowest average temperatures for that period were 1889, with an average of 68.6 degrees;1950, with 68.7 degrees; 1967, with 68.9; and 1915, with 69.