NATIONAL STORM SUMMARY

 

SEPTEMBER 2022

Aug. 28-Sep. 3: The Western heat wave, which further intensified from September 4-6, will be covered again next week. In late August, locally heavy showers and thunderstorms dotted several areas, including the South, East, and lower Midwest. Daily-record rainfall totals ranged from 2 to 4 inches in locations such as Atlantic City, NJ (3.52 inches on August 28); Del Rio, TX (3.19 inches on August 30); Saint Simons Island, GA (2.46 inches on August 29); and Lubbock, TX (2.25 inches on August 31). In the Midwest, daily-record amounts reached 1.99 inches (on August 29) in Indianapolis, IN, and 1.90 inches (on August 28) in Joplin, MO. The wettest August on record came to an end in Jackson, MS (12.75 inches; previously, 11.51 inches in 2008) and Dallas-Fort Worth, TX (10.68 inches; previously, 10.33 inches in 1915). In addition, Charleston, WV, completed its wettest summer on record, with 24.43 inches, surpassing its June-August 1958 record of 23.13 inches. In early September, showers lingered across the South, while a cold front generated some heavy rain in the lower Midwest. With 3.57 inches, Lufkin, TX, collected a record-setting total for September 2. Evansville, IN, was soaked with 4.48 inches of rain on the 3rd, not only a record for the date, but also the wettest September day on record in that location (previously, 4.39 inches on September 20, 1924).

 

4-10: Heavy rain shifted into the eastern U.S., where weekly totals of 2 to 4 inches or more were common. Rain was mostly beneficial in drought-affected sections of the Northeast, although excessive rain in parts of the mid-Atlantic and southern New England sparked local flooding. 

 

Late in the week, remnant moisture associated with former eastern Pacific Hurricane Kay resulted in scattered but locally heavy showers in the Southwest. Although the Southwestern rain improved topsoil moisture and aided wildfire containment efforts, local downpours contributed to flash flooding and debris flows.

 

Early in the week, heavy showers swept into the East. Record-setting rainfall totals for September 5 included 2.53 inches in Binghamton, NY; 2.28 inches in Scranton, PA; and 2.19 inches in Providence, RI. For Providence, it was the third-wettest Labor Day—a floating holiday; the record of 2.82 inches was set on September 2, 2013. Providence received 3.77 inches on September 5-6, while neighboring locations in Rhode Island netted 4 to 8 inches or more, leading to urban and suburban flooding. On September 6, lingering downpours along the Atlantic Seaboard led to a daily-record sum (2.86 inches) in Atlantic City, NJ. Elsewhere on the 6th, heavy rain in southern Texas produced 2.67 inches—a record for the date—in McAllen. The following day, Fort Myers, FL, measured a record-setting amount (3.12 inches) for September 7. During the second half of the week, showers and thunderstorms erupted in the vicinity of a cold front. In Wyoming, daily-record totals for September 8 included 1.24 inches in Sheridan and 0.52 inch in Worland. Later in Wisconsin, dailyrecord totals reached 2.00 inches (on September 9) in Ashland and 2.18 inches (on September 11) in Madison. The 11th became the wettest September day on record in Milwaukee, WI, where the 4.78-inch total clipped the record of 4.32 inches, set on September 8, 1941. Finally, Southwestern showers expanded and intensified on September 9, when Tropical Storm Kay—a former hurricane—moved within about 130 miles of San Diego, CA, before dissipating. Official daily-record totals for the 9th in southern California included 0.81 inch in Thermal and 0.63 inch in San Diego. Lake Cuyamaca, CA, netted 2.00 inches in a 24-hour period on September 8-9. On the 9th, southern California’s winds—not directly associated with Kay—were clocked to 47 mph in Ramona and ranged from 35 to 39 mph in Chino, Fullerton, Ontario, and Riverside.

 

11-17: Downpours were brief and largely limited to Florida’s peninsula and portions of the Great Lakes region. Scattered showers affected several other areas, including the East, Great Basin, Intermountain West, and central Plains. Across much of the remainder of the country had dry weather.

 

