September 2026

[SACRUS]

 

Records:

Highs:

EWR: 94 (1970)
NYC: 95 (1914)
LGA: 93 (1970)
JFK: 91 (1980)

Lows:

EWR: 44 (1997)
NYC: 41 (1904)
LGA: 47 (1962)
JFK: 41 (1962)

Historical:
 

1890 - A severe hailstorm struck Strawberry, AZ. Fives days after the storm hail still lay in drifts 12 to 18 inches deep. (The Weather Channel)

1913 - Des Moines, IA, experienced their earliest freeze of record. (The Weather Channel)

1946: A trace of snow fell at Denver, CO. This marked the start of their longest snow season on record at 263 days through 6/11/1947 when a trace of snow fell. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1956: Hurricane Flossy nears the Texas Coast

1961 - Hurricane Esther made a near complete circle south of Cape Cod. The hurricane then passed over Cape Cod and hit Maine. Its energy was largely spent over the North Atlantic Ocean, however, heavy rains over Maine resulted in widespread local flooding of cellars, low roads, and underpasses. (David Ludlum)

 

1974: Canadian high pressure brought record chill from the upper Midwest to the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley. Temperatures dropped below freezing for three consecutive nights damaging crops in areas. In Illinois, frost killed almost all of the soybean crop and 40% of the corn crop north of I-80. Total statewide damage was estimated between $200 and $400 million dollars.
Necedah and Mauston, WI recorded their coldest September temperatures on record with 18° and 20° respectively. Other daily record lows included: St. Cloud, MN: 18°, Grand Forks, ND: 20°, Fargo, ND: 23°, Duluth, MN: 23°, Sioux Falls, SD: 24°, Rochester, MN: 24°, Madison, WI: 25°, Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN: 26°, Waterloo, IA: 26°, Green Bay, WI: 27°, Ste. St. Marie, MI: 28°, Toledo, OH: 29°, Detroit, MI: 30°, Dubuque, IA: 31°, Rockford, IL: 31°, La Crosse, WI: 32°, Milwaukee, WI: 32° °F. (Ref. Additional Temperatures Listed On This Link)

1975: Hurricane Eloise made landfall in the Florida panhandle with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph and a minimum central pressure of 955 millibars or 28.20 inches of mercury. Panama City, FL reported a gust of 155 mph. Storm surge of 6 to 12 feet extended eastward to Port St. Joe, and tides 2 to 3 feet above normal were observed as far south as Tampa and Naples. The highest reported rainfall was 14.90 inches at Eglin AFB. Rainfall elsewhere to the west of the Apalachicola River ranged from 4 to 8 inches. Damage in northwest Florida was estimated at $150 million. About 20,000 people were evacuated in advance. Two weak tornadoes and several waterspouts were reported in the Panhandle. As the storm moved north, high winds and heavy rains led to power outages, damage and flooding. Parts of Alabama were without electricity for two weeks. The remnants moved through the Mid-Atlantic bringing flooding rains of 3 to 10 inches. Two miles south-southeast of Westminster, MD picked up 14.23 inches. The highest rainfall was a week before when Eloise passed north of Puerto Rico. Dos Bocas received 33.29 inches. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1983 - Forty-one cities reported record cold temperatures during the morning. Houston, TX, hit 50 degrees, and Williston ND plunged to 19 degrees. (The Weather Channel)

1987 - Hurricane Emily, the first hurricane to roam the Carribean in nearly six years, made landfall over the Dominican Republic late in the day, packing 125 mph winds. Emily killed three persons and caused thirty million dollars damage. A record high of 92 degrees at Miami FL was their fifth in a row. (Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)

1988 - An early morning thunderstorm produced baseball size hail at Plainview, in Hale County TX. Late in the evening more thunderstorms in the Southern High Plains Region produced wind gusts to 75 mph at Plainview TX and Crosby TX. (Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)

1989 - Hurricane Hugo quickly lost strength over South Carolina, but still was a tropical storm as it crossed into North Carolina, just west of Charlotte, at about 7 AM. Winds around Charlotte reached 69 mph, with gusts to 99 mph. Eighty percent of the power was knocked out to Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. Property damage in North Carolina was 210 million dollars, and damage to crops was 97 million dollars. The strongest storm surge occurred along the southern coast shortly after midnight, reaching nine feet above sea level at ocean Isle and Sunset Beach. Hugo killed one person and injured fifteen others in North Carolina. Strong northwesterly winds ushered unseasonably cold air into the north central U.S., in time for the official start of autumn, at 8" 20 PM (CDT). Squalls produced light snow in northern Wisconsin. Winds in Wisconsin gusted to 52 mph at Rhinelander. (Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)

 

1994: A nor’easter wreaked havoc on coastal MD. 50-mph winds (gusts to 79 mph) destroyed 100’s of tents/vending areas at the end-of-summer Sunfest in Ocean City. Windblown fires burned several shops along the boardwalk; 9 foot waves flooded other areas. Damage up to $5 million. (Ref. Weather Guide Calendar with Phenomenal Weather Events 2011 Accord Pub. 2010, USA)

1995: A strong cold front pushed across the Midwest, bringing with it one of the earliest freezes on record. In Iowa, temperatures dipped to as low as 24° over the northwest and sub-freezing temperatures lasted nearly eight hours. Crop maturation was behind schedule so this freeze caused significant damage, with soybeans the hardest hit. About $195 million dollars worth of soybeans were lost. Drought had already taken its toll on the corn crop so the freeze did not aversely affect the corn too much.
Chicago, IL experienced their earliest freeze on record as the mercury dipped to 32°. The low of 29° tied the record low for the month of September at Dodge City, KS. Further north, Jump River and Cashton, WI head their earliest measurable snowfall on record with 1.5 inches and 0.5 of an inch respectively. Other daily record lows included: Rapid City, SD: 19°, Bismarck, ND: 20°, Aberdeen, SD: 20°, Valentine, NE: 23°, Fargo, ND: 23°-Tied, Huron, SD: 24°, North Platte, NE: 24°, Scottsbluff, NE: 24°, Grand Island, NE: 25°, Sioux City, IA: 25°, Norfolk, NE: 26°, Lincoln, NE: 27°, Concordia, KS: 29°, Goodland, KS: 30°-Tied, Omaha, NE: 31°, Topeka, KS: 31°, Des Moines, IA: 31°, Kansas City, MO: 31 °F. (Ref. Additional Temperatures Listed On This Link)

1998: Hurricane Georges moved across Hispaniola killing over 580 people, mainly due to flash flooding and subsequent mud slides in high terrain regions. Damage estimates from the storm exceeded $1 billion dollars. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2005 - For the first time in the historical record, two hurricanes reached category-5 intensity in the Gulf of Mexico in a single season as Hurricane Rita intensified before making landfall (Katrina and Rita).

2006 - The tristate area of Missouri, Illinois, and Kentucky was struck by the worst tornado outbreak in the recorded history during the month of September. One supercell produced a long-track F4 tornado across southeastern Missouri into southwestern Illinois. This tornado traveled 27.5 miles.

[MANDA]

It was 88 years ago yesterday.  Can't even imagine if something similar today.  Rapid forward speed was unprecedented and aided in keeping intensity up, piling up surge and making the eastern semi-circle truly violent well inland into New England.  L.I. landfall pressure was on par with Sandy in NJ.  Other big hurricanes followed 1938 affecting the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast (1944, Hazel, Donna, Carol, Bob) but 1938 was in a class by itself.  As far as population impacts and damage (wind and surge) I'd have to say Sandy comes in second.