Sales of rubber boots, rain coats and umbrellas must be at an all time low in Chilliwack as the city experienced the driest September in more than 133 years.

And last month was the driest August in 82 years, according to Roger Pannett, volunteer weather observer for Environment Canada.

The two-month period of dry weather has led the City of Chilliwack to postpone its fall burning season until the area sees some rain.

But with no precipitation on the horizon, Chilliwack Fire Department assistant fire chief Ian Josephson says the burn season isn't expected to start soon.

"We check the weather forecast pretty much every day . . . and right now we don't see any precipitation for the next two weeks at least," he said. "We're not going to change the ban until we get more moisture in the ground."

Josephson said he couldn't remember a drier fall in the Lower Mainland.

"If anybody throws a cigarette butt out the window or lights anything on fire-especially in the hillside area-the fire's going to start real quick and it's going to spread fire," he said. "It's very, very dry."

Josephson said the burning season, when it does eventually begin, will likely be extended to make up for the delay.

Last month saw just 6.6 millimetres (mm) of rain, all of which fell overnight Sept. 10 and 11. That compares to the 30-year average of 112.7 mm for September.

August has a 30-year average of a much lower 64.8 mm, but this past August saw just 1.2 mm.

"Since July 23, the last day of significant rainfall in Chilliwack, a persistent and resilient ridge of high pressure has been the predominant weather feature," Pannett wrote in his monthly weather report.

With just 7.8 mm in August and September, it was the driest period since records began being kept in 1879.

The previous lowest rainfall for the same period was 31.5 mm in 1915.

Two maximum temperature records were broken in September with the 31.8 C on Sept. 8 and the 30.5 C on Sept. 17.

Chilliwack has experienced the 12th consecutive summer with above-normal mean temperature records.