Monthly national temperatures were +3.7°F warmer than last year taking the month from the 31st coldest in 113 years last year, to the 8th warmest in history this year.  Three of five weeks ranked as the warmest in at least 15 years with only the 9th – 15th showing a predominantly cold/wet pattern. The weekend of the 15th-16th brought over 304 record low temperatures to the nation, especially in the Great Lakes and Northeast.  This was by far the best weekend for cold weather categories and two of only six days during the entire 35 day period to trend colder than last year. The chart (attached) demonstrates a day-by-day summary of how this September compared to last year.  The Pacific Northwest had the best conditions for cold/wet weather category demand.
Precipitation was 16% drier than a year ago for the nation as a whole taking the month from the 37th wettest last year to 21st driest in 113 years this year.  The wettest conditions occurred in Florida, the South Central U.S. and especially the Pacific Northwest.