November 2007 National Climate Report

• For the contiguous United States, the average temperature for November was 44.1°F (6.7°C), which was 1.6°F (0.9°C) above the 20th century mean, making it the twenty-fifth warmest November on record, based on preliminary data.

• November was the seventh warmest on record for the Southwest and no regions reported temperatures below normal or colder.

• Arizona had the warmest November on record in 2007.

• This was the thirteenth driest November for the contiguous United States in the 1895—2007 record. An average of 1.42 inches (36.1 mm) fell across the contiguous U.S. this month, which is 0.7 inches (18 mm) below average.

• November was the fifth driest on record for the East North Central region.

• Maine had the fourth wettest November on record in 2007, South Carolina had the second driest, and both Iowa and Wisconsin were the third driest on record.

• Preliminary data indicate that this was the sixth warmest boreal fall on record for the contiguous United States. The average temperature was 56.2°F (13.4°C), which was 1.9°F (1.1°C) above the 20th century mean.

• Temperatures were relatively warm across most of the contiguous United States this fall. The Southwest region was the fifth warmest fall on record, the Northeast region was the sixth warmest, and the Central region was the eigth warmest on record.

• Precipitation for much of the contiguous United States over the past three months was below normal. Preliminary data indicate that it was the 31st driest boreal fall in the 1895—2007 record. The average precipitation of 6.1 inches (154 mm) is 0.6 inches (16 mm) below average.

• Moderate-strength La Niña conditions were present across the tropical Pacific Ocean by the end of November. Equatorial sea-surface temperatures remained below average from west of the Date Line eastward to the South American coast. According to the CPC, recent equatorial Pacific sea surface temperature trends and model forecasts indicate La Niña conditions will continue into spring 2008. A developing La Niña may result in wetter than normal conditions in the East-Central U.S. and drier than normal conditions in the southwestern and southeastern U.S. over the next few months. Temperature-wise, La Niña may result in above average temperatures across most of the southern and central U.S. in the next three months. For additional information on ENSO conditions, please visit the NCDC ENSO Monitoring page and the latest NOAA ENSO Advisory.

• Alaska had its 5th warmest November since records began in 1918, with a temperature 9.1°F (5.1°C) above the 1971—2000 average.
  
  
• Alaska had its 12th warmest September—November on record, with a temperature 4.0°F (2.2°C) above the 1971—2000 average.
  
  
• Alaska had its 19th warmest January—November on record, with a temperature 1.3°F (0.74°C) above the 1971—2000 average.

For additional details about recent temperatures and precipitation across the U.S., see the Monthly and Seasonal Highlights section below and visit the November Climate Summary page. For information on local temperature and precipitation records during the month of November, please visit NCDC's Extremes page. For details and graphics on weather events across the U.S. and the globe please visit NCDC's Global Hazards page.

• Temperatures in the Northeast averaged 1.1°F (0.6°C) below normal in November. West Virginias North Central, Northwestern and Southwestern climate divisions were the only parts of the region reporting above normal temperatures, leaving that state with an average that was exactly normal. The remaining states temperature averages ranged from 0.8°F (0.4°C) below normal in Pennsylvania to 2.6°F (1.4°C) below normal in Rhode Island. Preliminary data indicate that the coldest areas this month were in New York's Northern Plateau, northeastern Vermont and south central Maine.
  
  
• Precipitation totals varied from north to south. Parts of Maine received over 7 inches (18 cm) in November, while southern New Jersey, Delaware, and coastal Maryland totaled less than 2 inches (5 cm). Overall, the Northeast averaged 112% of normal precipitation, with Delaware the driest, at 43% of normal, and Maine the wettest, with 181% of the normal November precipitation. Moderate drought conditions continued in eastern Connecticut, Rhode Island, central Maryland and southern Delaware; severe drought conditions persisted in southwestern West Virginia and Maryland's Eastern Shore.
  
