NATIONAL WEATHER SUMMARY

 

NOVEMBER 2022

 

Oct. 30-Nov. 5: For the second week in a row, rain provided drought relief from the western Gulf Coast region and lower Mississippi Valley into the Great Lakes States. Two-week rainfall topped 5 inches from northeastern Texas into parts of the middle Mississippi Valley, while a much larger area received at least 2 inches. The rain resulted in modest river rises in the Mississippi Basin, although much of the precipitation initially went into replenishing topsoil moisture rather than running off. Another area of drought-easing precipitation extended inland from the Pacific Northwest to the northern Rockies. Northwestern precipitation helped to establish high-elevation snowpack. 

 

Colder weather in the West caused temperatures averaged at least 5°F below normal in numerous locations from California into the Southwest. In contrast, readings averaged 5 to 15°F above normal across much of the eastern half of the U.S., except in scattered areas across the Deep South. The warmest weather, relative to normal, covered the Midwest and Northeast. Temperatures rose to near the 80-degree mark as far north as the western Corn Belt, with 80°F readings also dotting the Ohio Valley. Temperatures topped 90°F in parts of southern Florida and southern Texas. In other areas of the country—including the East, Southwest, and High Plains.

 

In late October, daily-record highs were widely scattered across the central and eastern U.S. Marquette, MI, posted a record-setting high (66°F) on October 31, followed the next day in Fort Myers, FL, by a record-tying high of 91°F. In early November, warmth expanded across the Plains and Midwest. November began with consecutive daily-record highs in locations such as Duluth, MN (68 and 71°F), and Sioux Falls, SD (78 and 77°F). Elsewhere in South Dakota, Mobridge set a monthly record with a high of 80°F on the 2nd (previously, 78°F on November 2, 1917, and November 3, 2020). Green Bay tied a monthly record—previously achieved on November 8 and 9, 2020—with a high of 75°F on November 2. Unusual warmth also persisted in Florida, where Leesburg tied a monthly record with a high of 90°F on November 1. Fort Myers, FL, noted additional daily-record highs (92 and 91°F, respectively) on November 2-3. Southern Texas also experienced record-setting heat, with November 4 highs soaring to 96°F in Laredo and 93°F in Harlingen. By November 4, warmth in the South and Midwest led to daily-record highs in locations such as Alexandria, LA (88°F), and St. Louis, MO (83°F). Late in the week, warmth further intensified across the eastern U.S. On November 4-5, locations such as Montpelier, VT (72 and 74°F), and Millinocket, ME (71 and 72°F), closed the week with consecutive daily-record highs. Monthly records were established on the 5th in parts of northern New England, where highs in Maine climbed to 76°F in Augusta (previously, 74°F on November 4, 1990) and 75°F in Portland (previously, 74°F on November 7, 2020, and earlier dates). Daily-record highs for November 5 reached or exceeded the 80-degree mark in Eastern communities such as Alma, GA (86°F), and Lynchburg, VA (80°F). In contrast, spotty daily-record lows occurred in the West. In Arizona, sub-freezing, dailyrecord lows occurred on November 4 in Kingman (28°F) and Nogales (29°F). A day later in Utah, Marysvale collected a daily-record low (12°F on November 5).

 

6-12: Weekly temperatures averaged at least 10 to 20°F below normal from the northern Rockies to the western Dakotas. In fact, colder-than-normal conditions dominated the West, as well as the northern half of the Plains. In contrast, warmer-thannormal weather prevailed along and east of a line from Texas to Wisconsin. Temperatures averaged 10 to 15°F above normal in much of the eastern U.S. For much of the week, record-setting warmth dominated the South and East. Baton Rouge, LA, tied a monthly record with a high of 89°F on November 6. On the same date, temperatures soared to 80°F as far north as Syracuse, NY, and Morgantown, WV. For the first time on record in November, low temperatures (on the 6th) fell only to 65°F in Scranton, PA, and Boston, MA. Several monthly record highs were broken on November 7; among them: 89°F in Vicksburg, MS; 80°F in Islip, NY; and 79°F in Bridgeport, CT. New Orleans, LA (90°F on the 7th), achieved a 90-degree reading in November for the first time; previously, the latest observance of a 90-degree reading in that location had occurred on October 21, 1979. During the mid- to late-week period, a secondary surge of warmth occurred in advance of a strong cold front. By November 9, daily-record highs rose to 78°F in Burlington, CO, and Springfield, IL. Monthly record highs were established on November 10 in Michigan locations such as Alpena (78°F) and Gaylord (77°F). In southern Texas, highs in McAllen topped the 90-degree mark each day from November 6-11, with a daily-record high of 92°F occurring on the last day of the streak. Late in the week, sharply colder air arrived in the Midwest, while warmth lingered along the northern Atlantic Coast. On November 11-12, Portland, ME, closed the week with consecutive daily-record highs (69 and 73°F, respectively). In stark contrast, subzero temperatures occurred each day from November 7-12 in Havre, MT, highlighted by a reading of -18°F on the 11th.  In Glasgow, MT, a daily-record low of -15°F on November 10 was preceded and accompanied by 11.5 inches of snow, starting on the 8th. Other sub-zero, daily-record lows in Montana included -15°F (on the 8th) in Great Falls and -17°F (on the 11th) in Miles City.

