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Posted on Sat, Oct 1, 2011 : 5:59 a.m.

September in Ann Arbor was the 5th wettest on record, but sunny days lie ahead

By Cindy Heflin

If you want one word to describe the month of September 2011 in Ann Arbor, this is it: Wet.

The month ties with September 1981 as the fifth wettest September on record, said University of Michigan weather observer Dennis Kahlbaum.

ESPN_Game_Day_MRM_24.jpg

It was wet Sept. 10, but that didn't stop a large crowd from turning out at the University of Michigan for an ESPN GameDay broadcast. The rain did keep golfers away from area courses, however.

As of 6 p.m. Friday, the Ann Arbor area had received 6.04 inches of rain for the month. That compares with 3.45 in a normal year, Kahlbaum said. The most precipitation ever received in September was 7.03 inches in 1986, according to records compiled since 1880.

The month also had 17 days with measurable precipitation, but the weather service doesn’t keep any records about that, said National Weather Service meteorologist Matt Mosteiko.

It was enough to keep golfers away at many courses in the area.

“It’s been a pretty poor September,” said Doug Mervis, co-owner of Stonebridge Golf Club, a public course in Pittsfield Township.

He said rain the weekend of the Michigan-Notre Dame game, the first night game in Michigan Stadium, was particularly disappointing.

“We would have had a ton of golfers out here,” he said.

But bad weather is to be expected now and then, he said, and Stonebridge is prepared to handle it.

“It’s not fun, but it’s bound to happen. Last year was the probably the best weather year we ever had.”

And golfers, and everyone else who’s tired of rain can take heart. After a cloudy start to today, skies will gradually clear this afternoon, though it will be chilly with a high near 50.

The forecast for every day through Friday? Mostly sunny with highs ranging from near 60 to 70 degrees.

For updated forecasts and conditions anytime, check AnnArbor.com's weather page.

Comments

Randi Weitzman

Mon, Oct 3, 2011 : 12:08 a.m.

Rain Floods the Brain <a href="http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/8388395/rain_floods_the_brain.html?cat=42" rel='nofollow'>http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/8388395/rain_floods_the_brain.html?cat=42</a>

xmo

Sat, Oct 1, 2011 : 2:43 p.m.

It's nice to see pure reporting. I get tired of reading a reporters opinion.

Tom Todd

Sat, Oct 1, 2011 : 2:13 p.m.

Whatever happened to having warmer then normal seasons other then Summer.

spm

Sat, Oct 1, 2011 : 2:07 p.m.

I just knew it! I've been trying to touch up the paint on the outside of my house all month and I can never get two days in a row that promise to be rain free and now it might start to get too cold to paint. Usually September is a good month for painting but not this year. Complaining aside, I would rather be here than anywhere else.

dexterreader

Sat, Oct 1, 2011 : 1:55 p.m.

As another commenter noted, we do not have the weather extremes of one kind or another that most other states have. Yes it's cold and snows in the winter, and I am not a winter lover either. But I'll take that over floods, fires, hurricanes, earthquakes, nor'easters, tornadoes, ice storms, etc. Just look at the weather events in this country alone in the past year. When was the last time you heard of anyone in Michigan needing to evacuate their home and live in a shelter for days due to a weather event? No thanks, at least I am able to stay safe and sound in my own home here. And the beauty this state offers -- in all seasons -- is unsurpassed. Besides, without winter, we wouldn't have spring to look forward to.

Urban Sombrero

Sat, Oct 1, 2011 : 1:10 p.m.

I don't care if October is the same, with the exception of Halloween. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we have a dry, warm-ish Halloween. No snow or rain! It's so sad to see all those little munchkins in their costumes, either covered up by a coat or dripping in the rain. I really hope it's nice.

stunhsif

Sat, Oct 1, 2011 : 12:18 p.m.

I have lived here since 1972 and I have nothing good to say about the weather with the exception of perhaps September being a decent month weather wise. This September was miserable though and now comes 7months of cold and cloudy weather. At some point I will head back west where it is sunny and much warmer.

julieswhimsies

Sat, Oct 1, 2011 : 8:26 p.m.

Sounds like you'd better make that move sooner, rather than later. *whine*

DennisP

Sat, Oct 1, 2011 : 12:40 p.m.

You've been here almost 40 years and you are complaining? Why don't you leave now. The Michigan weather is what it is. We don't have earthquakes, we don't have mudslides, we rarely have firestorms and none that threaten entire communities, we don't have tsunamis, and we don't have hurricanes. Further, we aren't so flat and drought ridden like the plains of Kansas, Nebraska, OK, etc. We have lakes that are almost as grand as oceans with rivers and streams that flow with what will, one day, be considered liquid gold. We have dunes and marshes, rocky crags and sunrises and sunsets to rival most any part of the world. We have cloudy days and tornadoes, but we also have bright days that make a snow-covered hill shine like a Christmas card, we have ice storms, but it's more than once I've seen ice-covered trees glint in sunlight like fine crystal. If, after 40 years, you can't seen anything good in Michigan you should go sooner, not later. Go now. I love California, as I love so many other fine states in this amazing nation that we seem to abuse and take for granted. But, to think that Michigan is some sort of hellhole is just another myopic case of the grass seeming greener on the other side.

clownfish

Sat, Oct 1, 2011 : 12:39 p.m.

About time for a plow-safe mailbox, Fish.