The United States returned to Standard Time at 2:00am Sunday. Did you remember to set your clocks back?
Did you remember to set your clocks back last night? Daylight Savings Time came to an end at 2:00am Sunday morning.
The ritual of changing our clocks twice a year can be met with some resistance as some people struggle to adjust their body’s internal clock. Others actually like the return to standard time as they get to enjoy an extra hour of sleep.
The time change definitely has big effects on how early it gets dark in the evening. On Saturday, sunset was at 5:54pm but on Sunday the sun will disappear over the horizon at 4:53pm. For many this means that when they get home from work it will now be dark and outdoor activities will be significantly curtailed as a result.
It won’t be all that long though before Daylight Savings Time returns. On March 11, 2012 we will ‘spring forward.’
Some of the recent history of Daylight Savings Time (from Wikipedia):
Daylight saving time in the United States was first observed in 1918. Most areas of the United States currently observe daylight saving time, with the exceptions being the states of Arizona and Hawaii along with the territories of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands.
From 1987 to 2006, daylight saving time in the United States began on the first Sunday of April and ended on the last Sunday of October. The time was adjusted at 2:00 AM (0200) local time (as it still is done now).
Since 2007, daylight saving time starts on the second Sunday of March and ends on the first Sunday of November, with all time changes taking place at 2:00 AM (0200) local time. In 2011, daylight saving time began on March 13 and will end on November 6.
November 6 to November 12 - This Week in Denver Weather History
Our look back at this week in Denver weather history is dominated with two types of events: snow and wind. November is our second snowiest month and we see many significant snowfall events in the past. Wind is a fact of life on the plains and in Denver and damaging events have occurred with relatively frequency as we can see below.
From the National Weather Service:
5-6
In 1938…heavy snowfall totaled 7.5 inches over downtown Denver. North winds were sustained to 16 mph with gusts to 19 mph on the 5th.
5-7
In 1918…rain was mixed with and changed to snow…which became heavy and totaled 8.1 inches in downtown Denver. North winds were sustained to 21 mph with gusts to 23 mph.
6
In 1962…west winds gusted to 55 mph…briefly reducing the visibility to 1 1/2 miles in blowing dust at Stapleton Airport. The strong winds blew all day.
In 1989…high winds to 62 mph were recorded in Boulder. Northwest winds gusted to 33 mph at Stapleton International Airport.
In 1991…strong westerly Chinook winds blew into metro Denver with gusts to 88 mph recorded at Rollinsville and to 51 mph in Boulder. Later…northeast winds with gusts of 30 to 40 mph were common across all of metro Denver behind a cold front…which produced only 0.2 inch of snowfall at Stapleton International Airport.
7
In 1958…a strong cold front produced northeast wind gusts to 52 mph at Stapleton Airport where some blowing dust was observed.
In 1980…Chinook winds at sustained speeds of 40 mph were recorded with a peak gust to 71 mph measured at Wondervu southwest of Boulder. West winds gusted to 25 mph at Stapleton International Airport.
In 1989…strong winds buffeted many foothills areas. Wind gusts of 60 to 70 mph were recorded in Boulder and Longmont. Northwest winds gusted to 43 mph at Stapleton International Airport.
In 1996…wind gusts to 75 mph were recorded at Golden Gate Canyon and at the Rocky Flats Environmental Test Facility northwest of Denver. Northwest winds gusted to 40 mph at Denver International Airport.
In 1998…upslope conditions…coupled with a moist and unstable air mass…allowed heavy snow to develop in the foothills west of Denver. Snowfall generally ranged from 4 to 6 inches…but 7 inches were measured 4 miles south of Evergreen. Only 1.2 inches of snow fell at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport. This was the first measurable snow of the season.
7-8
In 1969…wind gusts to 48 mph in downtown Boulder caused minor damage.
8
In 1896…southwest Chinook winds sustained to 42 mph with gusts as high as 46 mph warmed the temperature to a high of 53 degrees.
