NATIONAL STORM SUMMARY

NOVEMBER 2023

Oct. 29-Nov. 4: Shower activity in the vicinity of a strong cold front diminished early in the week, although localized totals of 1 to 2 inches or more were observed in late October from parts of Texas to New England.

Precipitation was especially heavy from the Cascades westward, although periods of snow blanketed higher elevations of the northern Rockies.

Meanwhile, snow blanketed the central Rockies and adjacent High Plains, with October 28-29 totals in Colorado reaching 8.3 inches in Colorado Springs and 7.5 inches in Denver. Farther east, early-week downpours in the mid-South resulted in daily-record totals for October 29 topping 2 inches in Arkansas locations such as Mount Ida (3.07 inches), Fort Smith (2.76 inches), and Jonesboro (2.25 inches). Farther north, patchy snow in the Great Lakes and Northeastern States produced daily-record totals for October 30 in Caribou, ME (3.3 inches) and Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN (0.9 inch). An additional 1.8 inches fell in Minneapolis-St. Paul on the 31st. Elsewhere, it was the snowiest October 31 on record in parts of the Great Lakes region, including Muskegon, MI (8.8 inches), and Appleton, WI (4.5 inches). For Muskegon, it was also the snowiest October day on record, surpassing 4.7 inches on October 27, 1967. During the second half of the week, the focus for precipitation shifted to the Northwest, where Bellingham, WA, collected a record-setting sum (1.46 inches) for November 2. Additional Northwestern daily records (for November 4) included 0.90 inch in Dallesport, WA, and 0.70 inch in Pendleton, OR. Elsewhere in Oregon, Roseburg’s 2.14-inch total on the 4th represented the wettest November day in that location since November 20, 2012, when 2.19 inches fell.

5-11: With much of the country experiencing dry weather, precipitation highlights were scarce. In the Great Lakes region, however, Sault Ste. Marie, MI, netted a daily-record total of 1.13 inches on November 6. Two days later, another round of precipitation near the Great Lakes led to record-setting amounts for the 8th in Appleton, WI (1.55 inches), and Muskegon, MI (0.94 inch). Marquette, MI, received 3.5 inches of snow from November 6- 8, while Sault Ste. Marie measured 1.7 inches. Meanwhile, measurable precipitation fell on each of the first 11 days of November in parts of the Pacific Northwest, including Quillayute, where rainfall during that time totaled 10.03 inches. Elsewhere in western Washington, November 1-11 rainfall reached 7.02 inches in Hoquiam, 4.96 inches in Olympia, and 4.78 inches in Seattle. Late in the week, rainfall increased across the Deep South, where Harlingen, TX, reported a daily-record total (1.57 inches) for November 10.

12-18: Precipitation was mostly confined to the fringes of the country—across the Deep South and from the Ohio Valley into the Northeast. However, parts of Florida’s peninsula received excessive rainfall (4 to 10 inches or more), as a non-tropical storm system grazed the region. During the mid- to lateweek period, precipitation gradually increased across the West, with the highest totals in portions of the Pacific Coast States.

