Last month was the driest September on record in Punta Gorda and other parts of Charlotte County.

According to both NOAA and the National Weather Service, the official reporting station at the airport picked up just .93 inches of rain all month. Normally, Punta Gorda’s rain totals are pushing 7 and a half inches.

The weather authorities say beat the previous record by more than a third of an inch. That was set back in 1978.