September Outlook

September is a great month for transition here in New England. We can get great summer days, that if you didn't know any better, you'd think it was mid July. But as the month moves along, those summery September days become few and far between. By the end of the month, towards October 1st, we will get scenes like this developing all over the great Northern New England, especially over the Green Mountains of northern Vermont, the White Mountains of northern New Hampshire and the mountains of Maine in the northwest portion of the state. Oddly, due to the drought and possibly the few cold nights we experienced last week, I have noticed more colors than usual for late August-early September here in SNE. There are many trees that have already changed to their peak colors, so early, which makes me wonder whether this will be a slow year for fall foliage in New England. If memory serves me right, I believe last year was a fairly good year.

Boston and its Suburbs Averages___________________________________

Boston...September 1st 77/62

Boston...September 30th 68/52

Boston's lowest temperature for September is 34 degrees, set on multiple occaisions. The highest September temperature for Boston is 102 degrees, set on September 7, 1881.

Nearby Suburbs...September 1st 77/55

Nearby Suburbs...September 30th 67/45

For Boston's nearby suburbs, I will use Bedford, MA for reference. Bedford's lowest temperature for September is 26 degrees, set on September 26, 1965. The highest temperature recorded is 95 degrees, set on multiple occaisions. ___________________________________________________________________

So, how is it going to be this September? I am not a big fan of long term forecasting because if I can barely get a five or six day forecast on key, then how in the heck am I going to be able to put out a month outlook. However, there are many resources out there for amateur forecasters like myself. This image is from the NWS Climate Predictions Center. (CPC) It is outlining much cooler than average temperatures for much of the nation east of the Rockies, with the greatest threat for cooler than average weather in the northern Plains through Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, extending the cooler than average air through the Ohio Valley and up towards the Northeastern US and New England. The Southeastern States are blocked from this with above normal temperatures which tells me a Southeast Ridge will be dominant there then next 1.5-2.5 weeks. Where there is cooler than average temperatures, especially in the southern part of the country, you can bet that there is going to be much higher than normal precipiation the next 8-14 days because that is the only way people down there can stay below normal for an extended period of time at this point in the year. The northern part of the country is becoming more prone to cold fronts from Canada that drop temperatures fairly significantly, and they will only become more and more common as the month of September progresses.

Rainfall, here in Southern New England, looks to be getting to around normal, thankfully, as many lawns, including my own are suffering from the extremely dry August we have endured. My front lawn is totally brown and dormant. September will relieve this with more rainfall and cooler days, and dew-y cool nights. There will be a rebirth in your yards by early-mid September before all plants start to get ready for the long winter months in early-mid October.

Enjoy the last days of August 2007, its been a great summer. Looking forward to the autumn and all it will bring.