Is September a worse month than August?

We're halfway through September and the weather outside is still miserably hot. As much as the month of September is popularly associated with the beginning of fall, those of us who've lived in Houston for any length of time know otherwise. In fact, Eric Berger and Matt Lanza are having a debate over at Space City Weather as to which month is actually worse:

Matt and I routinely debate whether August or September is the worst month in Houston. I say August because it is guaranteed to be sizzling hot, and there is no hope for respite. Matt argues that September is worse because it holds the false promise of fall, when it fact the region typically does not experience meaningful cooling until October.

Berger concedes that this September, at least, is making a good case for Matt's position, as temperatures are hotter than normal and there's really no relief in sight, a chance at drier (but not necessarily cooler) air reaching Houston this weekend notwithstanding. Eric maintains that September is still the better month, due to "the slightly cooler daytime highs, and with shorter days the evenings cool off a little faster. But September is definitely not fall in Houston."

The truth is, a Houston summer runs from early-to-mid may to sometime in October, and while I agree with Eric that August is truly the worst month of the summer, September really isn't all that much better. There may be psychological forces in play - Labor Day, the start of football season, the September equinox marking the first day of astronomical fall - that cause us to expect September to be more "fall-like" than it actually is. That, in turn, causes frustration when the cooler weather we're expecting never materializes.

One thing my ears have noticed over the last few days is that the nighthawks - the nocturnal birds with the "meent" vocalizations whose appearance in our skies in late April or early May is a true harbinger of summer - seem to have disappeared. This means they've likely begun their migration southward because the change of seasons is indeed upon us.

Hopefully and eventually.