According to today's Weather and Crop Bulletin report of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), downpours were brief and largely limited to Florida’s peninsula and portions of the Great Lakes region. Scattered showers affected several other areas, including the East, Great Basin, Intermountain West, and central Plains.
Across much of the remainder of the country, dry weather favored fieldwork but further reduced soil moisture for the germination and establishment of recently planted winter grains.
Extended periods of sunny weather also promoted maturation of summer crops, including Midwestern corn and soybeans. Meanwhile, in California and the Northwest, cooler, more humid conditions aided wildfire containment efforts.
Milwaukee, WI, experienced its wettest September day on record, with 4.78 inches on the 11th (previously, 4.32 inches on September 8, 1941). Midwestern and Northeastern daily-record totals topped the 2-inch mark in several locations, including Madison, WI (2.18 inches on the 11th), and Burlington, VT (2.56 inches on the 12th).
For the full USDA report for Sept. 20, click here.