Record-setting September hot, dry

WATERLOO REGION — September was hot and dry in Waterloo Region, setting records.

Fifteen days were above 25 C between the 12th and 26th — the longest streak of warm days since weather records began here more than a century ago, and beating the previous record of 13 in 1947, according to the monthly report from the University of Waterloo weather station.

Five days in a row were above 30 C, a rare occurrence that last happened in 1952.

The high temperature on the 24th of 32.2 C was the highest seen that late in the year since Sept. 24, 1931 when it reached 32.8 C.

The overall temperature was almost three degrees above average, despite the cool start during the first week.

This September follows a string of above-average temperatures in the month. No other month has seen more consistently above-average temperatures, and there has not been one in the below-average range in the past 20 years of data. Only once was it even slightly below average by 0.1 degrees in 2006.

The month was also very dry with only 38 millimetres of precipitation, compared to the average of 87.8 mm. Half the total fell during the first four days.

The dry month puts the total precipitation for the year at 813.4 mm, which is still well above but closer to the average of 683.5 mm than it was at the end of August.