NATIONAL WEATHER SUMMARY

NOVEMBER 2023

Oct. 29-Nov. 4: Dry weather persisted, however, in much of the Southeast, where worsening drought favored fieldwork but hampered the emergence and establishment of recently planted winter grains and cover crops. Dry weather also covered large sections of the Plains and upper Midwest.

Dry weather also stretched from California to the central and southern Rockies, while showery weather unfolded from the Pacific Northwest to the northern Rockies.

Weekly temperatures averaged at least 10°F below normal across portions of the nation’s mid-section. Some of the coldest weather, relative to normal, stretched from eastern Montana to northern Minnesota. In contrast, warmer-than-normal weather covered parts of the Far West, especially near the Pacific Coast and across northern California and western Oregon. Numerous daily-record lows were set or tied during the final days of October across the Plains, Midwest, and Northwest. October 29 featured daily records in Winnemucca, NV (7°F); Burlington, CO (9°F); Provo, UT (12°F); and Montague, CA (16°F). On the High Plains, record-setting lows for October 30 dipped to 1°F in Sidney, NE; 7°F in Yuma, CO; and 11°F in Garden City, KS. In Missouri, VichyRolla tallied a trio of daily-record lows (22, 22, and 19°F) from October 30 – November 1. Farther north, daily-record lows on October 31 included -4°F in Dickinson, ND, and 5°F in Hibbing, MN. Another daily record (4°F) occurred in Hibbing on November 1. In fact, November began with a slew of daily-record lows in the central and eastern U.S., including two in a row in Macon, GA (31 and 26°F); Parkersburg, WV (26 and 23°F); Bristol, TN (26 and 21°F); and Lynchburg, VA (25 and 21°F). Similarly, a pair of daily-record lows occurred on November 2-3 in Danville, VA (23 and 24°F), and Martinsburg, WV (20 and 21°F). Farther west, Midwestern dailyrecord lows below the 20-degree mark occurred on November 1 in locations such as St. Joseph, MO (15°F); Appleton, WI (16°F); and Ottumwa, IA (17°F). Earlier, a few sub-zero readings had been observed in late October across the north-central U.S. including eastern Montana and western North Dakota. Dickinson, ND, reported minimum temperatures below the 10-degree mark on 5 of the last 6 days of October, including a daily-record low of -4°F on the 31st. In contrast, the month ended with lingering warmth in the Southeast, with a pair of daily-record highs occurring on October 29-30 in Richmond, VA (86°F both days), and Charleston, SC (85°F both days). By October 31, heat retreated into southern Florida, where daily-record highs surged to 91°F in Miami and 90°F in Fort Lauderdale. In early November, warmth developed along the Pacific Coast, resulting in daily-record highs in Oceanside, CA (85°F on the 1st), and Portland, OR (68°F on the 2nd). Subsequently, record-setting warmth spread across the southern High Plains, including the northern panhandle of Texas, where highs for November 3 rose to 84°F in Borger and 82°F in Dalhart. As warmer weather arrived in southern California, gusty winds contributed to several wildfires rapidly spreading. Southwest of Palm Springs, CA, the Highland Fire—which started on October 30 and was fully contained by November 6—charred nearly 2,500 acres of vegetation. That fire and several others in southern California were fanned by October 29-30 winds as high as 60 to 80 mph, with a gust to 79 mph reported in Arrowhead Springs on the evening of the 29th.

5-11: Precipitation was focused across a few geographic areas, including the Northwest, South, and portions of the Great Lakes region. In other parts of the country, mild, dry weather prevailed.

