September was very warm with above average sunshine and continued dry conditions for most of the month. The temperature averaged 67.0°, 4.1 degrees per day above normal. Maximum temperature was 89.6° on the 8th; a minimum temperature of 39.2° was recorded on the 20th. Daytime high temperatures averaged 77.4°, which is 5.4 degrees above the norm. Evening temperatures averaged 57.5°, 3.7 degrees above the norm. There were 13 days with a maximum temperature above 80°.
Sunshine totaled 70% of the possible sunshine hours, 14 points above the norm. We recorded 19 sunny days in East Wareham and 3 days with morning fog. The Blue Hills Observatory (official site for sunshine hour data), recorded 20 sunny days, the most in September since 1914. The 72% of possible sunshine for the period from August through September is a new record for that location.
Precipitation totaled 2.73 inches, 1.77 inches below normal, making this the third consecutive month of below average rain. The month started dry (first 9 days) and ended with 15 days of no rain until the last day of the month. We had measurable rain of 0.10 inches or greater on just 3 days, and 2 days with spotty showers and drizzle with less than 0.10 inches recorded. The largest 24-hour rainfall was 1.62 inches, including a thunderstorm, on the 10th (recorded on the 11th), accounting for 60% of the month's total. We recorded 0.8 inches on the 30th, the beginning of a 3.67 inch event starting that day, most of the rain from the event will be recorded in October.
Year-to-date rainfall for 2015 is 27.12 inches, 9.88 inches below average for East Wareham and 8.8 inches below the total rainfall at the same time in 2014.
2015 has thus far been a year of extremes with above average snow and below average temperatures for the first three months, and well above average sunshine and temperature and below average rain for the most recent three months.