The fall season is often changeable in the Northeast and Midwest. During the next few months, the days will shrink, the sun’s rays will be less direct at Buffalo’s latitude, and eventually colder pockets of air will win the battle and plunge south.
The large temperature swings that come with passing cold fronts are a signature of the season. But so far this year, temperatures have been more on the “up” side around Western New York.
Some have asked if September’s mild streak can be considered an “Indian summer.” The short answer: sort of, but not really. This week’s Heather’s Weather Whys explains what an Indian summer is and looks at other years that have unquestionably qualified.
The past couple of weeks of September were certainly a treat, but not a true Indian summer. The month finished with an average temperature about 3 degrees above normal. But mild Septembers should feel familiar to Western New Yorkers. There hasn’t been a below-average monthly September temperature since 2013. Out of the past 20 years, only three Septembers had below-average temperatures.
New episodes of Heather’s Weather Whys are uploaded to the WGRZ YouTube channel every Wednesday. If you have a weather question for Heather to answer in a future episode of Heather’s Weather Whys, send it to her at heather.waldman@wgrz.com or reach out to her on Facebook or Twitter.
