NATIONAL WEATHER SUMMARY

 

NOVEMBER 2014

 

1-8…Late in the week cold front introduced the coldest air of the season to the eastern half of the U.S. Ultimately, in early November, freezes ended the growing season deep into the Mid-South and Southeast. In addition, rain changed to snow in some areas from the Great Lakes region southward. Warmth, which had covered much of the nation early in the week, was eventually spread to the West. Weekly temperatures averaged at least 5F above normal in parts of the Southwest and Intermountain West, capping the warmest October on record in several Western locations. On November 1, daily record   snowfall totals were measured in Bristol, TN (1.1 inches); Jackson, KY (0.8 inch); and Flint, MI (0.6 inch), while

Columbia, SC—with a trace—reported its earliest first snowfall (previously, a trace on November 9, 1913).

Mild and generally dry weather covered most of the West. Record setting warmth pushed weekly temperatures at least 5F above normal in parts of the Northwest. Late season warmth also stretched eastward across the Plains. In fact, weekly temperatures averaged 5 to 10F above normal across the Plains, except for rain-affected areas from Texas to eastern Kansas. In contrast, near to below normal temperatures dominated the South, East, and lower Midwest. The coldest weather, relative to normal, covered the Southeast, where weekly temperatures averaged at least 5F below normal in many locations. The Southeast’s coldest weather occurred on November 2-3, when freezes were noted in most areas north of a line from central Louisiana to northern Florida. Early in the week, cold weather lingered across the Midwest and settled into the South and East. Daily record lows for November 2 dipped to 19F in Flint, MI; 22F in Toledo, OH; 23F in Frankfort, KY; 24F in Cape Girardeau, MO; 29F in Macon, GA; and 30F in Hattiesburg, MS. The following morning, Charlotte, NC, posted a daily-record low (24F) for November 3. Farther north, Portland, ME, noted the end its longest growing season on record: 196 days from April 21 – November 2. Meanwhile, record setting warmth developed in the Northwest, where daily record highs in Washington included 71F (on November 4) in Yakima and 72F (on November 5) in Walla Walla. After mid-week, warmth expanded broadly across the West, resulting in daily-record highs for November 6 in locations such as Santa Ana, CA (92F); Lewiston, ID (73F); and Missoula, MT (63F). A day later, Clayton, NM, logged a daily-record high (81F) for November 7. Highs on November 8 soared to daily record levels in California locations such as Elsinore (95°F) and Woodland Hills (94F).

 

9-15…Frigid air engulfed much of the central, eastern, and northwestern U.S., leaving only California and parts of the Southwest with warmer-than-normal weather. Weekly temperatures averaged 15 to 30F below normal across the northern and central Rockies and the northwestern half of the Plains. Sub-zero temperatures first arrived on the northern Plains on November 11 and lingered through week’s end. By November 13, readings below 0°F spread as far south as the central High Plains. Ultimately, only

California, the Desert Southwest, and areas from southern Texas to Florida escaped sub-freezing temperatures.  At week’s end, generally light snow spread from the Plains into the Midwest, while rain developed in the western Gulf Coast region. Early in the week, warmth lingered across the West. Daily record highs for November 9 included 84F in Palmdale, CA, and 76F in Reno, NV. The following day, record-setting highs for November 10 climbed to 84F in Las Vegas, NV, and 77F in Bullfrog, UT. Across the southern half of the Plains, a final day of warmth in advance of a strong cold front led to daily-record highs for November 10 in Childress, TX (87F), and Wichita, KS (77F). Similarly, brief warmth in the East led to a daily-record highs in Elkins, WV (76F on November 11), and Wallops Island, VA (71F on November 12). In stark contrast, frigid weather overspread most of the remainder of the country. In Wyoming, Casper, posted three consecutive daily record lows (-19, -27, and -26F) from November 11-13. Meanwhile in Montana, Livingston (-21F on

November 12) reported its earliest reading below -20F (previously, November 13, 1959). On November 13, monthly record lows included -28F in Worland, WY (previously, -26F on November 23, 1985), and -10F in Burlington, CO (previously, -8F on November 14, 1916).

With a low of -6F on November 13, Goodland, KS, experienced its earliest reading below -5°F (previously, November 26, 1952). Very cold conditions persisted and expanded as the week progressed. By November 14, record-setting lows included -19F in Havre, MT; -17F

in Aberdeen, SD; 14F in Fayetteville, AR; and 21F in Greenwood, MS. The week ended with daily-record lows for November 15 in locations such as Redmond, OR (-17F); St. Cloud, MN (-6F); and Parkersburg, WV (15F). With an average temperature of 17.8F (more than 20F below normal) from November 11-15, Grand Island, NE, reported its coldest 5-day period during the first half of November since November 2-6, 1991.

