It’s State Fair time again, and we all know what that means.  Great food, great concerts and the end of Summer!  Or does it?

For right or wrong, it seems nearly everyone from the casual weather watcher to trained weather professionals correlate the State Fair with the end of nice, warm Summer weather.  I don’t necessarily agree with that premise, but I can see why.  The end of August into the first week of September (State Fair time) in Central New York can bring a wide variety of weather and temperatures as the seasons are starting to change.

By Labor Day, typically the last day of the State Fair, our daylight has decreased by nearly 2½ hours daily, from a maximum of 15 hours 23 minutes of daylight in June on the first day of Summer down to just under 13 hours of daylight by Labor Day. The later sunrise and the earlier sunset can certainly have a negative mood effect on us.  Our daily temperature averages have also decreased.  In the beginning of August, our average daily high temperature was 82 degrees. By Labor Day (depending on the exact date of Labor Day), our average daily high temperature has dropped to 75 degrees.

Also by Labor Day, temperature records are taking a hit too. Back in July and early August, our record high temperatures at Hancock Airport were generally all in the 93 degree to 100+ degree range. Now, come Labor Day, record highs are generally in the 90-95 degree range which means the hotter temperatures are that much harder to come by now.

The two hours less of daylight and cooler temperatures may seem to be a somewhat minor thing, but as the old saying goes “It all adds up!”  I’d say the best way to describe our weather through the 12 day run of the State Fair is changeable! Anything can happen and usually does!  Over the years, we’ve had our share of sunshine with blazing heat and sweltering humidity during the State Fair, and have also seen instances of a cold rain and even sleet, as I recall a number of years ago.  It is truly a battle of the air masses this time of year around these parts, and sometimes these battles can be devastating!  Recall the Labor Day Storm of 1998. That battle of air masses produced a monster batch of powerful thunderstorms that happened to roll right through the Fairgrounds. We have to always be on the alert for strong storms during the run of the Fair.

My point is, with or without the State Fair, around these parts, our weather pattern typically starts changing to a more Fall-like pattern around this time.  On the other hand, don’t totally count out another very warm or even hot day yet. Records show we’ve had numerous temperatures in the 90s through the entire month of September.  Will we have a few 90s this September?  The odds might be against it considering the generally cool pattern we’ve been in all summer, but we can’t totally rule it out yet!  Hey, there’s nothing wrong with a partly sunny day and highs in the 70s!