Shenandoah National Park, Virginia (Courtesy: Mallory Hughes)
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September has come to a close on a fall-like note with
temperatures cooler than average and highs only near 70° across the DC Metro
Area. This month will finish as the fifth
consecutive drier than average and eighth consecutive warmer than average September in Washington, D.C.
This month’s warmest temperature in Washington, D.C.
was 92° on September 24. That was also
significant since it was DC’s first 90°/+ temperature since August 22. The coolest temperature experienced this month
was on September 10 (53°). This month’s
weather can actually be broken up in two distinct halves in the Nation’s
Capital.
The first half of the month was cooler and wetter than
average for much of the Mid-Atlantic Region.
Twelve of the first thirteen days of September featured cooler than average high temperatures. There was also a
significant amount of rainfall over the first week of the month, with 1.39” at
National Airport through September 6.
More than half fell on September 2 (0.77”), when the high temperature
was only 65°. That was the first time
since September 6, 2011 that a daily high temperature during the first half of
September remained below 70°.
The Mid-Atlantic Region has had a very warm and dry
second half of September. Since 1993,
Washington, D.C. has averaged nearly four days of 90° heat and one day at 95°/+
in September. Washingtonians were near
average in that respect this year with three days of 90°/+ this month, which
didn’t occur until this past week. That
puts this month in a tie for the second highest amount of 90° heat during the
final week of September, behind only September 1881 (6). According to NOAA, DC’s average monthly
temperature (combining daily high and low temperatures) for September finished 1.5° above average.
Washingtonians have had no measurable rain during the
second half of September and that will ensure a monthly total of 1.43” (less
than half the monthly average of 3.72”).
The National Weather Service said this is the first time since 1941 that
no measureable rainfall occurred during the second half of September in
Washington, D.C. NOAA expects a warmer
and drier than average start to October. That means no significant changes should be expected in the short-term from the warm and dry conditions of late September in the DC Metro Area.