September Was Warmer, Rainier Than Average In Rhode Island

PROVIDENCE, RI — September has come and gone in Rhode Island, ushering in more fall-like weather to start October. Now that the month has ended, the National Weather Service gave a look at how September 2021 measured up to years past.

September was slightly wetter and warmer than average, according to the NWS. Just 15 days were 60 degrees or colder, nearly a week less than the average of 21 days. That helped raise the average temperature to 68 degrees, two degrees higher than the average of 66 degrees.

Precipitation, meanwhile, was slightly higher, with 13 days rather than the average of nine. The Providence area recorded 5.18 inches of rain over the course of the month, a little more than an inch higher than the average of 4.17 inches.

Over the course of the month, temperatures saw a nearly 40 degree swing, ranging from the high of 86 degrees on Sept. 15 to lows of 50 degrees on Sept. 29 and 30. While 86 degrees is warm for the fall, it's nowhere near the record high for September of 100 degrees, set in 1983. The coldest September day on record, meanwhile, was 32 degrees, back in 1951.

September 2021 was the fifth-warmest on record for Providence, tying with 1930, 1945, 2005 and 2016.