PENNSYLVANIA, USA — Almost every day of the first half of September was above average, with most of those days in the 80s and even 90s. We broke a record on the 4th of the month with a high of 92 degrees at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport. Then, by the middle of the month, we flipped a switch, and the rest of the month featured below-average temperatures.
But the big story for September was the two significant rain events.
On Saturday, September 9, heavy rain from severe storms prompted several flash flood warnings in northeastern Pennsylvania, including in the Back Mountain area in Luzerne County and the Clarks Summit and Scranton areas in Lackawanna County.
PennDOT officials reported more than 20 roads in Lackawanna, Luzerne, and Wyoming Counties were closed due to flooding and damage. Several homes and businesses struggled with major loss and damage, too. Dozens of people were trapped in their cars on Northern Boulevard in South Abington Township that night, and for days, we heard countless rescue stories.
Two people died as a result of the flash flooding.
The Clarks Summit area was the hardest hit, recording more than four inches of rain in under seven hours that day. The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport received quite a bit less, with 0.8 of an inch of rain recorded that day.
Then, two weeks after the flash flooding, remnants from Tropical Storm Ophelia brought more heavy rain. And while we technically recorded more rainfall from this event—3.08 inches at the airport—that happened over three days, as opposed to just a few hours like the flash flooding event.
September of 2011 remains the rainiest September ever on record. 2021 is number two.
With 6.11 inches of rain falling this September at the airport, 2023 will be in the top 20 at number 17.
Fall officially began on Saturday, September 23, but as we head into the first week of October, we can expect several days in a row of well-above-average temperatures feeling more like the middle of August and lots of welcome sunshine.
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