  
• During the first week of November, the remnants of Hurricane Noel made its way from the Bahamas to New England's coastal waters. Strong winds caused damage from eastern Long Island to Maine, but Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket bore the brunt of this storm. Sustained winds up to 59 mph (95 km/h) and peak gusts as high as 89 mph (143 km/h) downed trees and power lines, while high waves and tides eroded beaches. No injuries were reported, but at least two homes in Chatham, MA were lost to beach erosion.
  

• The western portions of the region were relatively warmer than the eastern half of the Midwest during November. Average daily temperatures ranged from 2.5°F (1.4°C) above normal in western Minnesota to 1.5°F (0.8°C) below normal in southern Kentucky and eastern Michigan. Across much of the central Midwest, temperatures were close to normal. As might be expected during the fall season, there were several large temperature swings during the month. The first widespread hard freeze for most of the region came during the first week of the month, followed by a brief warm-up and then more cold weather. There was a larger west-to-east temperature difference during the first half of the month, with average daily temperatures running about 6°F (3.3°C) above normal in northwestern Minnesota to 2°F (1.1°C) below normal in the Ohio Valley. During the last two weeks of November, the temperature departure gradient was much less as temperatures were near to a little below normal over most of the region. The exception was in the Michigan Upper Peninsula (UP), where a developing snow cover helped keep the temperatures 5°F (2.8°C) below normal. The first subzero temperatures of the season occurred the morning of November 27 across snow-covered northern Minnesota with readings as low as -13°F (-25°C).
  
  
• Dry weather persisted in most of the region west of the Mississippi River, where November precipitation was less than 25% of normal, and as low as 5-10% of normal in northwestern Iowa and southwestern Minnesota. Parts of the Ohio Valley and a band from east-central Illinois through the northern half of Ohio received normal to above normal precipitation. Heavy rainfall in Kentucky during the second and fourth weeks of the month significantly reduced the drought impacts in the southeastern portion of the state, and at the end of the month Extreme Drought existed in all or parts of only nine counties in Kentucky. November snowfall was generally below normal, except in the lake effect areas in Minnesota and the Michigan UP.
  
  
• Two storms during the last ten days of the month produced significant snow across the Midwest. The first hit the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, dropping snow on an area from Iowa through Michigan and complicating holiday-related travel. On November 27th, an intense low dropped into the northern United States and produced heavy snow in the lake effect areas of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. The snow was accompanied by winds gusting to 74 mph (119 km/h) in the Michigan UP, downing trees and power lines across the affected areas. Persistent northwesterly flow across the upper Midwest kept the lake-effect snow machine running through the end of the month. By the end of November, up to 18 inches (46 cm) of snow were on the ground from the arrowhead of Minnesota across the Michigan UP.
  

• Drought continued to be the top climate story for almost all of the southeast USA in November. The end of November is also the end of the North Atlantic hurricane season. Earlier hopes that hurricanes would bring relief, partly encouraged in September by Hurricane Humberto in Alabama and Georgia and tropical storm Gabrielle in eastern North Carolina, were unfulfilled. Indeed, the dominance of the Bermuda high pressure system in November, which helped to steer rain-bearing storms away from the region, seemed to be even more marked. For numerous stations around the southeast, November 2007 was the driest November for many years. For several stations in Virginia and the Carolinas it was the driest on record. Most notable was the new record for downtown Charleston, South Carolina, where no rain fell. The old November record was 0.21 inches (0.5 cm), set in 1996, and the only other month which has ever recorded zero precipitation was October 2000. Farther south, the lack of rain was less spectacular; it was merely the driest November for the past few decades. If the current circulation pattern persists, however, some spots might be on the way to new annual record dryness. For example, the total rainfall so far this year, January through November, in Huntsville, Alabama is the lowest since 1914.
  
  
• For much of the month, temperatures in the Southeast followed a fairly typical November pattern. There were cold spells and warm periods, balancing out such that the month ended with average temperatures generally near normal for the month. This was in contrast to several of the previous months, when many places had temperatures well above average. These more seasonal temperatures meant that the rate of evaporation slowed, decreasing the amount of water naturally removed from the soil. But with no major rainfall, the drought continued. Early in the month it was still concentrated, as in earlier months, in the southern Appalachian Mountains. An expansion southward and eastward took place, followed by a slight retreat in a few areas by the end of November. The slight amelioration in the middle of the month in south-central Florida however, was reversed, and severe drought returned to that area.
  

