Preliminary Climate Summary for November 2019

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Preliminary Climate Summary for November 2019

 

November continued the trend of October with mean monthly temperatures that ranged from 2 to 4 degrees F cooler than normal.  The first two weeks were near record cold, while during the last two weeks of the month temperatures moderated with greater cloud cover.  Extremes for the month were 55°F at Windom (Cottonwood County) on the 21^st and -21°F at Isabella (Lake County) on the 12^th. 

Precipitation for the month was mixed, with some areas wetter than normal, many areas drier than normal, and some climate stations were close to normal for monthly amounts.  Over 2.25 inches fell in portions of Olmsted, Winona, Houston, Faribault, and Mower Counties.  Austin topped the list with 2.63 inches.  Many parts of western Minnesota were drier than normal with Wheaton (Traverse County) reporting less than a tenth of an inch for the month.  Yet more precipitation, perhaps 0.5 to 1.0 inches is expected before the end of the month.

Major snow storms occurred over the 21^st, as well as the 26^th and 27^th.  Portions of Cook, Lake, and St Louis Counties reported over 15 inches, topped by nearly 27 inches at Isabella (Lake County) up on the highlands of the north shore of Lake Superior.  Long-term climate stations that reported record snowfalls on the 21^st included: Cass Lake with 4.5”, Tower with 7.0”, Waskish with 5.0”, Gunflint Lake with 8.0”, and 4.6” at Embarrass.  Some other stations reported over 9 inches on the 21^st.  For the 27^th some of the  following long-term climate stations reported record amounts:  Kimball 8.5”, Cambridge, Faribault, and Wells 8.0”, Jordan 7.8”, MSP 7.2”, Owatonna and Moose Lake 7.0”, Windom 6.8”, and Winnebago 6.5”.

More detail can be found at the Minnesota State Climatology Office web site. 

Wet Year Update;

 

As we continue to see excess precipitation fall in many areas of Minnesota, more long-term climate stations have already reported their wettest year of record.  Some of these include:

Rochester (Olmsted County) 53.51”

Owatonna (Steele County) 51.46”

Faribault (Rice County) 48.40”

Zumbrota (Goodhue County) 46.30”

Winona Dam (Winona County) 44.31”

Marshall (Lyon County) 43.38”

MSP Airport (Hennepin County) 40.89”

Pipestone (Pipestone County) 39.70”

Minneota (Lyon County) 39.62”

Artichoke Lake (Big Stone County) 35.60”

Browns Valley (Traverse County) 35.37”

I am sure yet more annual precipitation records will fall in Minnesota as we go through the month of December 2019.

MPR listener question:

What are the all-time temperature extremes for the month of November in Minnesota?

Answer: 

All-time extremes for November include:

84°F at Winona (Winona County) on November 1, 1950

-45°F at Pokegama Dam (Itasca County) on November 30, 1896

Twin Cities Almanac for November 29th:

The average MSP high temperature for this date is 33 degrees F (plus or minus 11 degrees F standard deviation), while the average low is 19 degrees F (plus or minus 12 degrees F standard deviation).

MSP Local Records for November 29th:

MSP records for this date include: highest daily maximum temperature of 62 degrees F in 1998; lowest daily maximum temperature of -4 degree F in 1875; lowest daily minimum temperature of -25 degrees F in 1875; highest daily minimum temperature of 50 degrees F in 1998; record precipitation of 1.38 inches in 1991.  Record snowfall is 12.6 inches also in 1991.

Average dew point for November 29th is 18°F; the maximum dew point on this date is 57°F in 1998; and the minimum dew point on this date is -24°F in 1958.

All-time state records for November 29th:

The state record high temperature for this date is 68 degrees F at Albert Lea (Freeborn County) in 1998. The state record low temperature for this date is -39 degrees F at Tower (St Louis County) in 1896. The state record precipitation for this date is 2.85 inches at Farmington (Dakota County) in 1934. Record snowfall for this date is 16.0 inches at Cambridge (Isanti County) in 1991.

Past Weather Features:

The two coldest November 29ths in state history were in 1875 and 1896.  In 1875 no temperatures above zero degrees F were reported, even daily highs.  Morning lows were in the minus 20s and minus 30s F. This same pattern repeated on November 29, 1896 with many climate stations reporting morning lows in the minus 20s F and minus 30s F.  The daytime high only reached -15°F at Crookston and Roseau.

A slow-moving winter storm delivered 8 to 16 inches of snowfall to many parts of the state over November 29-30, 1991.  It proved to be the snowiest November in state history, with many areas receiving over 30 inches for the month.

By far the warmest November 29^th occurred in 1998, with nearly half of the state reporting daytime highs in the 60s F under sunny skies.  Many golf courses were open for golfers to test the fairways and greens.

Outlook:

Near normal temperatures over the weekend, but with mixed precipitation (rain and snow) in the south and mostly snow in the north.  Some areas will get significant amounts.  After Sunday it will be mostly cooler than normal temperatures and dry for the first several days of December.