September is over, and despite it being the month when summer officially ends, it did not feel this way in 2024. For perspective, the high temperature on the 1st of September was 79, and our high on the final day was 90. September may be more known for how dry it was too. Here are a few stats about this September, and a look at what we can expect in October historically as well as in 2024.
First, it did not rain. For the entire month, it only rained once in Omaha, producing 0.09" of rainfall. This means that September 2024 is officially the driest September on record. On average, Omaha sees around 2.86" of rain for the month.
Yet despite this, because we were so wet in the spring and early summer, Omaha is still slightly above average for yearly rain. However, that gap is closing quickly.
Outside of our rain chances, September was a warm month overall. We ended the month about 3 degrees above average. This is the continuation of a trend of warmer than average September's, 9 of our last 10 September's have been above average (2020 being the exception).
Omaha saw 22 days of the month with highs above 80 degrees, which ties us for the 5th most 80-degree days in September. The most 80-degree days came from 1897 with 26 days reaching a high of 80 or above. On average, we see around 15 days in the 80s or higher.
Overall, September 2024 in Omaha was a warm and exceptionally dry month. Now let's look ahead and see what we can expect in October.
October is the full transition month where the last hurrahs of summer give way to a more full fall feel. We normally begin the month with highs in the 70s and lows in the 50s and end with highs in the 50s alongside lows in the 30s. October is also the first month when we can see our first snowfall, those who have lived in Omaha for a while (or are readers of This Week in Weather History) will know that some of the bigger snowstorms in Omaha history have come in October, see the articles about the 1991 Halloween storm and the 1997 winter storm.
So, what could 2024 bring? Current trends show the dry pattern that we have been locked in for September will continue at least through the first week of October. As of now, there are no chances of rain through the first 10 days of the month. There are some hints of maybe a pattern change toward the middle of the month, right now October is expected to be drier than average unless the back half of the month turns really active.
Likewise, the dry pattern could also mean a warmer pattern. With the lack of any significant cold fronts, the warmer weather continues into the first few days of the month, perhaps a bit longer. On the plus side, although there are not any big cold spells on the horizon, there are also no indications of any big warm spells. So right now, the trend is for a warmer-than-average October, but not too much warmer.
Of course, for the latest on the day-to-day forecast, keep updated with the KMTV weather team!
