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Welcome to Meteorological Fall!

Posted on by Slim

With the end of meteorological summer, it now time to turn our attention to September and the start of fall. Here in Grand Rapids the mean average temperature for September is 62.6° The hottest it has been here in Grand Rapids in September was 98° on September 16th 1899 and September 2nd 1913 it also has been 97° in 1954 and 1939 and a 96° was recorded last year and in 1960. We went to a Tigers game on September 2nd 2011 and the official high in Detroit that day was 98° but on my car and on the banks there was a reading of 101 (my car) and 103 on several banks. The all-time record coldest maximum temperature in September was a chilly 43° and that was on September 28 1912 and once again on September 29th 1967. A trace of snow was reported on the 1967 date. The all-time record low for September is 27° on September 28th 1991. The last three Septembers have been very warm with 2015 coming in at 67.2° good for number 6 last year mean of 66.5° was good for the 10th warmest September in GR history. And 2016’s mean of 66.3° good for the 11th warmest. Last year Grand Rapids had a long heat wave that started on September 21st and lasted 7 days with highs of 87,95,95,96,94,91 and 92. The coolest low of 41° was on the 30th .
Here is a list of some of the warmest Septembers in Grand Rapids history
1. 69.0 1931
2. 68.1 1908
3. 68.1 1933
4. 67.9 1921
5. 67.5 1906
6. 67.2 2015
7. 67.2 1927
8. 67.0 1961
9. 66.6 2005
10. 66.5 2017
11. 66.3 2016
The coolest Septembers here in Grand Rapids
1. 56.2 1918
2. 56.4 1974
3. 56.5 1993
4. 58.1 1949
5. 58.3 1943
6. 58.3 1924
7. 58.9 1902
8. 59.5 1951
9. 51.5 1956
10. 59.6 1957
For the meteorological fall season as a whole
Average (1981-2010) 51.3°
The warmest 57.5° in 1931
The coldest 45.8° in 1976
The wettest 17.68 in 1988 (after a hot and dry summer)
The driest 2.59” in 1956 (September only had 0.68” with 0.33 of that on the last day and then October 1956 only seen 0.39” BUT those were NOT the record least for either month as the record for September is just a trace in 1979 and for October its just 0.03” is 1952 so there have been some real dry fall months in the past.)
As for snow fall on average Grand Rapids sees 7.3” for the fall season September/November
The most snow fall for the fall season was 28.6” way back in 1895
And the least was just a trace set in several different years.
On average the first 32° temperature around October 13th with the earliest having been September 3rd 1946 and the latest November 14th 1918 as for a hard freeze (28°) the average date is October 28th the earliest being September 23rd 1974 and the latest being November 29th 1948. As for snowfall the average date of our first 1” snow is November 19th the earliest one inch snow happened on October 12th 2006 and the latest was on December 23rd 2011. As for the 3” mark the average is December 5th the earliest was October 19th 1989 and the latest was March 16th 1949 (for the winter of 45/49 a winter were Grand Rapids only recorded 33.2” of snow that is my kind of winter LOL)
So now its time to see how the fall of 2018 will play out.
Added afterthought
With the end of meteorological summer already passed its time to see the mean and last date of the days for the last of the summer like temperatures.
1. 90° mean last day August 22nd latest September 29, 1953
2. 89° mean last day August 29th latest October 1, 1897
3. 88° mean last day September 2nd latest October, 8 2007
4. 87° mean last day September 6th latest October, 13 1975
5. 86° mean last day September 9th latest October, 13 1975
6. 85° mean last day September 14th latest October, 21 1953
7. 84° mean last day September 18th latest October 21, 1953
8. 83° mean last day September 21st latest October 23, 1963
9. 82° mean last day September 26th latest October 23, 1963
10. 81° mean last day September 27th latest November 1, 1950
11. 80° mean last day September 29th latest November 1, 1950
12. 80° mean first day April 30th latest first day June 12, 1924
As you can see we have about one month left when the temperature can reach into the 90’s and in most years we have days that will reach into the 80’s in September but fall off very rapidly as we head deeper into the month. And after September we can have a very long time before we see 80° again in the spring/summer so get out and enjoy what is left this year. (unless you are planning a trip down south this winter LOL)

As for the met summer of 2018. At Grand Rapids June had a mean temperature of 69.9° that was +1.5° above average. The high for the month was 94° and the low was 48° there were 4 days of 90° or better. And just 2.50” of rain that was -127” below average. This past June was the 30th warmest in recorded history at Grand Rapids. For July the mean was 74.4° that was +1.9° above average. The high for the month was 94° and the low was 54° there were 8 days of 90° or better. There was 2.30” of rain at the airport (much less here at my house) and that official total was -1.48” below average. July 2018 was the 21st warmest July on record here in Grand Rapids. August with one more day to go the mean is 73.6° and that is good for +2.7° the high for the month was 91° and the low was 52° there were just 3 days of 90° or better. The rain fall at GRR for the month is 6.61” and that is +3.15” above average. 2018 should end up being the 12th warmest on record at GR. So far this warm season Grand Rapids has had 18 days of 90° or better while this is well above the average of 9 it is still well below the record of 37. On a monthly bases May with 3 came in at the number 4 spot.

