The Akron-Canton area posted high temperatures and precipitation that went into the top 10 list for September.
Unofficial data from the National Weather Service in Cleveland show that the average temperature at the Akron-Canton Airport was 68.9 degrees, or 5.8 degrees above normal and the fourth-hottest on record.
That’s right behind September 2015, which is third-highest at 69.3 degrees.
Heavy rains in the past week resulted in 6.54 inches of precipitation for the month, about 50 percent above normal and likely placing September as sixth-wettest.
The September heat followed record heat in August, when Akron-Canton posted an all-time high that was 6.2 degrees above normal. And the summer months of June through August were the hottest since records were first kept in 1887, according to the weather service.
Headed into October, the warm trend is forecast to continue. With highs in the low 70s and lows in the 50s, the average temperature will continue about 5 degrees above normal, according to the weather service.
But all these balmy days could lead to a bunch of snow this winter.
One of the biggest factors in Northeast Ohio winter weather — Lake Erie — is headed into October at about 3 degrees above normal at the Cleveland station. A warmer lake produces more precipitation during the winter.
As an example of lake effect, the Akron-Canton area has recorded four of the last 10 winters in the top 10 list for snowfall.
The heat is a trend. In 2012, the Akron-Canton Airport recorded its hottest year ever. Last year made it into the books as the seventh hottest.
Last week, climate-change scientists warned that a recent international accord to restrict greenhouse gases will fall far short of goals to limit global warming. Their study shows that in 35 years warming may reach a dangerous level that will result in catastrophic weather.