September in Tallahassee officially one of the driest months on record

There were no late night showers Monday, no meteorological miracle to keep September 2019 from going down in record books as the driest September ever and one of the most parched months period in Tallahassee.

The month finished with only a trace of precipitation, beating the previous record set 47 years ago, in September 1972, when only 0.11 inches of rain fell. Going back to 1885, only six other months saw no rain or only a trace, which is less than a hundredth of an inch. The last time that happened was nearly 32 years ago, in October 1987.

A stubborn ridge of high pressure combined with mid-level dryness in the atmosphere, have virtually scotched rain chances in Tallahassee and contributed to drought across North Florida and the Southeast. The dry weather has allowed temperatures to climb noticeably above more pleasant autumnal levels.

“We’ve been locked in this weather pattern,” said Wright Dobbs, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Tallahassee.

The last time Tallahassee got noticeable rainfall was Aug. 27, when 1.14 inches was recorded at Tallahassee International Airport, the official measuring spot. Since then, trace amounts were recorded Aug. 31, Sept. 1 and Sept. 27, Dobbs said. As of Monday, Tallahassee's rainfall deficit for the year totaled 18.23 inches.

Tallahassee set or tied seven daily heat records throughout September. The hottest days were Sept. 17 and 18, when record-breaking highs of 100 and 101 were set, respectively.

The city saw spikes in electric and water use, with a peak of 599 megawatts on Sept. 5 and water consumption of 40 million gallons on Sept. 25 and 27. The electric peak was the second-highest this summer, while the water peaks were among the top five to date, said Allison Fairs, spokeswoman for the city.

Rain chances for Tallahassee remain unusually low for rest of the work week, but there’s a slight glimmer of hope for the weekend. Dobbs said the high pressure may weaken somewhat, allowing a bit more moisture to move into the South.

Still, the Weather Service’s seven-day outlook showed the next chance of rain on Sunday, with only a 30% chance.

“There’s still too much uncertainty to tell when we’ll get a nice one or two inches of rain,” Dobbs said. “But it looks like in the seven- to 10-day range, we’ll see a slow change in the weather pattern that could give us increased rain chances and cooler temperatures.”

Driest months in Tallahassee history

The following months had either no rain or a trace, according to NWS records.

► December 1889

► October 1904

► October 1961

► May 1965

► October 1987

► May 1994

► September 2019

Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com or follow @JeffBurlew on Twitter.