Source:  Corey Davis, NC CLIMATE OFFICE, 10/6/20

Cooler weather filtered in last month as fall officially began, while wet conditions continued across much of North Carolina. Those ingredients mean our leaf colors could be unlike we've seen in several years -- and in a good way!

Summer Splits as Autumn Arrives
The heat and humidity that wouldn't budge in July and August finally faded in September, leaving us with near-normal temperatures and our first feel of fall by mid-month. According to the National Centers for Environmental Information, the statewide average temperature of 69.8°F was 0.5°F below the long-term 1901-2000 average, and it ranked as our 54th-coolest September out of the past 126 years.

Summer-like temperatures stuck around for less than a week after September started. Highs hit the mid- to upper 90s across the Sandhills and southern Coastal Plain on September 2-4, including the warmest temperature of the month: 98.8°F in Wallace at our Williamsdale Field Lab ECONet station on September 3.

After that, high pressure built in from the northwest and dropped our highs into the upper 70s or low 80s. That pattern largely held steady as the month went on, and we even spent a few days without temperatures breaking 70 degrees thanks to strong high pressure directly to the north.

For the full report, click here.