REGION 2-GENESEE 
Kevin C. Griffith 
61 Grandview Lane 
Rochester NY 14612 
The fall season did little to ease the overall lack of water. Generally 
speaking, everything was about average, but we were significantly 
behind to start the season. Statistically it was a very good season, but 
more on that later. September temperatures were 2.3°F above average at 
64.0°. The high was a very warn 87° on the 6th. The 3.41" of precipita¬ 
tion was about average, but the bulk fell on only three days: the 7th, 16th 
and 29th. The rest of the month totaled less than an inch. Possible effects 
of Hurricane Floyd were never felt. 
October was a typical autumn month. The average temperature of 
50.9° was just a scant amount (0.2°) cooler than usual. There were many 
crisp days and plenty of sunshine. The month finished with a taste of 
Indian Summer. The high of 78° was attained on the 13th and a high of 
77° was reached on the 30th. Precipitation totaled just over 2", which was 
0.32" below normal. The bulk of the rain fell during a two day period on 
the 13th and 14th, while the final 13 days of the month saw a total of less 
than 0.2". This monthly total kept surface soil moisture at a decent level, 
but the subsurface soil moisture continued to be low from the effects of 
the summer drought. 
November was for the most part mild. The average temperature of 
44.9° was 4.4° above normal. Only a single day, the 30th, maintained 
below freezing temps. The high of 71° on the 22nd tied the all time high 
for that date and kept the average up. Overall precipitation was 2.86", 
which was only slightly below normal. Once again the bulk fell in a lim¬ 
ited period, with over an inch on the 26th. Snowfall was 4.7", compared 
to the usual of about 6". The majority was focused on the 29th and 30th 
when the Region experienced some lake effect snows. The only really 
major weather story for the month was a storm that passed through the 
Region on 2 November, accompanied by 50-60 mph winds that caused 
considerable tree damage. 
It was a banner season for species. The total for September was 224. 
This is the highest total ever for a non-May month. Contributing factors 
included the quest for 300 species in the Region in 1999 undertaken by 
Dave Tetlow. Combine this with the consistent and effective coverage at 
the Kaiser-Manitou Beach Banding Station and the Yanty Creek Banding 
Station, under the direction of the Braddock Bay Bird Observatory, and 
50 The Kingbird 2000 March; 50(1) 