heavy snow fell. In Wyoming, November 23-24 snowfall included 8.5 inches in Cheyenne, 10.5 inches in Casper, and 22.9 inches in Lander. Much of Lander’s snow, 18.8 inches, fell on November 23, Thanksgiving Day, becoming the ninth-snowiest day on record in that location. It was also Lander’s snowiest November day since 1985, when 20.7 inches fell on the 13th. Snow extended to other Northwestern locations, with Pocatello, ID, reporting daily-record snowfall totals of 4.9 and 5.5 inches, respectively, on November 19 and 23. By November 24, snow began to spread across the central Plains, where North Platte, NE, measured a daily-record sum of 4.4 inches. The following day in Kansas, snowfall records for the 25th included 7.8 inches in Wichita, 6.3 inches in Topeka, and 5.3 inches in Dodge City. For Wichita, a November snowfall total exceeding one-half foot has occurred in November only six other times: 1888, 1906, 1951, 1952, 1984, and 1987, with a monthly maximum value of 9.0 inches in 1888. Farther east, heavy rain erupted across parts of the southern and eastern U.S. from November 20-22. McComb, MS, collected a daily-record rainfall of 3.06 inches on the 20th, the same day more than a dozen tornadoes were spotted in the central Gulf Coast States. By November 21, daily-record rainfall topped 2 inches in locations such as Harrisburg, PA (2.31 inches); Martinsburg, WV (2.27 inches); Roanoke, VA (2.23 inches); and Gulfport, MS (2.21 inches). The rainfall effectively ended the Eastern wildfire season, shortly after the Matts Creek Fire near Big Island, VA, grew to more than 11,000 acres. On November 22, lingering downpours along the Atlantic Coast resulted in daily-record rainfall totals in Wilmington, NC (2.56 inches), and Bridgeport, CT (2.37 inches). At the height of the storm, on November 21, daily-record precipitation totals extended as far west as Michigan, where Lansing netted 0.92 inch. In some Northern areas, precipitation fell as wet snow, with Worcester, MA, collecting 2.8 inches on November 21-22, prior to a transition to freezing rain and rain.

Nov. 26-Dec. 2: Heavy precipitation developed in late November or early December in several areas, including the Pacific Northwest and the drought-affected Gulf Coast region. Precipitation extended as far north as the southern and eastern upper Midwest which completed a very dry November, with some locations reporting recordlow monthly totals.

Wyoming, Lander’s four consecutive lows of -1°F (from November 26-29) followed 22.9 inches of snow on November 23-24. Farther east, snow dusted parts of the Midwest on November 25-26. In Iowa, 2-day snowfall totals included 2.6 inches in Des Moines and 2.1 inches in Waterloo.

rain drenched parts of the eastern U.S. Recordsetting precipitation totals for November 26 included 2.28 inches in Jacksonville, FL, and 0.84 inch in Scranton, PA. On the 27th, Bangor, ME, reported rainfall totaling 0.94 inch, accompanied by a south-southeasterly wind gust to 60 mph. Meanwhile, snow squalls developed downwind of the Great Lakes. Sault Ste. Marie, MI, received at least an inch of snow each day from November 26-29, totaling 17.6 inches. The bulk of Sault Ste. Marie’s snow, 11.7 inches, fell on the 27th. By mid-week, precipitation developed in several areas, including the western Gulf Coast region and areas along the West Coast. On November 29, Harlingen, TX, netted a daily-record sum of 1.09 inches. On the last day of November, rain continued along the Gulf Coast and spread across the mid-South and lower Midwest. Galveston, TX, collected a record-setting total (3.93 inches) for the 30th, along with Little Rock, AR (2.23 inches). Windy weather trailed the heavy rain in Harlingen, where a southerly gust to 58 mph was reported on November 30. As downpours shifted eastward along and near the Gulf Coast, Lafayette, LA (6.56 inches on the 1st), endured its second-wettest December day on record, behind only 7.10 inches on New Year’s Eve 1933. Daily-record amounts in Louisiana on December 1 reached 5.54 inches in New Iberia and 2.53 inches in New Orleans. An additional 2.76 inches in New Orleans on December 2 boosted the city’s 2-day total to 5.29 inches. Similarly, Gulfport, MS, measured 6.23 inches on December 1-2, aided by a 5.65-inch sum on the latter date. For Gulfport, it was the wettest December day since 1994, when 5.80 inches fell on the 3rd. At week’s end, precipitation— mostly rain—was widespread across the eastern one-third of the U.S., while periods of stormy weather affected the Northwest and Intermountain West. On December 2, daily-record totals topped the 2-inch mark in locations such as Mobile, AL (3.10 inches), and Knoxville, TN (2.26 inches). Meanwhile, Spokane, WA, received 5.6 inches of snow from November 30 – December 2. In Utah, Alta received more snow during the first 4 days of December—36.3 inches—than during all of November, when the total of 35.2 inches was 65 percent of normal.

Jim G. Munley, jr.
http://www.jimmunleywx.com