Southwest Michigan just had a very odd September of weather

September was very warm compared to historical averages. It was also very dry, unless you were in the Muskegon area.

It was the seventh warmest September on record at Grand Rapids. That ranking is notable but not a top-three warmest September. Lansing, Muskegon and Kalamazoo also crept into the top-10 warmest Septembers at each location. It was a warm September, but not warm enough to say it felt totally like an August.

One thing for certain is it was a dry September except for the Muskegon area. When we look at the actual amount of rain that fell, the numbers really put the dryness into perspective. Lansing was only two inches drier than normal, but that came on a total monthly rainfall of only 0.65 inches. When you look at it as a total rain number, two-thirds of an inch of rain is not much at all. The dryness was magnified by the warm temperatures that quickly evaporate what little rainfall we had in September.

Grand Rapids was also two inches below normal on rainfall and received only a little over one inch of rain.

The story on rainfall is different in Muskegon, or at least the deceiving total rainfall number shows wetness. Remember the heavy rain on September 24 when Muskegon officially received 4.43 inches of rain, making it one of the wettest days ever at Muskegon. Had it not been for the heavy rain on September 24, Muskegon would have only received 0.44 inches of rain in September. Muskegon would have been parched in September 2024.

We will have to call September 2024 a very warm and very dry month overall across most of western and southwestern Lower Michigan.