September — In like summer, out like winter
By Nelson Daily Staff
September 2019 was a month that began like summer but concluded like winter, Ron Lakeman Meteorologist for the Southeast Fire Centre said in the monthly weather synopsis.
Lakeman said warm weather, busting out to a high of 32.2 C on the first day of September, dropped to a chilling 0.2 C in the early morning of September 30th.
Dominating the middle of September was cool, wet weather.
“An upper ridge of high pressure allowed for dry, mainly sunny and very warm conditions during the initial five days of the month,” Lakeman explained.
“Cooler and frequently showery conditions prevailed between Sept. 6 and Sept. 26 as a near continuous series of Pacific disturbances pushed across southern BC.”
Lakeman said there was a record maximum 19 days in which a measurable amount of rain fell this month.
He added the previous maximum was 17 days in 1997, the normal number of days with rain during September is 8.
“The most significant rainfall was the 12.0 millimetres which fell on Sept. 15,” Lakeman said.
“The total monthly rainfall was 57.4 mm, which is 35% greater than normal.”
The surprise to many came last week when a highly modified Arctic airmass which gradually seeped west of Alberta in combination with an upper low pressure centred south of the Canada/USA border resulted in unseasonably cold temperatures, significant wind at times and a very low snow level, reserved for highway passes, the night of Sept. 27 through the weekend.
“New record daily minimum average temperatures of 5.5 C and 4.6 C were set on September 29th and September 30th, respectively,” he said.
“The initial frost of the season occurred in many areas during the early morning of September 30th, the local temperature dropped to 0.2 C.”
Environment Canada said temperatures are returning to normal for the early part of fall, with highs in the mid-teens.
The Farmer’s Almanac predicts Southeast Interior of BC to experience mild weather in October with temperature ranging around 10 C, 1 degree above normal and precipitation of 70 mm, 30 mm below average.