In 1977 near-blizzard conditions in blowing snow caused the closure of I-70 to the west of Denver in clear creek canyon and east of Denver to Limon. Northeast wind gusts to 46 mph were recorded at Stapleton International Airport where snowfall totaled only 1.1 inches.
In 1984…a rare November thunderstorm produced west winds gusting to 31 mph…but only 0.04 inch of rain at Stapleton International Airport.
In 1996…high winds gusting from 80 to 100 mph were recorded at Wondervu in the foothills southwest of Boulder. West northwest winds gusted to 32 mph at Denver International Airport.
In 2006…the temperature in Denver climbed to a high of 80 degrees. This was the first time the temperature had ever exceeded the 70’s in November since records began in 1872. This new all-time record maximum temperature for the month of November was also a new daily record and the highest temperature ever recorded so late in the season.
October offered a bit of everything for everyone from record warmth to heavy snowfall.
October 2011 started out quite warm but then stabilized into a seasonal pattern. As is often the case with Colorado weather though, at one point we went from record high temperatures to snow in a span of two days.
In terms of temperature, Denver finished the month with an overall overage temperature of 52.6 degrees. This was 1.6 degrees above the normal for the month of 50.9 degrees. Temperatures ranged from a high of 87 degrees on the first of the month down to 14 degrees on the 26th and 27th.
Here in Thornton we were slightly cooler with an average temperature of 50.4 degrees. Our highs ranged from a top mark of 86.6 degrees on the first down to a very cold 12.8 degrees on the 27th.
Two record high temperatures were tied or broken during the month. On the 15th, the mercury climbed to 82 degrees which tied the record for the date last set in 1938. On the 24th the temperature hit 80 degrees, breaking the previous record high for the date of 79.
Quite a bit more precipitation was recorded than normal during October 2011. 1.79 inches fell into the rain bucket at DIA which is 0.82 inch above normal. Much of that precipitation fell on October 8th when 1.04 inches was recorded, a record for the date. DIA also recorded a trace of snowfall, the first of the season.
The Mile High City was hit with its first snowstorm on the 25th and 26th when 8.5 inches of the white stuff fell. That also was the snowfall total for the month which far exceeded the normal of 4.2 inches.
Thornton nearly mirrored Denver’s precipitation as we recorded 1.75 inches during the month between rain and snowmelt. Our snowfall fell short of DIAs however as we recorded 6.6 inches during the storm late in the month.
...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER 2011...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1872 TO 2011
WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S
VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S)
NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
HIGH 90 10/01/1892
LOW -2 10/29/1917
HIGHEST 87 10/01 90 -3 85 10/03
LOWEST 14 10/26 -2 16 20 10/28
10/27
AVG. MAXIMUM 67.3 65.3 2.0 69.7
AVG. MINIMUM 37.9 36.6 1.3 40.9
MEAN 52.6 50.9 1.7 55.3
DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MAX = .01 4 5.3 -1.3 4
DAYS >= .10 3 2.4 0.6 2
DAYS >= .50 1 0.5 0.5 0
DAYS >= 1.00 1 0.1 0.9 0
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 1.04 10/08 TO 10/08
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 31.2 1969
TOTALS 8.5 4.2
DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 400 438 -38 300
SINCE 7/1 495 576 -81 335
COOLING TOTAL 23 5 18 8
SINCE 1/1 964 769 195 870
FREEZE DATES
RECORD
EARLIEST 09/08/1962
LATEST 06/08/2007
EARLIEST 10/17 10/07
LATEST 05/05
...................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 9.8
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 4/205
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 49/210 DATE 10/06
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 63/200 DATE 10/06
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.40
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 13
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 15
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 3
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 44
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 1 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 0 RAIN 1
LIGHT RAIN 5 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 1 SNOW 2
LIGHT SNOW 3 SLEET 0
FOG 5 FOG W/VIS
ThorntonWeather.com's east camera captured the storm at its height early Tuesday morning.
