Climatological Report (Monthly)
Issued by NWS Buffalo, NY
Issued by NWS Buffalo, NY
750
CXUS51 KBUF 030135
CLMBUF
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
1002 AM EDT THU OCT 01 2026
...................................
...THE BUFFALO NY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER 2026...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD: 1991 TO 2020
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1871 TO 2026
WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S
VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S)
NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
HIGH 98 09/03/1953
LOW 32 09/30/1991
09/24/1963
09/28/1957
HIGHEST 84 09/01 85 09/21
LOWEST 42 09/25 46 09/08
AVG. MAXIMUM 73.3 72.3 1.0 76.0
AVG. MINIMUM 56.3 54.5 1.8 54.6
MEAN 64.8 63.4 1.4 65.3
DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.3 -0.3 0
DAYS MAX <= 32 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MIN <= 32 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MIN <= 0 0 0.0 0.0 0
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 8.99 1977
MINIMUM 0.31 1897
TOTALS 3.41 4.10 -0.69 1.33
DAYS >= .01 7 7
DAYS >= .10 3 4
DAYS >= .50 1 1
DAYS >= 1.00 1 0
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 3.04 09/03 TO 09/03 0.67 09/24 TO 09/25
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL T 1956
TOTALS 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
SINCE 7/1 0.0 0.0 0.0
SNOWDEPTH AVG. 0 0
DAYS >= 1.0 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS >= 0.1 0 0
GREATEST
SNOW DEPTH 0 0 MM
24 HR TOTAL MM
DEGREE DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 79 114 -35 31
SINCE 7/1 87 134 -47 MM
COOLING TOTAL 80 66 14 47
SINCE 1/1 648 601 47 MM
................................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 7.2
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 32/290
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 46/290 DATE 09/02
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 5
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 12
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 11
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 73
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 3 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 2 RAIN 2
LIGHT RAIN 13 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 0 SNOW 0
LIGHT SNOW 0 SLEET 0
FOG 8 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 1
HAZE 1
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
&&
... WILD START, THEN QUIET END TO SEPTEMBER ...
A VERY WARM AND INCREASINGLY HUMID AIRMASS BEGAN THE MONTH OF
SEPTEMBER, WHICH FUELED THE GREATEST CONVECTIVE EVENT OF THIS SUMMER
SEASON ON THE 2ND OF THE MONTH, WITH 6 CONFIRMED TORNADOES ACROSS
WESTERN NEW YORK, WITH THE FOLLOWING DAY PRODUCING A UNIQUE NARROW
BAND OF HEAVY RAIN THAT BROUGHT ONE OF THE GREATEST ONE-DAY
PRECIPITATION EVENTS TO THE METRO BUFFALO REGION. THEREAFTER,
RELATIVELY TYPICAL EARLY AUTUMN CONDITIONS PREVAILED, WITH THE FINAL
DAYS OF THE MONTH SHROUDED IN CLOUDS FROM A NEARBY NOR`EASTER.
THE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER AVERAGED 1.5F ABOVE
NORMAL, FINISHING THE MONTH AT 64.9F. THERE WERE 18 DAYS ABOVE
NORMAL, WHILE 12 DAYS FINISHED BELOW NORMAL, INCLUDING A STRETCH
FROM THE 19TH TO THE 26TH. THE WARMEST TEMPERATURE OCCURRED ON THE
1ST DAY OF THE MONTH, WITH A MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 84F. THE
COOLEST TEMPERATURE OF 42F OCCURRED ON THE 25TH. THERE WERE NO
RECORDS ESTABLISHED THIS MONTH, AND THE 19 DAYS REACHING 70F OR
GREATER ARE EXACTLY NORMAL FOR AIRPORT RECORDS.
PRECIPITATION TOTALED 3.41 INCHES FOR THE MONTH WHICH IS ABOUT SEVEN-
TENTHS OF AN INCH BELOW NORMAL. OF THIS TOTAL, OVER 89% FELL OVER
THE COURSE OF A FEW HOURS ON THE 3RD, A DATE THAT IN TOTAL MEASURED
3.04 INCHES OF RAIN. THIS ONE-DAY TOTAL IS THE 5TH GREATEST AMOUNT
OF PRECIPITATION IN THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER. BETWEEN 6 PM AND 8 PM
2.98 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION WAS COLLECTED AT THE AIRPORT, WHICH IS
THE GREATEST AMOUNT OF PRECIPITATION OVER A TWO-HOUR WINDOW AT THE
AIRPORT. THE 3.04 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION ON THE 3RD BROKE THE
FORMER RECORD OF 1.79 INCHES SET BACK IN 1878.
