SEPTEMBER 2007 WEATHER & PHENOLOGY IN REVIEW
From the North Shore of Little Rock Lake
Jim Hovda, Rice, MN 56367-0265 jhovda.rice@juno.com
CAPSULE OF LAST SEPTEMBER: Nearly two more inches of rain occurring on fifteen days. The most rain fell on the 20th when .88" fell. A total of 4.11" for the month with a year end total of 20.9". It was nearly four degrees cooler on the warm side of averages (67.3 degrees) with the warmest day occurring on the 4th with a 86 degree reading. Coolest, 35.7 on the 27th and 28th.
SIGNIFICANT WEATHER EVENT: Occurred on the 20th with a severe lightning and thunder storm. NOA weather had Benton County under a severe watch and warnings for the entire day. This storm hit at 1:10 P.M. with some of the most intense cloud to ground lightning I have ever seen on the north end of Little Rock Lake. This storm tracked SE and caused property damage in Sauk Rapids, MN. Several building fires were reported. Rain here measured .82" and hail measuring 5/8" in diameter. There were no high winds and only a couple of minor power outages. (Three cheers to East Central Electric) After the storm there was a lot of lightning and thunder and not much rain considering all the noise.
WEATHER: Started with hot and dry weather. Eight days with temps in the 80's and one ninety (90.6 degrees) day on the 3rd which was the warmest day of the month. After the 8th it cooled down with temps mostly in the 70's. The coolest day occurred on the 15th when the thermometer dipped to a chilly 28.5 degrees bringing the first real frost. That low temp started the ash trees leaves dropping... The average low was 47.2 and the high 71.93 degrees. Rainfall for the month was 2.87" with a total for the year standing at 17.1" compared to 20.9" last year. Still need more rain. Measurable rain fell on only eight days, the most fell on the 20th. (SWE) Average rainfall for September is 2.69".
WEATHER RECORDS: No records set this month. Cold temps for the area was a 18 degree reading in 1942 and Big Falls recorded a 10 degree reading in 1930. On the warm side, St Cloud Recorded a balmy 106 degree temp in 1931 while Beardsley recorded 111 degrees in out-state MN. In 1926 10.72 inches of rain fell in our area in Sept and the most rainfall in a one day period occurred in 1985 when 3.62" fell. Now that we are in the SNOW SEASON, .2" fell in 1995 occurring on the 21st.
PHENOLOGY: Many of our birds and "critters" are either leaving or getting ready to do what is required for winter. My last sighting of a hummingbird was on the 19th and Dr. Ray Merritt reports that the last Oriole left on the 27th. While on the hummingbird subject - on the 9th I observed five sitting on a chain above a feeder and no less than eleven circling or feeding at one time. And, if you are paying attention, these little birds do make quite a bit of noise "peeping or chattering" at each other when feeding. Other "last" sightings were: Tree Swallows on the 8th, 17th one Mourning Cloak & one Red Admiral Butterfly, the 19th ushered in THE START OF THE POSSIBLE SNOW SEASON and on the 29th one Monarch Butterfly. Other observations include Jim Wainrights sighting of two Flickers, lot's and lot's of reddish dragon flys on the 5th, the "hooting" of the Great Horned Owl on the 8th was heard on the north end of Little Rock Lake. Emil Williams observed an albino oriole in his yard. The Sharp-shinned Hawk made several appearances here once colliding with our picture window leaving with no injuries. The bird was later observed sitting in our tree just above two of our bird feeders. Needless to say there were no birds in sight.
Fall also brought in dock and boat removal from LRL. Jim Larson was the first to remove his boat and lift on the 3rd. (Big exodus on the 6th of Oct.)
WATER FACT: A cubic mile of fog contains less than one gallon of water. Environmental Protection Agency - Sep MN Weatherguide Calender.
BIRD FACTS: Orioles migrate at night and hummingbirds migrate mostly in the day but will migrate at night. Jim Gilbert, WCCO Radio, 09 Sep 07.