9:39PM: This is a pretty incredible look at the before and after of Helene, from space. (First seen at NPR)
Forecaster of the Month: September
September is going to go down as one of the most historic months in American history, starting basically with the heat that has gripped much of the country. It was the warmest September on record for many locations. But memories will be leant to Hurricane Helene, and the victims throughout the southern Appalachians who saw their lives and livelihoods washed away.
The day to day weather doesn’t always seem extraordinary, but it does affect our every day life even outside of the headlines. It’s important to get it right everywhere, and the outlet that could claim that tile in September was The Weather Channel, who seriously clobbered the rest of the competition, securing the win in 3 out of the 7 forecasts.
| Outlet | Forecast Wins (year) |
| The Weather Channel | 14.15 |
| Victoria-Weather | 8.48 |
| WeatherNation | 5.83 |
| Accuweather | 4.16 |
| Clime | 3.5 |
| National Weather Service | 3.32 |
| Weatherbug | 2.33 |
Forecasts CAN be too warm
It’s important to remember as we finally seem to be departing the summer, that sometimes, temperatures end up colder than we expect. That was the case in Glens Falls towards the end of September. Temperatures were a few degrees colder than every outlet’s high temperature forecast on the 24th and 25th, respectively, and the low was on the cold end of the low temperature forecasts as well. This is something to remember as we approach fall. It’s not summer all the time. The Weather Channel had the top forecast for the day.
Actuals: September 24th, High 68, Low 43
September 25th, .42″ of rain, High 58, Low 51
Grade: B-C
Updates 10/3
12:43AM I should note that at this time, not only are there no storm warnings, but there are also no flood warnings. Right now, every terrible headline that comes out of western North Carolina comes with the small positive notion that we are hearing them because another corner of the state is reconnecting with the outside world. Not everywhere is back online yet, though, so there are still more days ahead with more bad news to come.