After Labor Day, many in Erie start to "write off" what is left of the summer, and begin to lament about the impending doom known as winter. While I am not personally ready to give up on summer, there is some merit to this line of thinking.

September is one of those months where you start to see the transition away from the heat and humidity that the "dog days" bring. It starts off as warm days with cooler, and cooler nights. Before you know it, jackets are more of a rule than an exception.

At the beginning of the month, the average high temperature is 76 degrees. As the day's daylight gets shorter, and the nights get longer, and longer those averages get cooler and cooler. By the end of the month, the average high temperature for the city of Erie is 67 degrees.

This is also the month that Autumn officially begins. From here, the sun's highest angles will continue to slip south of the equator, and stay there until spring.

Fall officially begins on the 23rd of the month at 5:51am. This is called the Autumnal Equinox. While some look at fall as "early winter", it can also be an interesting weather time. It brings with it a "secondary severe weather season", and that is just another way the Mother Nature keeps us on our toes.

Ray Petelin
WSEE Storm Team Meteorologist