After such an abnormally warm start to meteorological fall, we have seen a huge temperature swing this week. Let's look at how long this cooler trend lasts and how close these temperatures are to normal.
For Wednesday, September 23, our high temperature was 64 degrees, which is about 16 degrees below average. That is also tied for the fourth-coldest temperature for that date on record. That is also after an average high temperature of 92 degrees for the first few weeks of the month.
Other WRAL Top Stories
Our average high by this date is 80 degrees. Through the rest of meteorological fall, we will see that average drop to 78 degrees by October 1, 73 degrees by October 15, 68 degrees by November 1, and 63 degrees by November 15.
Just because it is the average temperature, it should not be confused with the temperature that we "should" see. The fact of the matter is this: during fall, we see colder air masses move in from Canada. Ahead of that cold air, we see periods of warming, and then temperatures tumble behind the front. When you look at September 23 over the past six years, these fluctuations are evident.
Just this past year, we were at 92 degrees on the same date. The year before that, we were closer to average at 79 degrees. In 2023, we had our third-coldest high temperature for that date, hitting only 63°.
After this much cooler air, we will see a warming trend over the next 6-to-10 days. This does not mean that we will jump back into the 90s, but we will likely make it into the mid-80s by the middle of next week.