Southern rainfall coverage was spotty, with many areas receiving only light showers. Elsewhere, Northwestern precipitation was heaviest from the Cascades westward, although key agricultural areas farther inland received some moisture. Northwestern snow was mostly limited to high-elevation sites. With warmth returning across much of the country, weekly temperatures averaged at least 10°F above normal in scattered locations from the southeastern Plains into the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys. Temperatures topped 80°F as far north as the central Plains, lower Ohio Valley, and middle Atlantic States. Goodland, KS, tied a monthly record with a high temperature of 87°F on November 7. Readings occasionally topped the 90-degree mark in a few areas, including parts of the southern Plains and the Desert Southwest. Borger, TX, set a monthly record with a high of 91°F on November 7. The following day, Abilene, TX, also achieved a monthly standard with a temperature of 93°F. Meanwhile, daily-record highs temperatures were set in dozens of locations across a broad area, starting early in the week in the Southwest. For example, recordsetting highs for November 5 surged to 94°F in Tucson, AZ, and 89°F in Barstow-Daggett, CA. The following day, warmth surged across the mid-South, with daily-record highs for November 6 surpassing the 80-degree mark in locations such as Russellville, AR (85°F), and Memphis, TN (81°F). The following day, Memphis attained 83°F, another daily record. Elsewhere on the 7th, Tucson attained the 90-degree mark for the fourth consecutive day (90, 94, 92, and 91°F), while daily-record highs climbed to 89°F in Midland, TX; Lawton, OK; and Roswell, NM. Farther east, record-setting highs for the 7th rose to 84°F in Joplin, MO, and 83°F in Chattanooga, TN. November 8 featured a final day of record-setting warmth as far north as the Ohio Valley, with daily-record highs reaching 84°F in Memphis—a third consecutive record—along with 84°F in St. Louis, MO; 83°F in Louisville, KY; and 82°F in Evansville, IN. Lawton, OK, topped its earlier reading with a November 8 high of 90°F, while Greenville, MS, tied a monthly record with a reading of 88°F. During the second half of the week, lingering warmth was confined to the East—and eventually, Florida. On November 9, daily-record highs surged to 83°F in Richmond, VA, and Raleigh-Durham, NC. On November 10-11, Florida locations such as Miami (89°F both days) and Gainesville (87 and 89°F, respectively) closed the week with consecutive daily-record highs. Elsewhere in Florida, November 11 highs of 91°F in Brooksville, Fort Myers, and Punta Gorda were records for the date. In contrast, a mid- to late-week chill settled across the Far West, including southern California, where daily-record lows for November 10 dipped to 24°F in Ramona and 44°F in San Diego.

12-18: For the second week in a row, near- or abovenormal temperatures prevailed nearly nationwide. Temperatures broadly averaged at least 10°F above normal across the northern half of the Plains and the upper Midwest. Readings averaged more than 5°F in a much larger area stretching from the Great Basin and Intermountain West to the northern and central Plains and the Midwest, as well as portions of the Southeast. Elsewhere, near- or slightly below-normal temperatures were limited to a few areas, including parts of southern California, southern Texas, the Northeast, and the Pacific Northwest. Early-week warmth was focused across southern Florida, where daily-record highs on November 12 included 92°F in Punta Gorda and 89°F in Naples. A few days later, a late-season warm spell developed across the nation’s mid-section. By November 14, International Falls, MN, posted a daily-record high of 58°F. Midwestern warmth generally peaked on November 16, when daily-record highs surged to 70°F in Eau Claire, WI; 69°F in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN; and 65°F in Pellston, MI. Warm weather extended to other regions, with daily records for the 16th reaching 78°F in Huntsville, AL, and 63°F in Ontario, OR. Late in the week, lingering warmth across the Deep South led to a dailyrecord high of 83°F (on November 18) in El Paso, TX.

November 13-16 totals in southern Florida reached 12.47 inches in North Fort Lauderdale; 10.76 inches in Fort Lauderdale; 10.26 inches in Pembroke Pines; 9.89 inches in Opa Locka; and 8.84 inches in Miami. For all those locations, the heaviest rain fell on November 15, with Miami reporting 7.53 inches. That represented the wettest November day in Miami since November 18, 1992, when 7.56 inches fell. It was also Miami’s wettest day during any time of year since May 22, 2012, when rainfall totaled 9.70 inches. Meanwhile, Marathon, FL—with 6.68 inches on the 15th—experienced its wettest November day on record (previously, 4.58 inches on November 14, 1954). Significant winds accompanied Florida’s rain, with gusts on November 16 clocked to 57 mph in West Palm Beach; 51 mph in Fort Lauderdale; and 48 mph in Miami. Early on the 16th, an unofficial gust to 86 mph was recorded at Carysfort Reef Light, about 8 miles east-southeast of North Key Largo, FL. Florida’s rain eventually shifted northward, with Fort Pierce noting a daily-record sum (4.33 inches) for November 16. Fort Pierce collected another recordsetting total, 2.37 inches, on November 17. Farther west, heavy rain lingered early in the week across southern Texas, where recordsetting totals for November 12 included 1.70 inches in Corpus Christi and 1.32 inches in McAllen. November 9-13 rainfall topped 4 inches in southern Texas locations such as Port Isabel (4.35 inches) and Brownsville (4.31 inches). By mid-week, precipitation arrived in parts of the West. In Montana, Chinook reported precipitation totaling 0.40 inch, including 2.0 inches of snow, in a 24-hour period on November 15-16. Meanwhile in Utah, 24-hour precipitation totals on November 15-16 topped an inch in locations such as Deer Creek Dam (1.39 inches) and Mountain Dell Dam (1.12 inches). At week’s end, additional Western precipitation led to daily-record totals for November 18 in Paso Robles, CA (1.74 inches), and Yuma, AZ (0.25 inch).

