Like other U.S. cities smashing weather records, Martin likely set a record in September for average high temperature.
Dr. Mark Simpson, UTM professor of Geography, said the average September high was 90.8 degrees, slightly above the 90.5-degree mark set in September 1954, which he believes was the previous record. The average low was 63.7 degrees, and the average temperature for the month (subtract low from high and divide by two) was 77.25 degrees, he said.
Though the hottest September day locally occurred in 1954 – a day when the thermometer soared to 105 degrees – Simpson said September 2019 has surpassed September 1954 in other data.
“What’s astonishing to me is that our temperatures reached 90 or above for 22 of the 30 days last month,” he said. “Even in 1954, which is about the only year that was even close to getting these types of temperatures in September, September still had only 17 of 30 days with temperatures at 90 or above.”
Major cities in Tennessee also saw new records set in September. Memphis was cited by The Weather Channel as one of dozens to have the hottest September on record. Also, according to WMC ActionNews5, Memphis hit 96 degrees Oct. 1, breaking a record dating back to 1953.
According to the Oct. 1 edition of The Tennessean, September 2019 was the second hottest September on record in Nashville. Based on National Weather Service data, the story also showed that if temperatures in Nashville rise above 90 for the first three days of October, then 2019 will break the 1954 record for most days with temperatures of 90 or above.
Nationally and globally, a hot September followed closely on the heels of a record hot summer, according to data from NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
“Scorching temperatures around the world … tied August 2019 as the second-hottest August on record and capped off the hottest Northern Hemisphere summer (June through August), tied with 2016. … The last five June-August periods are the five hottest on record,” read the article, posted Sept. 16 at noaa.gov.
September 2019 also was drier than normal. While Martin got 0.35 inches of rain last month, Simpson said, the Nashville National Weather Service office reported only 0.02 inches of rain, making September 2019 the driest month on record for Nashville.
Simpson said a “blocking high,” or ridge of ongoing high pressure, is one reason for the extreme heat in the Eastern U.S. Current forecasts call for that ridge to soon move eastward, allowing some of the cooler air behind it to also move east, with much cooler weather predicted for next week.
Those who would like to keep up with Martin weather data in real time can do so by going to http://twister.utm.edu, the website connected to the UTM weather station, which is physically located on the UTM farm, Simpson said.
