INDIANAPOLIS – Central Indiana wrapped up October 2025 with persistent warmth and notable dryness, ranking among the state’s warmest and driest Octobers on record. The National Weather Service in Indianapolis reported an average monthly temperature of 59.2°F, which was 3.7° above normal, tying for the 24th warmest October since records began. Rainfall totaled only 1.97 inches, about 1.25 inches below average, marking it as the 60th driest October on record for the city.
According to the Weather Service’s monthly climate summary, highs topped out at 87°F on October 3, while the season’s first freeze arrived on October 24, two days earlier than average. The region saw just two significant rain events, leaving much of central Indiana under expanding drought conditions—especially from Kokomo through the Muncie and Anderson areas, where Extreme Drought (D3) was reported late in the month.
Precipitation deficits extended the ongoing dry streak from August and September, with the three-month total ranking as one of the lowest in over 150 years of recordkeeping. While October’s warmth tied September’s trend for one of the largest monthly temperature surpluses since March, the unseasonable dryness further strained soil moisture and stream levels.
The November 2025 outlook from the Climate Prediction Center calls for above-normal temperatures and near- to below-normal precipitation across the Midwest, offering little immediate relief from drought conditions.
