PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH
930 AM EDT SAT OCT 1 2011

...SEPTEMBER 2011 WEATHER SUMMARY...

SEPTEMBER 2011 WAS A TRUE TRANSITION FROM SUMMER TO FALL. THE MONTH 
STARTED OFF HOT WITH LOTS OF SUNSHINE AND FINISHED OFF ON THE CHILLY 
SIDE WITH PERIODS OF CLOUDS AT TIMES. A LARGE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OF 
HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE OHIO VALLEY EXTENDED WELL NORTH INTO THE 
GREAT LAKES AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MONTH. MUCH LIKE THE HEAT WAVE 
THE REGION SAW BACK IN JULY...THIS ALLOWED A HOT AIR MASS TO SIT 
OVER THE OHIO VALLEY FOR THE FIRST FEW DAYS OF THE MONTH WITH HIGHS 
GENERALLY IN THE UPPER 90S. IN FACT...SOME LOCATIONS REPORTED HIGH 
TEMPERATURES THAT EXCEEDED ANY TEMPERATURES THEY EXPERIENCED DURING 
THE SUMMER MONTHS. FOR INSTANCE...DAYTON REPORTED A HIGH OF 98 ON 
THE 2ND...AND CINCINNATI HIT THE 100 DEGREE MARK ON THE 3RD. THIS 
WAS THE FIRST TIME CINCINNATI REACHED 100 DEGREES OR HIGHER SINCE 
AUGUST 2007.

A STRONG COLD FRONT BROUGHT NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO 
THE REGION AS IT SWEPT THROUGH ON THE 3RD AND 4TH. THESE STORMS WERE 
ESPECIALLY STRONG ACROSS THE MIAMI VALLEY OF OHIO WHERE THEY 
PRODUCED HEAVY RAINFALL AND KNOCKED DOWN MANY TREES. STORM TOTAL 
RAINFALL AMOUNTS WERE AROUND 4 INCHES IN SOME LOCATIONS. MUCH COOLER 
TEMPERATURES SETTLED INTO THE REGION BEHIND THE FRONT WITH HIGHS 
ONLY IN THE 60S AND 70S FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS...ABOUT 30 DEGREES 
COOLER THAN THEY WERE JUST A FEW DAYS PRIOR.

TEMPERATURES REBOUNDED INTO THE 80S FOR A COUPLE DAYS IN THE MIDDLE 
OF SEPTEMBER...BUT THE LATTER HALF OF THE MONTH WAS GENERALLY COOL WITH 
PLENTY OF CLOUDS. WEATHER PATTERNS DURING THE LAST WEEK OR SO OF THE 
MONTH WERE DOMINATED BY A PERSISTENT UPPER LEVEL LOW THAT WAS SLOW 
TO MOVE OUT OF THE REGION. THIS SYSTEM BROUGHT CLOUDY AND RAINY 
WEATHER TO THE OHIO VALLEY AND KEPT TEMPERATURES ON THE COOL SIDE. A 
COLD FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SYSTEM BROUGHT COPIOUS RAINFALL TO 
WESTERN OHIO FROM LATE EVENING ON THE 25TH INTO THE MORNING HOURS ON 
THE 26TH. RAINFALL TOTALS OF 2 TO 5 INCHES WERE COMMON FROM WEST 
CENTRAL OHIO TO THE TRI-STATE AREA...AND A FEW LOCATIONS EVEN 
REPORTED UP TO 6 INCHES OF RAIN. THIS HEAVY RAIN RESULTED IN SOME 
FLOODING ACROSS THE AREA...STRANDING CARS AND FILLING MANY 
BASEMENTS. 

DESPITE THE HEAT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MONTH...AVERAGE MONTHLY 
TEMPERATURES FOR SEPTEMBER 2011 FINISHED A LITTLE BELOW NORMAL:

              SEPTEMBER AVG TEMP / DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL 
CINCINNATI            65.4       /        -2.2
COLUMBUS              65.6       /        -1.2
DAYTON                63.6       /        -1.8

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PRECIPITATION TOTALS FOR THE MONTH WERE WELL ABOVE AVERAGE ACROSS 
THE AREA. IN FACT...IT WAS THE WETTEST SEPTEMBER ON RECORD FOR 
DAYTON...THE FOURTH WETTEST FOR CINCINNATI...AND THE FOURTH WETTEST  
FOR COLUMBUS. 

              SEPTEMBER PRECIP / DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL 
CINCINNATI            7.51     /          4.88
COLUMBUS              6.55     /          3.71
DAYTON               10.84     /          7.71

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TOP 10 WETTEST SEPTEMBERS ON RECORD (INCHES)

    CINCINNATI            COLUMBUS              DAYTON
 1. 8.61 / 1979       1. 7.13 / 1890       1. 10.84 / 2011*
 2. 8.25 / 1950       2. 6.86 / 2003       2.  7.37 / 2005
 3. 7.52 / 1911       3. 6.76 / 1979       3.  6.87 / 1996   
 4. 7.51 / 2011*      4. 6.55 / 2011*      4.  6.47 / 1925   
 5. 6.56 / 1971       5. 6.18 / 1965       5.  6.26 / 1926   
 6. 6.21 / 2006       6. 5.98 / 1911       6.  6.02 / 1896   
 7. 6.06 / 1965       7. 5.93 / 1896       7.  5.90 / 1916   
 8. 5.96 / 1972       8. 5.77 / 1926       8.  5.74 / 2002   
 9. 5.65 / 1915       9. 5.50 / 1996       9.  5.69 / 1965 
10. 5.41 / 1996      10. 5.46 / 1975      10.  5.66 / 1989

*********************************************************************

A FINAL IMPRESSIVE STATISTIC THAT SEPTEMBER 2011 WILL GO DOWN IN 
HISTORY FOR IS THAT WITH 10.84 INCHES OF RAIN...THIS MONTH RANKED AS 
THE THIRD WETTEST CALENDAR MONTH EVER ON RECORD FOR DAYTON:

TOP 10 WETTEST CALENDAR MONTHS ON RECORD FOR DAYTON (INCHES)

 1.  JAN 1937 / 12.41
 2.  JUN 1958 / 10.89
 3.  SEP 2011 / 10.84*
 4.  DEC 1990 / 10.04
 5.  JAN 1950 /  9.86                 
 6.  JUN 1980 /  9.54
 7.  JAN 2005 /  9.22
 8.  APR 1996 /  9.20
 9.  JUN 1903 /  9.09
10.  MAY 1995 /  9.05

$$

KURZ