September heat sets records for Louisiana

Last month was the warmest September on record for the state dating back to 1895.  State climatologist Barry Keim says after calculating a preliminary value for the entire state, the state exceeded the previous record by half a degree.

“It broke the previous statewide record average of 82.1 degrees, recorded in September of 1911, but the long-term average is 77.3 degrees and we were 82.6 degrees,” said Keim.

Keim says a city-by-city breakdown shows it was hot.

“New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lake Charles, Monroe, Shreveport.  Every single location had the warmest September on record, indicating that these excessive temperatures were everywhere and not just limited to one region.  This was a statewide phenomenon,” said Keim.

Keim credits the heat spike to a lack of cold front activity.

“No significant fronts have made it through the state for the entire month and by virtue of that, we had very little Canadian air pushed into the area and we also had a total lack of rain,” said Keim.