 

As the week ended, a strong cold front delivered some snow from the southern Plains into the lower Midwest; daily-record amounts included 0.4 inch (on the 11th) in Oklahoma City, OK; 1.9 inches (on the 12th) in Dayton, OH; and 2.7 inches (on the 12th) in Indianapolis, IN.

 

13-19: Cold, dry weather prevailed nearly coast to coast, with a few exceptions. Notably, snow squalls developed downwind of the Great Lakes, especially east of Lakes Erie and Ontario, resulting in localized totals of 2 to 6 feet or more. In addition, precipitation fell in parts of the South, East, and Midwest, primarily during the first half of the week, although most liquid-equivalent totals were under 2 inches. Snow broadly blanketed the Midwest and interior Northeast, especially on November 15-16, although amounts were mostly light to moderately heavy.

 

Deep snow from a previous storm remained on the ground in much of Montana and North Dakota. As the week progressed, periods of rain occurred in the western Gulf Coast region. Elsewhere, negligible precipitation fell across the western half of the country. On the Plains, the combination of cold weather and soil moisture shortages maintained significant stress on rangeland, pastures, and winter wheat. Weekly temperatures averaged 10 to 20°F below normal nationwide, except in the Desert Southwest and along the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts. The coldest weather, relative to normal, gripped the Plains, mid-South, and northern Intermountain West. Lingering warmth was limited to southern Florida, where near- to slightly above-normal temperatures prevailed. With ongoing warmth in Florida, Miami posted a daily record-tying high of 88°F on November 13. Three days later, Florida’s record-tying highs for the 16th reached 87°F in Vero Beach and 85°F in Melbourne. In contrast, the latest cold wave surged southward. In Kansas, daily-record lows for November 15 dipped to 9°F in Russell and 13°F in Garden City. On the same date, Midland, TX, posted a daily recordtying low of 24°F. Bitterly cold air settled across the Northwest, where daily-record lows for November 17 included -16°F in Butte, MT; -11°F in Casper, WY; and -3°F in Burns, OR. On November 18-19, Big Piney, WY, closed the week with consecutive daily-record lows of -15°F. Other Northwestern locations reporting consecutive daily-record lows on November 18-19 were Eugene, OR (21 and 18°F); Olympia, WA (17 and 18°F); and Montana’s Bozeman Airport (-14 and -16°F). On the 18th, lows plunged to -22°F in Butte, MT, and -21°F at Lake Yellowstone, WY, while sub-zero, daily-record readings on the Plains included -7°F in Miles City, MT, and -2°F in Sidney, NE. In Kansas, recordsetting lows for November 19 plunged to 8°F in Garden City and 11°F in Medicine Lodge. With a low of 6°F, Cedar Rapids, IA, also posted a daily-record low for the 19th. Aside from early week precipitation across the South and East; snow squalls downwind of the Great Lakes; and rain in the western Gulf Coast region, significant storminess was scarce.

