The daily weather log

Two large dust storms from South Australia filled the sky on the 23rd and 26th, reducing visibility to about 600 metres. (The dust was reported, with a photo, in the “Manilla Express” for 29/9/09.) There was a brown dust haze also on the 2nd, 13th, 14th, 16th, and 17th, and on three days in August and one in July..
The dust storms put an end to a week of very warm days and nights. The cooler air was dry, with Dew Points below zero.
On the 3rd 14.8 mm of rain fell, after 43 days without 5 mm of rain. Six rain days brought 34.2 mm for the month.

 Comparing September months

Mean temperatures were all about half a degree above normal, but not as high as in September 2006. The humidity (early morning Dew Point: 2.7°) was a little low, and the percentage of cloudy mornings (30%) a little high.
The rainfall total, 34 mm, is on the 47th percentile for September, very close to the median (37 mm). As a result, rainfall totals have improved. Serious shortages, below the 10th percentile, now affect only the 3-, 4-, 5-, and 6-month totals. The 5-month total (117 mm), being in the 5th percentile, could be called a severe shortage. Totals for longer periods are normal.

Data. Rainfall data is from Manilla Post Office, courtesy of Phil Pinch. Temperature and other data are from 3 Monash Street, Manilla.