PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
1012 AM MDT SAT OCT 1 2011

..WARM AND DRY SEPTEMBER...

A PERSISTENT RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE NORTHERN ROCKIES KEPT
OUR WEATHER WARM AND DRY FOR MOST OF SEPTEMBER. THERE WERE JUST A
FEW COOL DAYS EARLY IN THE MONTH AND AGAIN IN MID SEPTEMBER. THE
LAST WEEK AND A HALF OF SEPTEMBER WAS PARTICULARLY WARM...WITH
TEMPERATURES FREQUENTLY IN THE 80S TO LOWER 90S DURING A TIME WHEN
CONDITIONS TYPICALLY BEGIN TO TURN COOLER.

FROM SEPTEMBER 22 THROUGH THE 30TH...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE AT
THE BILLINGS AIRPORT WAS 68.2 DEGREES. THIS MAKES THE LAST 9 DAYS
OF THE MONTH THE WARMEST ON RECORD. MILES CITY WAS 4TH WARMEST AND
SHERIDAN 3RD WARMEST DURING THIS TIME PERIOD.

SEPTEMBER OF 2009 WAS ACTUALLY WARMER THAN 2011...BOTH IN TERMS OF
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE AND NUMBER OF VERY WARM DAYS. BILLINGS
OBSERVED 16 DAYS WITH A HIGH TEMPERATURE OF AT LEAST 80 DEGREES
THIS YEAR...BUT IN 2009 THERE WERE 19 SUCH DAYS. THE RECORD NUMBER
OF 80 DEGREE DAYS IN SEPTEMBER AT BILLINGS IS 22 IN 1938.

THE FOLLOWING TABLES ILLUSTRATE TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION
TOTALS AND RANKINGS FOR BILLINGS...MILES CITY AND SHERIDAN FOR THE
ENTIRE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER. TEMPERATURES ARE IN DEGREES FAHRENHEIT
AND PRECIPITATION IS IN INCHES. RECORDS GO BACK TO 1934 AT
BILLINGS...1937 AT MILES CITY...AND 1907 AT SHERIDAN.

..AVERAGE TEMPERATURES...

            2011          RANK              RECORD
BILLINGS    64.5    TIED 9TH WARMEST     67.2 IN 1938
MILES CITY  63.6    17TH WARMEST         69.4 IN 1998
SHERIDAN    60.8    TIED 15TH WARMEST    65.3 IN 1963


..TOTAL PRECIPITATION...

            2011          RANK              RECORD
BILLINGS    0.12       3RD DRIEST        0.06 IN 1964
MILES CITY  0.27    TIED 12TH DRIEST     TRACE IN 1960
SHERIDAN    0.12       6TH DRIEST        TRACE IN 1930