Where will it be wettest and driest in the US this fall?

By John Roach, AccuWeather staff writer

Residents of several United States' cities may want to keep an umbrella or two handy this fall. That’s because rainfall in their area will be significantly above normal, according to AccuWeather meteorologists.

“When the cool air comes down out of the north, we may see a focus down along the southeast coast of Texas and Louisiana getting a little more active this season,” said AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok.

Houston and Little Rock, Arkansas, could see rainfall that’s 30% to 60% above normal this autumn, while Albuquerque, New Mexico, is forecast to receive 30% to 45% above normal.

Houston typically receives 14.16 inches of rain from September through November, Little Rock gets 13.37 inches and Albuquerque normally gets 2.67 inches. (It is worth noting that the averages and stats above are from meteorological fall – Sept. 1-Nov. 30 – as opposed to Sept. 23-Dec. 21.)

Rainfall already has been 31% above normal in Little Rock from May 1 to Aug. 4.

Two places where people shouldn’t worry if they lose their umbrellas this fall are Pendleton, Oregon, and Bangor, Maine, according to AccuWeather meteorologists.

“The Pacific Northwest and the Northwest, the Cascades and just east of the Cascades, I think that’s where the worst of the dryness and the heat is going to continue to go on,” said Pastelok.

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Rainfall in Pendleton is expected to be 30% to 40% below normal, while Bangor will see 40% to 50% below normal.

While it has been dry in Pendleton from May 1 through Aug. 4 -- with rainfall 35% below normal -- rainfall in Bangor during that span has been 26% above normal. That should change this fall, according to AccuWeather meteorologists.

The dryness shouldn’t be a significant problem since the continental U.S. recently notched its wettest 12-month period in recorded history, while also moving one step closer to being drought-free, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

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