Slim

Slim

Category: Michigan Weather Forecast, Slim

47 thoughts on “Welcome to Meteorological Fall!”

  1. Weird that the NWS added us to the flood watch. There is nothing on the radar to the west.

    1. Here as well. Just got done working 14 hours in a sweat box, yuck. 4 straight months of this now with nothing but a day or 2 break here and there.

  4. Sirens still going off in Allegan and Otsego – this has to do with the latest protocols during warnings within a county.

    1. This just stunned me – we were in Plainwell to get dog food at 5 PM; ate at the Old Mill; had dessert at Dean’s Ice Cream and sat and watched the river flow by; then drove home on Marsh. Had lovely weather the whole time, and have been home 20 minutes and have a tornado warning now?!

  12. Windy and just started to rain, but not heavily. Two or three rumbles of thunder is all.

    1. 82° with a dew point of 71° before the shower moved through. Another warm and sticky day.

  14. This will be a bit long, but does anyone know why or when some people switched to meteorological seasons? I realize there are people on both sides, some go by actual Earth positioning seasons, others by meteorological seasons. I am quite well read and always been fascinated by space, other planets, the universe, etc., and we are not far from landing people on Mars. Now when you talk about weather on any other planet, seasons are always dictated by the planets position in its orbit, axis tilt, and so on. Would that not also be the proper way here on Earth? The solstices and equinoxes dictate the seasons, not a man made meteorological season. Obviously on Mars, our calendar would not work so well since the orbit is more than our year. Does that mean we now have to make up a calendar for each planet in order to achieve meteorological seasons? When viewed this way, it doesn’t make much sense. Not trying to start a raging debate, just something to think about.

    1. Well Barry one of the reasons for meteorological seasons is for record keeping. I guess if the calendar was made so that each year started on the winter solstice or better yet the spring equinox then the seasons would line up much better. As for weather on other planets in our solar system the tile ranges from 0° for Mercury to 177.4° for Venus. The only planets that would have “seasons” as we relate to them here on Earth would be Mars 24° Saturn 26.7° and Neptune 29.6° Remember even here on Earth the seasons are only notable from around 23N to around 70N and 23S to 70S in the tropics the seasons are more likely a wet hot season or a dry cooler one. (good thing Mookie and Rocky were not born there) and any place beyond 70° is mostly cold all year round. And would be a dark and light season. But generally the meteorological seasons are for better record keeping and in our area there is a noticeable change around December, March, June and September.
      Slim

      1. Makes sense. It will be interesting to watch what happens as we move to Mars. There is weather and seasons on Mars, just not as pronounced as here on Earth.

  15. It is dark and wet with a temperature here of 72° The high at my house so far today has been 77°
    Slim

  16. 11th warmest August on record some would of thought #1 from the everyday how hot is outside post this month!! On that thought we welcome Fall to west Michigan best time of the year… Have a great Saturday!! INDYDOG14!!

    1. Yup, one of the hottest August’s in our lifetime, unless you are 90 or 100 years old and experienced them years ago.

      1. That’s about how hot some comments get on here during the summer from the same people Barry … Lol!! INDYDOG14!!

        1. Balances out the ones that post continually when it is below normal, which has not happened much now for several years.

      2. a lot depends on how old your are but August 2010 and 1995 were warmer and 2016 was just as warm. And 1988 is not that far behind. But yes this was one of the warmest on record.
        Slim

          2. How is having a month end up in the top 10% of recorded history hype? That would be called fact. You of everyone should know that.

  17. The final numbers are now in for August 2018. The mean temperature was 73.5 (+2.7°) Total rain fall was 6.61 this will go down as the 11th warmest August of recorded history here at Grand Rapids.
    For the meteorological summer, the mean temperature was 72.6° the average is 70.6° so this summer was +2.0°
    Slim

  19. Very warm and humid overnight to start out September. And the looooong stretch of above average temps continues. How many years will this last?

    1. I agree! I’m so ready for some cooler, drier air to stick around longer than a day or so, just teasing us…. 🙂

  20. We have a large area of rain to the west – NWS says Thunderstorms are expected by afternoon with the main threats being heavy rain, lightning and gusty winds. If the rain to the west holds together we should see it move into SW Michigan and the lakeshore by late morning – this may be the beginning of a wet pattern which will hold on well into next week with on and off showers and storms though the whole weekend won’t be a washout. It may not be pleasant though if you are camping in a tent – been there, always plant your tent on higher ground if possible and be prepared for the worse….

    1. And try to stay away from trees – the electrified “splash zone” from a lightning strike on a tree can extend 20′ or so

    1. It’s September, and the average highs are in the 70s. 80s are warm, if not considered hot. 90s would be incredible.

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