After weeks of what some would call boring weather, Thornton saw things change considerably over the past week. Not one, but two snowstorms have hit the city getting us 2/3 of the way to the snow total we had for all of last season.
Here in Thornton we measured 6.6 inches with last week’s snowstorm and today’s added 7.9 inches. That brings us to a seasonal total of 14.5 inches.
For comparison, the last season was absolutely dismal and we only received 21.2 inches over the entire period. On average Denver receives 61.7 inches during a season.
The most recent storm prompted Winter Storm Warnings as the snow fell quickly after dark and lasted into the morning. The ground was much colder this time and aided by wind, it accumulated on roads unlike last week’s storm which saw the snow melt as quick as it fell.
While the morning commute was a mess and slow moving, it was relatively uneventful. Much to the chagrin of local students, most school districts remained open for the day. The sun started making an appearance after noon and by the evening a good bit of blue sky was above.
Below are time lapse videos taken from our two webcams of the storm. They cover the 18 hour period from 6:00pm on November 1 to 12:00pm on November 2.
Typically November is a quiet weather month with plenty of nice, fall days but it can also turn wet with plenty of snow and moisture. Just like Forest Gump’s proverbial box of chocolates, you never quite know what you are going to get.
Looking into the weather history books, we see that November is actually Denver’s second snowiest month, second only to March (April is third). Historically we average 10.7 inches of snow during the month.
One little known fact… November is the area’s least sunny month, tying with May with only 64 percent sunshine. September is the sunniest month with sunshine 74 percent of the time.
Get all the details on Denver’s November weather including a look back through history, a recap of last year and the statistics in our November weather preview.
October 30 to November 5 - This Week in Denver Weather History
The further we go into the cold season, the more we see significant winter-like events in our look back at Denver weather history. Many significant snowstorms have occurred this week in the past including one in 1946 that dumped more than 30 inches of snow on Denver.
From the National Weather Service:
28-30
In 1971…a vigorous cold front plunged temperatures from a high of 70 degrees on the 27th to record low levels on the 29th and 30th. Snowfall totaled 3.1 inches at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusted to 23 mph. Some freezing drizzle also fell on the 28th. Record daily low maximum temperatures of 32 degrees on the 28th and 25 degrees on the 29th were established along with a daily record minimum of 13 degrees on the 30th.
28-31
In 1929…rain changed to snow on the afternoon of the 28th and continued until midday on the 30th followed by intermittent light snow which continued through the 31st. Snowfall over the four days totaled 16.2 inches in the city. Most of the snow…8.5 inches…fell on the 29th with 6.1 inches on the 30th. Temperatures hovered in 20’s during most of the storm.
29-30
In 1905…heavy snowfall developed on the evening of the 29th and continued through the evening of the 30th. Snowfall totaled 11.0 inches in downtown Denver. Precipitation was 1.02 inches. Temperatures were generally in the 20’s.
In 1959…rain during most of the day on the 28th changed to snow early on the 29th and continued through most of the 30th. Heavy snowfall totaled 7.4 inches at Stapleton Airport. North-northeast winds gusted to 24 mph on the 30th. Some freezing drizzle also occurred on the 30th.
In 1981…4 to 8 inches of new snow were recorded in the foothills west of Denver. Snowfall totaled only 0.4 inch at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusted to 25 mph.
29-31
In 1889…the first snowfall of the season totaled 14.0 inches over the three days in downtown Denver. Snowfall was 8.0 inches on the 29th and 5.0 inches on the 31st. North to northeast winds gusted to 30 mph on the 29th.
In 1950…a warm spell resulted in five daily temperature records. Record highs of 84…80…and 79 degrees occurred on the 29th…30th…and 31st…respectively. Low temperature of 49 degrees on the 30th was the record high minimum for the date.
