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Northeast Regional Climate Center |
September temperatures varied quite a bit across the Northeast but were above normal in general. The average for all 12 states was 61.5 degrees, 1.3 degrees above normal. The northernmost state, Maine, was also the most abnormally warm state this month with a temperature departure of 3.2 degrees. New England as a whole was around 2 degrees above normal on the month. Moving south, the warm weather was not as extreme. New York and New Jersey were less than 2 degrees above normal. Further south the trend towards less extreme temperature departures continued with Pennsylvania and Maryland very close to normal on the month. And the southernmost state, West Virginia, completed the pattern with a significantly below normal September temperature. This was the third warm September in a row for the Northeast but 2.0 degrees cooler than last year.
For the second month in a row the region received ample rainfall, although considerably more this month than in August. Even Maine, which has been feeling the effects of a long-term rain shortage, was above it's normal dosage. Still, Maine hasn't had a month with over 115% of its normal rainfall in almost a year and a half. Maryland, Pennsylvania and Connecticut all measured over 7 inches of rain, largely due to Hurricane Isabel which came on shore in North Carolina and brought heavy rain to coastal areas. For all three states this was one of the tenth rainiest September on record. While rain totals in Connecticut from Isabel are impressive, it's interesting to note that the 2003 total of 7.87 inches falls more than 6 inches short of the record set in 1938 when the Great New England Hurricane made landfall. Pennsylvania and Maryland were much closer to setting records. With rainfall totals more than 3 inches above normal, both states were within a half inch of their respective record amounts for September. This month was the second wettest September for Pennsylvania. West Virginia measures in at a less impressive 6.76 inches but this was enough to set a new record for September rain in that state. The new record still lies far beneath records in the other Northeast states which have the benefit of tropical rains in September. The rest of the Northeast was on the wet side, although not as drastically. Eight of 12 states were more than an inch above normal and the remaining four were all in New England. For the region as a whole this was the wettest of any month since September 1999 and the fifth wettest September on record.
Monthly Summary of State Temperature and Precipitation Averages.