• The temperature remained above normal for much of November, with most of the region showing between 2-4°F (1.1-2.2°C) above the 1971-2000 November mean temperature normal. An extreme temperature swing (although not uncommon during November for the High Plains Region) occurred in late November during the week of November 20th, signaling the beginning of winter conditions for much of the eastern High Plains. Prior to this systems passing, several daily record-high maximum and minimum temperatures were broken during the week of November 13th-20th, as locations in Kansas and Nebraska recorded high temperatures rising into the upper 70s and low 80s (°F; ~25-28°C). Monthly mean temperatures would have been higher had this cold snap not occurred, as it brought lows in the single digits (°F; -12 to -17°C) to southern parts of the region, and temperatures below 0°F (-18°C) to parts of North Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado and South Dakota.
  
  
• In stark contrast to the record precipitation amounts that accrued in many eastern locations during the first half of October, November was extremely dry. The northwest flow pattern that became dominant during the latter part of October prevailed into November, and led to dry weather conditions across much of the High Plains region, particularly for parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas. Most stations across this region reported less than 0.25 inches (0.6 cm) of precipitation, and some locations reported no measureable precipitation during the month of November. This may be extreme, but it is not entirely unusual for the High Plains region, as many locations east of the Rockies have experienced no measureable precipitation once to several times in their history for the month of November.
  
  
• Previous abnormally dry to moderate drought conditions extended further into parts of Southwest Nebraska and Western Kansas in November, reflecting the dryness that occurred over much of the High Plains region. Winter wheat struggled in parts of Kansas and Colorado due to very short to short soil moisture conditions. Grass fires were present in Southern Kansas, where the Aetna fire burned 5,000 acres (20 km²) of vegetation during the week of November 23. The category of Severe Drought was introduced into parts of Western South Dakota during November as dry conditions prevailed throughout much of the High Plains.
  

• Average monthly temperatures during the month of November in the Southern Region were generally as expected, with most stations deviating only 2-4°F (1.1-2.2°C) from the monthly normal. In northeastern Texas and southeastern Oklahoma, however, temperatures did average approximately 4-8°F (2.2-4.4°C) higher than normal. In the Southern region, the highest daily maximum temperatures ranged from the mid 70s to ~83°F (~21-28°C), with the exception of central and southern Texas, where values ranged from ~80-93°F (~27-34°C). Conversely, the lowest daily minimum temperatures of 9°F (-12.8°C) in the region were observed in northern Oklahoma. In general, the lowest daily minimum temperatures ranged from the mid teens (°F; ~-9°C) in the north of the Southern Region to the low 40s (°F; ~5°C) in the south of the Southern Region.
  
  
• For the most part, precipitation in the Southern Region was slightly below normal, with most of the region receiving only approximately 25-75% of normal precipitation. Conditions were much drier in most of Oklahoma and northwestern Arkansas, where monthly totals for most stations remained below the one inch (2.5 cm) mark. In Oklahoma, the stations at Cordell, Colony, Retrop, Hennessey and Altus all recorded zero precipitation for the entire month. In contrast, some areas of the Southern Region, such as southeastern and western Texas and southeastern and south-central Louisiana, received above normal precipitation in November. In western Texas, monthly precipitation totals varied from less than one inch (2.5 cm) at most stations to a total of six inches (15 cm) at Fort Davis. The latter represents over a five inch (13 cm) deviation above the monthly normal; it was received over a two day period from a cold front that began to push through the region on November 24. Further east, persistent drought conditions in eastern Tennessee continued throughout the month of November. As of November 27, 46% of the state remains in severe or exceptional drought. This is an improvement of approximately 4% from conditions at the start of the month. Small pockets of moderate drought were also present in the panhandle of Oklahoma, north-central Texas, and east-central Mississippi at the end of November.
  
