In Paducah, it was the 4th-driest September on record, and it was the driest of any month since October of 2005. It was the driest September on record.
Hardest hit overall was western Kentucky and southern Illinois. Many locations in western Kentucky set new records for lack of rain, where monthly total measurements of less than a tenth of an inch were common. One measuring station in Calhoun received no measurable rain for the entire month.
The adjacent southeastern corner of southern Illinois had similar results. Massac County measured .11 inches of rain for September, and Pope, Hardin, Saline and Gallatin counties saw similar results. Counties in the I-57 corridor managed a half inch or more.
Only about a four-county area in southeast Missouri even approached the normal precipitation of 3 to 4 inches in September, and that only occurred because of one day of training thunderstorms on September 20. In fact, isolated spots experienced 4 to 6 inches of rain in just a few hours.
The dry weather was compounded by relentless heat. During a month where Paducah averages highs from 85 cooling to 77 by the end of the month, the city instead suffered 21 days over 90 degrees. The only September in Paducah's history that had more was 80 years ago, when an amazing 27 out of 30 days were over 90 in 1939.
On the Net:
NWS September Climate Summary
