September 2024 Forecast—Plus, the Labor Day Weather

September 2024 Weather

Looking at September as a whole, we foresee near- to above-average temperatures across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. Below-average temperatures are expected from the Great Lakes and Appalachians southward to the Southeast. Much of the Plains and Midwest will be on the warmer side, while Texas and Oklahoma will see a few shots of cooler, less humid air. The western United States will experience above-average temperatures for the most part, including Alaska and Hawaii. In Canada, temperatures will be near average across southern Quebec and the Maritimes, with above-average temperatures across most of the rest of the country.

Much of the eastern third of the United States will see near- to above-average rainfall this month. Drier-than-average conditions are forecast from the Midwest and the Plains through a good part of the West. Near- to below-average precipitation is expected across Alaska and Hawaii. In Canada, rainfall will be near to above average from southern Ontario eastward to the Maritimes. The Prairies and southwestern British Columbia will be on the drier side, while parts of the Yukon and the Northwest Territories will see above-average precipitation.

What about the rest of the fall? Read our Autumn Weather Forecast to see what’s headed your way!

September Holidays: Labor Day Weather

The unofficial end of summer, Labor Day, which falls on September 2 this year, looks pleasant with some sunshine for much of the United States east of the Mississippi, which means great weather for folks there planning to travel or enjoy late-summer barbecues. A couple of showers will form in northern New England, while a few spotty thunderstorms will pop up in Florida and parts of the Southeast. Expect isolated thunderstorms across the Plains and Intermountain West. In the West, Labor Day will be warm, with a few showers in the Pacific Northwest and a good deal of sunshine across the Southwest. It also looks mild across Alaska, with a bit of rain across the panhandle but sunshine elsewhere.

Labour Day in Canada will see a tropical storm threat in the Maritimes, with scattered showers across southern Quebec and southern Ontario. Periods of rain will be found in the Prairies and from British Columbia to the Yukon.

The official arrival of autumn on the Autumn Equinox on September 22 will start with rainy periods along the East Coast, with even a few thunderstorms across the Southeast. Sunshine will accentuate the early hints of fall foliage from the Great Lakes to the Upper Midwest. Outside of a few isolated showers and thunderstorms, much of the Plains and Intermountain West will be dry. 

Autumn will begin on a toasty note along the West Coast, with sunshine much of the time, while some snowflakes may be in the air across northern Alaska. Throughout Canada, there will be pockets of showers from Atlantic Canada to southern Ontario, while it will be mostly dry and quite warm in the Prairies. Rainy periods are likely from southern British Columbia to the Yukon, while several snowflakes could fly in parts of the Northwest Territories.

See our October 2024 weather forecast.

Winter is Coming

With autumn arriving, it’s time to start looking ahead to the upcoming winter. Last winter’s El Niño is starting to shift more toward a neutral condition. There is an 80% to 90% chance that there will be a La Niña by this coming winter, although there are still some questions as to whether this will be a weak or a moderate La Niña. The lower stratosphere Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (QBO) should be westerly through the winter, which, when combined with high solar activity, will likely allow the polar vortex to weaken and shift occasionally. This shifting could produce some cold shots across North America (at least more than the minimal cold shots last winter), even if the overall pattern is still on the warmer side.

What’s in store for winter?
Here at The Old Farmer’s Almanac, we specialize in predicting long-range weather. See what we’re thinking as we look ahead to the winter season.