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Meteorologist Ben Duebelbeiss of the National Weather Service
says a string of days with temperatures in the 80s wrapping up
September may seem out of the ordinary, but it is not as unusual
as some people might think.
“It’s pretty common to have temperatures into the 80s well into
October,” Duebelbeiss said.
The mean date for the last 80-degree maximum temperature is Oct.
11.
“We’ve had 80-degree days as late as Nov. 1,” Duebelbeiss said.
At the end of August, the weather got everybody’s attention when
Illinois experienced a stretch of days from Aug. 20 through Aug.
25 with temperatures well into the 90s. Even so, August this
year did not wind up out of the norm for average temperatures,
Duebelbeiss said.
“We actually finished August pretty close to normal, owing to
some cooler temperatures at the start of the month,” he said.
“At the beginning of August, there were several days with highs
only in the 70s.”
The beginning of September is when the weather normally begins
to change in Illinois. The equinox was Sept. 23, but fall is
usually underway before that.
“In the weather world, Sept. 1 is the start of meteorological
fall,” Duebelbeiss said.
In an average year, the average high to start September in
Central Illinois is about 80 degrees. By the end of the month,
the average high drops to about 73 degrees. The average low
temperature on Sept. 1 is 62 degrees. By the end of the month,
the average low is about 51 degrees.
That means temperatures this September are running warmer than
normal.
“Summer seems to be hanging on a little longer than usual this
year,” Duebelbeiss said.
Expect highs in the 80s through the weekend. Temperatures into
next week are expected to be in the mid to lower 80s.
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