Warmest September on record; Carolina’s epic floods
How do you cap off an "ultra glorious" summer in Minnesota? With the warmest September on record, of course.
The final tally shows temperatures in September ran nearly 6 degrees warmer than average across Minnesota. That makes last month the warmest September on record statewide in 120 years of record keeping.
Here's more on the unprecedented run of September warmth from the Minnesota State Climatology Office.
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For those who chose to do outdoor activities in the fall, September cooperated for the most part with the warmest September on record statewide.
September 2015 was the warmest September on record for the State of Minnesota for records going back to 1895. The preliminary statewide average temperature was 65.1 degrees or 5.8 degrees above the 1981-2010 normal. The old record was 63.0 degrees in September 1897. The warm September was mainly driven by warm overnight minimum temperatures.
The overall weather pattern for September was summer-like with wind patterns favoring warm moist air from the south and few Canadian cold fronts. Fall penology for leaf color seems to be delayed about a week.
Below is a table showing how individual cities ranked for average temperatures in September 2015.
City Ave Dep from Rank
Temp Normal
--------------------------------------
Twin Cities 67.9 +5.9 4th warmest
St. Cloud 64.8 +6.2 4th warmest
Duluth 61.5 +5.9 warmest
Int. Falls 59.0 +5.4 5th warmest
Rochester 66.2 +5.3 2nd warmest
La Crosse 69.3 +6.5 warmest
Sioux Falls 67.1 +5.8 3rd warmest (tie)
Fargo 65.6 +6.5 warmest
Frost progressing south
Last week's frost nipped at the north and east metro. But most of the metro core and southern Minnesota is still frost free so far. Here's a look at the progress of the first 32 degree temp from the Midwestern Regional Climate Center.
[image]
Fall colors responding
The warm September has delayed and possibly prolonged the annual fall color show. Last week's cool snap helped accelerate color progression across Minnesota. Colors around the metro are popping now.
Forecast: Milder days ahead
This week should run about 5 to 8 degrees warmer than last week in most areas.
South Carolina: Epic floods
It's called an atmospheric river. The result is new rivers on land that reach epic proportions.
A unique set up has produced a thousand year rainfall event across South Carolina. Joaquin may have escaped to sea, but he left behind a plume of tropical moisture tapped by a stalled upper low that dumped 10 to 20 inch rainfall totals across South Carolina.
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
555 PM EDT SUN OCT 4 2015
...SEVERAL RAINFALL RECORDS SET AT CHARLESTON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AND DOWNTOWN CHARLESTON...
CHARLESTON AIRPORT RAINFALL RECORDS
GREATEST 1-DAY RAINFALL.....11.50 INCHES SET ON OCTOBER 3 2015 -OLD 1-DAY RAINFALL RECORD...10.52 INCHES SET ON SEPTEMBER 21 1998
GREATEST 2-DAY RAINFALL.....13.11 INCHES SET ON OCTOBER 2-3 2015- OLD 2-DAY RAINFALL RECORD...11.10 INCHES SET ON JUNE 10-11 1973
GREATEST 3-DAY RAINFALL.....14.48 INCHES SET ON OCTOBER 1-3 2015 -OLD 3-DAY RAINFALL RECORD...11.95 INCHES SET ON JUNE 9-11 1973
GREATEST MONTHLY OCTOBER RAINFALL..16.01 INCHES THROUGH 5 PM TODAY OLD MONTHLY OCTOBER RAINFALL.......12.11 INCHES SET IN 1994 DOWNTOWN CHARLESTON RAINFALL RECORD
GREATEST 3-DAY RAINFALL.....13.80 INCHES SET ON OCTOBER 1-3 2015-OLD 3-DAY RAINFALL RECORD...12.39 INCHES SET ON JUNE 9-11 1973
GREATEST MONTHLY OCTOBER RAINFALL..14.25 INCHES THROUGH 430 AM