  
• November 2007 brought several incidents of severe weather to the Southern Region. Damaging wind was reported on November 6 in Nashville and Brighton, TN. In Brighton, strong winds knocked down several trees and power lines. November 13th to the 15th brought similar wind damage throughout the state. On these days, hail and damaging winds also affected parts of Arkansas and Mississippi. In downtown Little Rock, AR, wind gusts of up to 60 mph (97 km/h) were reported, while in Cleveland, MS, golf ball-sized hail was reported. On November 22, penny-sized hail was reported in Tylertown, MS. That same day, damaging winds downed trees and large limbs in parts of central Louisiana and southern Arkansas.
  

• Except for the Pacific Northwest and portions of coastal California, temperatures for November 2007 were generally above normal, especially for Alaska, the Southwest and portions of the intermountain west. Both Tucson and Phoenix recorded their warmest Novembers on record. Barrow, AK, recorded their 3rd warmest November. High pressure during the first week produced some impressive 60 degree (Fahrenheit; 33 degree Celsius) diurnal temperature ranges in central Nevada with a max and min temperature of 79°F (26.1°C) and 17°F (-8.3°C) at one automated station on the 5th.
  
  
• Precipitation was generally below normal except for parts of western Montana, eastern Oregon and portions of Southern California and Arizona. The southwest was dry until the final day of the month. Palm Springs had no rain through the first 29 days but ended up 468% of normal for the month with 1.28 inches (3.3 cm) falling on the 30th. Most monthly totals in Arizona all occurred on the final day of the month. Thanks to a Kona low on the 4th, parts of Oahu received over 10 inches (25.4 cm) of rain. Honolulu measured 3.81 inches (9.7 cm) on the 4th, which was 0.39 inches (1 cm) more than the total they had received for January—October 2007 (3.42 inches/8.7 cm).
  
  
• Dense fog in the San Joaquin Valley south of Fresno on November 3rd caused a series of accidents involving 86 vehicles on Highway 99 during the early morning hours, killing two people. On November 12th, a strong storm system in the Pacific Northwest produced winds of over 90 mph (145 km/h) along the coast of Washington. Downed trees and power lines were reported in many locations of Washington and Oregon. In Idaho, strong winds blew three semi trucks over on highway 95 near Grangeville, causing two injuries. This storm produced winds of over 100 mph (160 km/h) in parts of Montana, with one automated station recording a gust of 106 mph (171 km/h) during the early morning hours of the 13th.
  

• In the southeast part of Alaska, temperatures were generally close to normal for the month. In other parts of the state, it was the fifth warmest November on record in Anchorage. The average temperature of 30.8°F (-0.67°C) was 9.6°F (5.3°C) above normal. This was in stark contrast to November 2006, which saw an average temperature 9.2°F (5.1°C) below normal. Up north, Barrow had the third warmest November of record, with a mean temperature of 13.9°F (-10°C). No sea ice was visible at the end of November from Barrow. Some ice visible earlier in the month was blown away by high east winds before Thanksgiving. According to the NWS office in Barrow and the residents they have spoken with, this is a first.
  
  
• After a wet October, November turned drier for most of southeast Alaska with stations reporting at or below average precipitation and below average snowfall. Juneau had 4.5 inches (11.4 cm) of snow in November, compared to the record breaking 66 inches (168 cm) in November 2006. Elsewhere, Yakutat had the 3rd lowest precipitation for the month of November since 1971, with only 13.95 inches (35.4 cm), 1.22 inches (3.1 cm) below normal. Fairbanks tied for the sixth driest November, with only 0.11 inches (0.28 cm) of precipitation. Four of the six driest Novembers of record have occurred since 2001. In contrast, Anchorage had 14.8 inches (37.6 cm) of snowfall, which is 4.3 inches (10.9 cm) above normal.
  
  
• Several high wind events affected southeast Alaska on the 1st-2nd, 10th, 16th, 24th, and 26th. Sustained winds exceeded 40 mph (64 km/h) at many coastal observing stations during the month. The long wind fetch over the North Pacific the second half of November allowed seas to build above 20 feet (6.1 m) at the NOAA data buoy sites. The Cape Suckling buoy reported the highest seas: 38 feet (8.5 m) on November 25.