A FEW THUNDERSTORMS DOTTED THE SOUTHERN TIER DURING THE AFTERNOON
HOURS ON THE 1ST OF THE MONTH. LATER THAT NIGHT, AND TOWARDS THE
MORNING HOURS OF THE 2ND, CLUSTERS OF STORMS DEVELOPED OVER THE
EASTERN GREAT LAKES, DROPPING ACROSS WESTERN NEW YORK DURING THE
MORNING HOURS. WIDESPREAD DAMAGE OCCURRED DURING THE MORNING ACROSS
ORLEANS AND GENESEE COUNTIES, WITH ISOLATED DAMAGE ACROSS THE
SOUTHERN TIER AND THROUGH WAYNE COUNTY. LATER THAT AFTERNOON
ANOTHER, MORE ROBUST ROUND OF CONVECTION OCCURRED. INITIAL STRAIGHT-
LINE WIND DAMAGING THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRED ACROSS THE WESTERN FINGER
LAKES, BEFORE A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH EMBEDDED TORNADIC
ACTIVITY BLITZED WESTERN NEW YORK FROM THE NORTHWEST. IN ALL, 6
TORNADOES OCCURRED ACROSS WESTERN NEW YORK, INCLUDING FOR THE FIRST
TIME IN 40 YEARS A TORNADO IN ORLEANS COUNTY. OTHER TORNADOES
OCCURRED IN THE COUNTIES OF NIAGARA, GENESEE, WYOMING, LIVINGSTON
AND ALONG THE MONROE AND WAYNE COUNTY BORDERS. THIS CONVECTION ALL
OCCURRED AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT THAT REMAINED STALLED TO THE WEST OF
NEW YORK STATE THROUGH THE DAY. THIS FRONT ONLY SHIFTED INTO WESTERN
NEW YORK THE FOLLOWING DAY, AND SERVED AS A FOCUS FOR A LINE OF
NARROW BUT POWERFUL STORMS, STORMS THAT PRODUCED 3 TO 4 INCHES OF
RAIN AND RESULTED IN WIDESPREAD FLOODING ACROSS BUFFALO AND THE
NORTHERN AND EASTERN SUBURBS.
A MUCH-NEEDED QUIET SPELL OCCURRED FROM THE 4TH AND THROUGH THE
LABOR DAY WEEKEND. ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM PASSED ACROSS WESTERN NEW
YORK ON THE 9TH, WITH LIGHT RAIN AROUND THE BUFFALO REGION. MILD
DAYS CONTINUED THROUGH ABOUT MID-MONTH, WHEN A PATTERN CHANGE
OCCURRED, WITH BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES OCCURRING FOR ABOUT A WEEK.
CLEAR SKIES ALLOWED FOR THICK DEW FORMATION MID TO LATE MONTH,
THOUGH OVERNIGHT TEMPERATURES DID NOT COOL ENOUGH FOR ANY FROST. A
NOR`EASTER BROUGHT A CANOPY OF CLOUDS ACROSS WESTERN NEW YORK
TOWARDS THE END OF THE MONTH, WITH LIGHT SHOWERS AND A PERSISTENT
DRIZZLE. THIS STORM PULLED EASTWARD ALLOWING FOR A RETURN TO SOME
SUNSHINE ON THE FINAL DAY OF THE MONTH.
THE LAKE WATER TEMPERATURE ON LAKE ERIE FELL FROM 74 DEGREES AT THE
START OF SEPTEMBER DOWN TO 65 DEGREES AT MONTH`S END. THIS CLOSING
TEMPERATURE IS JUST 1-DEGREE ABOVE NORMAL. WINDS FOR THE MONTH
AVERAGED ABOUT A MILE AND A HALF BELOW NORMAL. THE STRONGEST GUST
FOR THE MONTH OCCURRED DURING THUNDERSTORMS ON THE 2ND, WITH 46 MPH
RECORDED IN THE EARLY EVENING.
IN ALL, AN ACTIVE START, THEN DRY AND QUIET FINISH.
&&
THOMAS
$$