October was the wettest it's been in Longview since record-keeping began in 1902, the National Weather Service reported Sunday.

"We came out with Longview at 15.16 inches for October," weather service meteorologist Christian Stapleton said from the Shreveport office. "Second place was 1994 with 14.08 inches. ... October is usually a dry month. We kind of got carried away with ourselves."

Last month's rains boosted Longview's total precipitation beyond what is expected for the year.

Stapleton said total rainfall in Longview so far this year has totaled 50.32 inches. Normally, Longview would experience 39.51 inches of rain through October, and the entire yearly average is 48.93 inches.

"So you're already ahead for the year," he said.

November is not starting like a record-setter for rain, he added.

"You'll get a good seven days of dry, which, we certainly need," he said. "Of course, December becomes one of our more wet months."

Shreveport also topped its October rainfall by six inches, he added. The Louisiana city is experiencing severe flooding in some areas as a result of 57.97 inches thus far in 2009 compared with 42.07 normally by this time of year.