Here in Buffalo, the term “fall is elite” has really gained a lot of steam over the past few years. Let’s find out if fall is truly “elite” and if so, what makes it “elite.”
For this, we’ll look at the climate data for the months of September, October and November. Those three months make up meteorological fall.
For the month of September, we have a daily average high of 71.1 degrees and average low of 53.4 degrees. When it comes to temperatures, September is truly a Goldilocks month, not too hot and not too cold.
October has a daily average high of 59.0 degrees and low of 42.7 degrees. The average high for October is 12.1 degrees colder than that of September, making it the largest such drop from month to month. In other words, it starts getting cold quickly.
November has an average high of 47.6 degrees and low of 33.9 degrees. By November, we’re out of the Goldilocks temperature zone as colder air takes hold.
One category that puts a few dents in that "elite" territory is precipitation.
On average, September is the second-wettest month of the year with 3.90 inches. October is the fifth-wettest with 3.52 inches. November is our wettest month on the calendar with on average 4.01 inches of precipitation.
One potential argument for elite status is the number of rainy days. September has the third-fewest days of at least seeing 0.1 inch of precipitation, with July and August being the only two months ahead in that category.
However, since it's also our second-wettest month, this means on those rainy days we typically see a lot. September is #1 for average number of days of at least an inch of precipitation. It comes down to this: would you rather have rain spread out over several days, or a few days here and there resulting in more sun-filled days? I think I know the answer.
With colder temperatures in October and November, and November being the wettest month of the year, it's safe to say “fall is not elite” strictly on a weather point of view.
Now, a case can certainly be made for “September is elite.” The combo of Goldilocks temperatures and number of dry days results in some great outdoor weather.
Throw in leaves changing colors but not fallen yet, the start of Buffalo Bills game day Sundays (of course followed by victory Mondays), Friday night lights, apple and pumpkin picking, weekend campfires, hoodie and shorts, kids starting off a fresh school year...
Yup, Green Day was wrong, because here in Buffalo, “September is elite!”
