Outlook for the rest of September: still warm, dry

The first word for our weather for the rest of September is the same word we've heard since August -- hot.

The National Weather Service issued its 8- to 14-day national outlook for the dates September 24-30, and there's not a lot of nuance to it. Every state east of the Rocky Mountains can still expect temperatures to be higher than average.

The largest deviation from the norm looks to be the upper Midwest, centered around Iowa and Minnesota, but everyone from Montana to Maine can expect some range of temperatures above their historical average.

In Paducah, the usual high for the last week of September starts at 81 on the 24th, sliding all week to 78 on the 30th.

Paducah's usual lows for late September are in the mid 50s.

The 8-14 day outlook for precipitation is nearer to normal for our region, but that doesn't hold out much hope for any substantial rainfall to even start to correct severe drought conditions in southwest Kentucky, northwest Tennessee and southeast Missouri.