In 1991…the second surge of cold arctic air in a matter of days plunged metro Denver into the deep freeze. While low temperatures remained above zero…high temperatures were only in the 20’s. Three temperature records were set: record lows of 7 degrees on the 30th and 10 degrees on the 31st and a record low maximum of only 21 degrees on the 30th. Snowfall was light with only 1.9 inches recorded at Stapleton International Airport where east winds gusted to 23 mph.
In 2002…snowfall totaled 4.3 inches at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport. North winds gusted to 32 mph on the 29th behind a cold front…which plunged temperatures well below seasonal normals. High temperatures of 18 degrees on the 30th and 19 degrees on the 31st were record low maximums for each date. Low temperatures dipped to 12 degrees on the 30th and 15 degrees on the 31st.
29-1
In 1972…heavy snowfall totaled 15.5 inches at Stapleton International Airport. However…the heaviest snow occurred on Halloween night when 7 inches fell on trick-or-treaters during a short 3-hour period. I-25 was closed south of Denver. North winds gusting to 29 mph caused some blowing snow on the 1st. The snow started late on the 29th and ended during the mid afternoon on the 1st. The greatest snow depth on the ground at Stapleton International Airport was 13 inches on the 1st.
30
In 1974…a rare thunderstorm for so late in October produced hail to 3/8 inch in diameter and 0.10 inch of rain at Stapleton International Airport.
In 1991…the high temperature warmed to only 21 degrees…the all-time record low maximum for the month of October. The same temperature also occurred on October 25…1997.
31
In 1997…high winds buffeted the foothills and adjacent areas of metro Denver. West winds gusted to 70 mph in Broomfield and to 40 mph at Denver International Airport. The strongest winds occurred in the mountains west of Denver and in the foothills north of Denver.
In 2001…high winds developed in the foothills. Peak wind gusts were measured to 74 mph at the National Center for Atmospheric Research on the mesa in Boulder and to 72 mph near Rollinsville. West winds gusting as high as 53 mph warmed the temperature to a high of 71 degrees at Denver International Airport.
31-1
In 1951…6.4 inches of snowfall were measured at Stapleton Airport.
In 1989…a Halloween storm dropped 3 to 6 inches of snow on metro Denver with the adjacent foothills receiving 5 to 10 inches. Snowfall totaled 4.5 inches at Stapleton International Airport…where north winds gusted to 31 mph on the 31st. Most of the snow fell on the evening of the 31st…but the storm left icy streets throughout metro Denver on the morning of the 1st…making it a “spooky” commute for many motorists.
In 2004…heavy snow fell in and near the foothills of Jefferson and Douglas counties. Storm total snowfall included: 14.5 inches in aspen park…10 inches at Boxborough state park and and near Sedalia…8 inches near bergen park…and 7 inches in Highlands Ranch. Snowfall totaled only 3.2 inches in the Denver Stapleton area. Post-frontal northeast winds gusted to 41 mph at Denver International Airport.
The City of Thornton wants residents to be prepared for the coming cold weather.
As we have been covering all week, by the governor’s declaration this is Winter Weather Preparedness Week in Colorado. The City of Thornton has gotten on board with information to help the city’s residents prepare themselves for the coming season.
Thornton has become much more ‘weather aware’ in recent years and we applaud them for that. Weather has a direct impact on everyone’s lives, too often with deadly effects, and it is important that people are aware of the dangers it presents.
We do have to make note of a couple of things on the page.
First, there is no link to ThorntonWeather.com. We are not affiliated with the city in any way however we are the only source of truly local weather news and information. The city must be careful of who they put out there as a recommended resource but ThorntonWeather.com is well-established having been around for more than five years and being well known and highly regarded in the community. We pride ourselves on the wealth of information we provide, an amount that far surpasses any other.
Denver saw a big change in the weather in a very short period of time. Click the image for a slideshow of images from the snowstorm.
The weather in Colorado is famously variable and in a span of a few short days this was fully evident. We went from record high temperatures to a winter-like snowstorm and back to sunny skies in four days.
On Monday, October24, Denver set a record high temperature of 80 degrees, besting the record high for the date of 79 degrees last set in 1999. Thornton was just a touch cooler for the day with a high of 79 degrees.
