For those who chose to do outdoor activities in the fall, September cooperated for the most part with the warmest September on record statewide.
September 2015 was the warmest September on record for the state of Minnesota, with records going back to 1895. The preliminary statewide average temperature was 65.1 degrees or 5.8 degrees above the 1981-2010 normal. The old record was 63.0 degrees in September 1897. The warm September was mainly driven by warm overnight minimum temperatures.
The overall weather pattern for September was summer-like with winds favoring warm, moist air from the south and few Canadian cold fronts. Fall penology for leaf color was delayed about a week.
Below is a table showing how individual cities ranked for average temperatures in September 2015.
City Ave Dep from Rank Temp Normal -------------------------------------- Twin Cities 67.9 +5.9 4th warmest St. Cloud 64.8 +6.2 4th warmest Duluth 61.5 +5.9 warmest Int. Falls 59.0 +5.4 5th warmest Rochester 66.2 +5.3 2nd warmest La Crosse 69.3 +6.5 warmest Sioux Falls 67.1 +5.8 3rd warmest (tie) Fargo 65.6 +6.5 warmest