19-25: Late in the week, additional precipitation—in the form of the season’s first significant snowfall—fell across portions of the nation’s mid-section, providing wheat with insulation and additional moisture. Unsettled weather extended across the Rockies, Intermountain West, and Pacific Northwest, with heavy snow blanketing some areas.

Mostly dry weather favored late-autumn fieldwork in several regions, including large sections of the northern Plains and upper Midwest, as well as an area stretching from California to the Rio Grande Valley. Meanwhile, cool weather returned across much of the country, following more than 2 weeks of late-autumn warmth. Weekly temperatures averaged at least 5°F below normal in parts of the Great Basin and Northeast. Late-week temperatures below 0°F were scattered across the northern and central Rockies and neighboring areas, extending as far east as western North Dakota. However, warm weather lingered for much of the week in a few areas, including the Southeast. Southern warmth generally peaked early in the week, with daily-record highs for November 20 soaring to 84°F in Lafayette, LA, and 82°F in Jackson, MS. Some warmth also briefly appeared in coastal California, where San Francisco International Airport tied a daily record with a high of 69°F on the 20th. By mid-week, lingering warmth in southern Florida led to a daily record-tying high (86°F on November 22) in Miami. Meanwhile, a surge of mild air in advance of a storm system led to a handful of daily-record highs, including 59°F in Laramie, WY, on November 22. However, just 3 days later, on the 25th, the temperature in Laramie dipped to 2°F. Sub-zero readings were reported on November 25 in several Wyoming locations, including Casper (-10°F), Big Piney (-6°F), and Douglas (-5°F). Chilly conditions extended to the Pacific Coast, where North Bend, OR, posted a daily-record low of 28°F on November 25.

Nov. 26-Dec. 2: Mostly dry weather also prevailed across the northwestern half of the Plains, as well as central and southern California. Other areas experiencing mostly dry weather included the southern High Plains and southern Florida. In Southern areas that remained largely dry.

Near- or below-normal weekly temperatures covered much of the country, despite the late-week warming trend. Readings averaged at least 10°F below normal in scattered locations across the central Rockies and Intermountain West. In contrast, cold air eroded more quickly across the northern Plains, where temperatures averaged at least 5°F above normal in parts of Montana and North Dakota. Cold weather was particularly persistent across the Rockies and Intermountain West. Riverton, WY, reported low temperatures ranging from -1 to -9°F on each of the last 6 days of November.

Waterloo noted a low of 0°F on November 28. Sub-zero lows occurred on the 28th in Iowa locations such as Mason City (-1°F) and Fayette (-5°F). Chilly air eventually settled into the East, where record-setting lows for November 29 dipped to 15°F in Danville, VA, and 21°F in Elizabeth City, NC. In contrast, temperatures quickly rebounded in the north-central U.S. By November 29, Grand Forks, ND, posted a daily-record high of 50°F, just 2 days after recording a low of 0°F. Late-week warmth was prominent across Florida, where record-setting highs for December 2 soared to 88°F in Punta Gorda, 87°F in Brooksville, and 86°F in Miami. The following day, on December 3, Miami’s high of 89°F tied a monthly record mostly recently achieved on December 10, 2009.

 

 

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