 

16-22…Unusually cold weather dominated the country, except along the Pacific Coast. The coldest weather blanketed the Midwest, where weekly temperatures ranged from 10 to 20F below normal. Subzero temperatures were noted across large sections of the Rockies, interior Northwest, and the Plains and upper Midwest. During the early to mid-week period, frigid conditions dominated the Northwest and many areas east of the Rockies. On November 16, temperatures plunged to daily-record levels in locations such as Laramie, WY (-20F); Redmond, OR (-19F); and Stanley, ID (-18F). In Nebraska, record-setting lows for November 16 included -5F in Norfolk and -3F in Grand Island. The following day, record lows for November 17 plunged to 3F in Garden City, KS; 5F in Dalhart, TX; and 8F in Roswell, NM. In the Northwest, Pendleton, OR (2, 4, and 4F), and Olympia, WA (16, 18, and 19F), opened the week with three consecutive daily record highs from November 16-18. Monthly record lows were attained on November 18 in Missouri locations such as Joplin (6F; previously, 7F on November 29, 1976) and Cape Girardeau (8F; tied 8F on November 29, 1976). With a low of 9F on November 18, Evansville, IN, reported its earliest reading below the 10-degree mark (previously, -1F on November 24, 1950). Farther west, daily record lows for November 18 dipped to -14F in Valentine, NE, and -1F in Pocatello, ID. By mid-week, cold air surged into the East, where record-setting lows for November 19 plummeted to 11F in Frankfort, KY; 12F in Charleston, WV; and 15F in Augusta, GA. The low in Augusta marked its earliest sub -20F reading (previously, 19F on November 21, 1951). During the latter half of the week, cold weather persisted from the Midwest into the East. In Florida, daily record lows for November 20 fell to 24F in Gainesville and Jacksonville. On the same date, record-breaking lows in Iowa included -2F in Mason City and 0F in Waterloo. Mason City set another record with a low of -3F on November 21, while other sub-zero, daily-record lows bottomed out at -8F in Rhinelander, WI, and -7F in St. Cloud, MN. In Chicago, IL, the temperature remained below 32F on 7 consecutive days from November 12-18, tying a November record set from November 24-30, 1903. Similarly, South Bend, IN, spent 9 days (November 13-21) at or below 32F, easily besting its November record of 5 such days set in 1898 and 1996. Early-week rain soaked the Southeast, while generally light snow fell from the southern Plains into the lower Midwest. Record-setting rainfall totals for November 16 climbed to 3.45 inches in Anniston, AL, and 3.20 inches in Jackson, MS. Meanwhile, daily record snowfall totals for November 16 included 3.4 inches in Ft. Wayne, IN; 2.5 inches in Oklahoma City, OK; and 1.8 inches in Wichita, KS.

 

23-30…Cold conditions eased in many parts of the country, but persisted in the north-central U.S. In fact, weekly temperatures averaged more than 10F above normal across the northern Intermountain West, but were at least 10F below normal in northwestern Minnesota and parts of North Dakota. Farther west, generally dry weather prevailed across the nation’s mid-section, accompanied by large temperature fluctuations. Elsewhere, dry weather from southern California to the southern Rockies contrasted with varying amounts of precipitation farther north. Early in the week, warmth briefly overspread the East in advance of a strong cold front. On November 23-24, Melbourne, FL, opened the week with consecutive daily record highs (86 and 88F, respectively). Other record setting highs for November 24 included 88F in Miami, FL; 83F in Savannah, GA; 74F in Washington, DC; and 72F in Syracuse, NY. Just 2 days later, Jamestown, ND, posted a daily record low (-25F) for November 26. Thanksgiving Day, November 27, featured another daily record low (-28F) in Jamestown, as well as Sisseton, SD (-15F), and Antigo, WI (-13F). With a low of -8F on November 27, Rochester, MN, experienced its second-lowest Thanksgiving temperature on record, behind -18F on November 30, 1893. By week’s end, cold air settled into the East, where Montpelier, VT (4F), collected a daily-record low for November 29. At the same time, another surge of bitterly cold air reached Montana, where Ennis logged a daily-record low (-18F on the 29th). In stark contrast, mid  to late week warmth expanded across the western and central U.S. In Portland, OR, consecutive daily record highs (63 and 62F, respectively) were noted on November 25-26. Similarly, November 26-27 featured consecutive daily record highs in southern California locations such as Long Beach (87 and 90F) and El Cajon (89 and 91F). In fact, Long Beach experienced its second-warmest Thanksgiving behind 91F on November 24, 1977. Elsewhere in southern California, November 27 was the warmest Thanksgiving Day on record in Woodland Hills (93F) and San Luis Obispo (82F). Toward week’s end, warmth rapidly spread across the Great Plains. In Nebraska, the week ended with consecutive daily record highs on November 28-29 in Hastings (74 and 80F) and Grand Island (70 and 78F). For Hastings, it was the first-ever observance of an 80F reading during the second half of November. Elsewhere, daily record highs included 87 F (on November 27) in Phoenix, AZ; 84F (on November 29) in Childress, TX; and 80F (on November 28) in Goodland, KS. In northern Texas, the week ended on November 28-29 with consecutive daily record highs in locations such as Amarillo (83F both days) and Borger (83 and 81F).


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



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