 

20-26: Precipitation briefly fell in parts of the East—mainly on November 25—and from the Pacific Northwest to the northern and central Rockies, while dry weather and the gradual return of near- or above-normal temperatures favored late-season harvest efforts across the northern Plains and much of the Midwest. Weekly temperatures averaged at least 5°F above normal in scattered locations across the northern Plains and southern Florida. Despite a very cold start to the week, near-normal temperatures prevailed in much of the Midwest. In contrast, readings averaged as least 5 to 10°F below normal across interior sections of the West, from areas east of the Cascades and Sierra Nevada to the western slopes of the Rockies. Readings also averaged more than 5°F below normal in northern New England and parts of the south-central U.S. Early in the week, frigid weather lingered nearly nationwide. In Missouri, Cape Girardeau collected consecutive daily-record lows (13 and 15°F, respectively) were established on November 19-20. Eugene, OR, also noted a pair of daily records (18 and 20°F, respectively) on those dates. Elsewhere on the 20th, daily-record lows included -7°F in Randolph, UT; 14°F in Dalhart, TX; 18°F in Oklahoma City, OK; 22°F in Baltimore, MD; and 23°F in Greenwood, MS. Maximum temperatures on November 20 remained below the 40-degree mark as far south as San Angelo, TX, where the high was 39°F. By November 21, lingering cold was mostly limited to the Northwest and East; in the latter region, dailyrecord lows dipped to 14°F in Jackson, TN, and 17°F in Parkersburg, WV. In Pocatello, ID, there were five consecutive single-digit readings from November 18 and 22, including a daily record-tying low of 5°F on the 21st. As the week progressed, chilly conditions lingered in California’s Central Valley, where Hanford reported freezes—with low temperatures ranging from 28 to 32°F— on 13 consecutive days from November 16-28. Stockton, CA, registered a daily-record low of 30°F on November 22. Two days later, however, Thanksgiving Day (the 24th) featured daily-record highs in near-coastal California locations such as Santa Rosa (72°F) and Napa (71°F). Warmth also intensified across Florida’s peninsula, where Vero Beach posted a daily record-tying high of 87°F on November 25. Miami, FL, closed the week with consecutive daily-record highs (88 and 87°F, respectively) on November 25-26. Meanwhile, returning warmth across the nation’s mid-section led to record-setting highs for November 26 in Sisseton, SD (61°F), and Marquette, MI (58°F). In contrast, chilly weather in Arizona produced daily-record lows for the 26th in Douglas (17°F) and Nogales (27°F).

 

Nov. 27-Dec. 3: The nation’s mid-section, including the parched central Plains, experienced dry weather, but significant precipitation fell in parts of the western and eastern U.S.

 

Elsewhere, mild weather across much of the South, East, and lower Midwest contrasted with chilly conditions in most areas from the Pacific Coast to the northern half of the Plains and upper Midwest. Weekly temperatures averaged more than 10°F below normal from Washington to western North Dakota, while readings averaged at least 5°F below normal in a broad area from the northern half of the Pacific Coast to the upper Midwest. In contrast, temperatures averaged at least 5°F above normal in many locations along and east of a line from eastern Texas to Michigan. Some of the warmest weather, relative to normal, occurred in the Northeast and the central Gulf Coast region. With critically dry weather continuing across the nation’s mid-section, parts of western Kansas remained at risk for experiencing record-low annual precipitation totals.

 

For much of the week, record-setting warmth lingered across the Deep South. From November 25-28, Miami, FL, reported four consecutive daily-record highs (88, 87, 89, and 88°F). On the 27th, several other locations in Florida, including Fort Lauderdale (88°F) and Vero Beach (87°F), also notched daily-record highs. Vero Beach tallied another daily-record high of 87°F on November 30. Meanwhile, warmth became re-established in the western Gulf Coast States, where record-setting highs for November 29 soared to 84°F in College Station, TX, and Baton Rouge, LA. Additional daily-record highs were established across the South on December 3, with highs reaching 80°F in Alma, GA, and Mobile, AL. Conversely, cold weather gripped the northern Plains and much of the West. Lake Yellowstone, WY, registered a low of -15°F on November 29, followed by significant snow (liquid equivalency of 1.49 inches) from November 30 – December 2. On the first day of December, Bellingham, WA, observed a daily-record low of 17°F. December 2 featured sub-zero, daily-record lows in locations such as Big Piney, WY (-11°F), and South Lake Tahoe, CA (-7°F). Elsewhere in California, Alturas registered consecutive daily-record lows (-3 and -1°F, respectively) on December 2-3.<

 

 

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