Precipitation associated with the remnants of Hurricane Kay continued across southern California as the week began. Record-setting rainfall totals for September 11 included 0.88 inch in Campo, 0.46 inch in Palmdale, and 0.32 inch in Sandberg. Showers lingered in the Desert Southwest through September 12, when daily-record totals reached 0.37 inches in Bishop, CA, and 0.17 inch in Las Vegas, NV. Eventually, residual tropical moisture shifted northeastward across the Great Basin and Intermountain West. From September 13-15, Ely, NV, tallied a trio of daily-record rainfall totals (0.40, 0.57, and 0.63 inch, respectively). In Utah, 24-hour rainfall topped an inch on September 13-14 in locations such as Alta (1.23 inches) and Zion National Park (1.14 inches). In Wyoming, daily-record amounts included 0.50 inch (on the 15th) in Lander and 0.22 inch (on the 17th) in Big Piney. Measurable rain fell each day from September 13-18 in Big Piney, totaling 0.84 inch. Farther east, early-week downpours dotted the Great Lakes and Northeastern States. In fact, Milwaukee, WI, experienced its wettest September day on record, with 4.78 inches on the 11th (previously, 4.32 inches on September 8, 1941). Midwestern and Northeastern daily-record totals topped the 2-inch mark in several locations, including Madison, WI (2.18 inches on the 11th), and Burlington, VT (2.56 inches on the 12th). Heavy showers also pelted parts of Florida, where record-setting amounts for September 14 reached 2.61 inches in Miami and 2.18 inches in Melbourne. At week’s end, locally heavy showers lingered in southern Florida and developed across the upper Midwest. Dailyrecord totals for September 17 included 2.67 inches in Ottumwa, IA, and 2.17 inches in Marathon, FL.

 

18-24: On the afternoon of September 18, Category 1 Hurricane Fiona struck southwestern Puerto Rico, making landfall near Punta Tocon with sustained winds near 85 mph. Fiona’s arrival occurred almost exactly 5 years after Category 4 Hurricane Maria devastated the commonwealth. Although weaker than Maria (which had sustained winds near 155 mph at landfall), Fiona resulted in significant flooding and an island-wide loss of electricity. During the 120-hour (5-day) period ending around daybreak on September 20, an average of more than 15 inches of rain fell across Puerto Rico, with a few totals exceeding 30 inches. On the day Fiona hit Puerto Rico, San Juan— on the opposite side of the island from the landfall location—received 4.10 inches of rain and clocked a peak easterly wind gust to 56 mph. Similar peak gusts were also reported on September 18 in the U.S. Virgin Islands at Rohlsen Airport on St. Croix (59 mph) and King Airport on St. Thomas (52 mph). In southwestern Puerto Rico, Rio Guanajibo near Hormigueros crested 9.20 feet above flood stage on the 19th, edging a September 2017, Maria-era record (8.59 feet above flood stage) by more than 7 inches. On the U.S. mainland, spotty showers across the northern half of the country briefly became more numerous as several cold fronts swept eastward. Quincy, IL, netted a record-setting sum (2.74 inches) for September 18. On the 19th, daily-record amounts in Vermont reached 1.71 inches in Burlington and 1.37 inches in Montpelier. Meanwhile in the West, a late push of monsoon-related moisture—drawn northward by a disturbance near the Pacific Coast—was loosely associated with the remnants of Tropical Storm Madeline, which dissipated south of Baja California. On the 19th in southern California, Santa Maria reported its wettest September day on record, with 1.77 inches (previously, 1.74 inches on September 28, 1976). On September 20, Western daily-record totals included 0.69 inch in Nogales, AZ, and 0.43 inch in Medford, OR. In a 24-hour period on September 21-22, totals in Utah reached 1.92 inches at Bryce Canyon Airport and 0.40 inch at Capitol Reef National Park. In Montana, Missoula received a record-setting amount (1.11 inches) for September 22. It was Missoula’s wettest September day since 1954, when 1.30 inches fell on September 15. Meanwhile, another round of Northeastern showers produced record-setting totals for September 22 in Bangor, ME (1.70 inches), and Poughkeepsie, NY (1.25 inches). Late in the week, much of the country experienced the return (or continuation) of dry weather. On the Plains, month-to-date rainfall through September 24 totaled less than one-tenth of an inch in locations such as Wichita Falls, TX (0.09 inch); Dickinson, ND (0.07 inch); Pierre, SD (0.06 inch); and Lawton, OK (0.05 inch). 

 

25-Oct. 1: Category 4 Hurricane Ian slammed into Florida’s Gulf Coast near Fort Myers on the afternoon September 28, packing sustained winds near 150 mph and unleashing a ferocious storm surge from near the point of landfall, southward through Naples. Catastrophic damage due to storm surge and wind occurred in coastal communities, especially near the point of landfall on Cayo Costa Island. Hurricane-force winds (74 mph or greater) extended well inland.  Extensive power outages, affecting a peak of nearly 3 million customers, also disrupted farming and cattle operations, while fresh-water flooding— including record-high water levels along parts of the Peace and Saint Johns Rivers— damaged fences, buildings, and other farm infrastructure. Ian departed Florida’s peninsula as a tropical storm on the morning of the 29th near Cape Canaveral, but regained Category 1 hurricane intensity before making a second U.S. landfall on the afternoon of September 30 near Georgetown, SC, northeast of Charleston, with sustained winds near 85 mph. Ian’s final landfall came with less damage—but included some storm surge over wash; spotty wind damage; and isolated power outages.

Jim G. Munley, jr.
http://www.jimmunleywx.com