CHAMPAIGN — October 2012 was cooler and wetter than normal, according to Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign.

The statewide average temperature was 52.2 degrees, 1.9 degrees below normal. Most of the state reached lows of 32 degrees, and much of central and northern Illinois were down to 28 degrees or colder, signaling the end of the growing season for most outdoor plants.

The statewide average precipitation was 3.9 inches, 0.7 inches above normal. The wettest area of the state was between Quincy and Champaign where precipitation totals ranged from 4 to 7 inches.