Tuesday was a day of transition as we started with sunny skies but clouds rolled in during the afternoon and rain was falling by the evening. As darkness descended and temperatures fell, the rain changed to snow and we started our first snowstorm of the season.
In the Denver metro area, snow totals ranged from a few inches to as many as 9 in the western and northwestern suburbs. Denver International Airport recorded 8.5 inches, more than double the 4.1 inch average for the month of October. Here in Thornton, we lagged a bit with 6.6 inches of the white stuff.
Have broken branches to get rid of? The City of Thornton is holding a special tree limb drop off event on Saturday. Click here for details
Across Thornton and much of the Front Range, the heavy wet snow caused its share of problems. Many trees had yet to lose their leaves and branches broke under the weight of the snow. Power outages were seen across the region including many in Thornton.
While the storm moved out before nightfall Wednesday, it left clearing skies which led to bitterly cold temperatures. Denver International Airport recorded an early morning low of 14 degrees, the coldest temperature the city has seen since March 5th. Here in Thornton we dropped to a low of 12.8 degrees.
The latest forecasts show we are in for a gradual warm up but one that will keep temperatures below normal through the weekend. Beyond that, we may be getting our next shot of snow as soon as late in the day next Tuesday.
The video below was captured by our west facing webcam. You can see as the snow builds the trees start sagging and struggle under the weight of the snow.
October 22 to October 29 - This Week in Denver Weather History
It’s not quite Halloween but leading up to the holiday we see plenty of ‘scary’ weather in our look back at this week in Denver weather history. High winds are relatively commonplace and so too are major snowstorms. One recent event in 1997 dumped 14 to 31 inches of the white stuff on the metro area.
From the National Weather Service:
18-23
In 2003…an extended warm spell resulted in 5 new temperature records. The high temperature of 84 degrees on the 18th equaled the record high for the date. High temperatures of 86 degrees on the 19th…83 degrees on the 21st…and 84 degrees on the 22nd were record highs for the dates. Low temperature of 49 degrees on the 23rd was a record high minimum for the date. Low temperatures during the period were in the 40’s and lower 50’s.
19-23
In 1906…heavy snowfall totaled 22.7 inches in the city over the 5 days. Rain changed to snow on the evening of the 19th…and snow continued through the late afternoon of the 23rd. The heaviest amount of snowfall…16.0 inches…fell from 8:00 pm on the 20th to 8:00 pm on the 22nd. The most snow on the ground was 13.3 inches on the evening of the 23rd. This was the first snow of the season and the only snow of the month. Winds during the storm were from the north at sustained speeds of 20 to 30 mph each day. Temperatures during the storm were generally in the 20’s.
22-23
In 1914…post-frontal rain changed to snow. Precipitation totaled 2.72 inches…most of which was in the form of moist snow which melted as it fell in the business section of the city. About 3 inches of snow was measured on lawns in the residential areas on the morning of the 24th. Official snowfall totaled only 0.4 inch downtown… But an estimated 8.0 inches of snow melted as it fell. North to northeast winds were sustained to 29 mph with gusts to 30 mph on both days.
In 1975…a vigorous cold front moving across metro Denver followed by strong northeast winds gusting to 52 mph produced billows of blowing dust and plunged the temperature 21 degrees in an hour. The surface visibility was reduced to 1/4 mile in blowing dust at Stapleton International Airport. The temperature cooled from a daily record high of 81 degrees to a low of 38 degrees by day’s end. The first snowfall of the season totaled 2.7 inches on the 23rd. This was the only measurable snow of the month at Stapleton International Airport.
In 1995…heavy snow fell on the Palmer Ridge south of Denver and in the foothills west of Denver where snow amounts ranged from 4 to 8 inches. Sedalia…south of Denver… Received 8 inches of snow. Winds strengthened on the plains and produced blizzard conditions…reducing surface visibilities to less than 1/4 mile. I-70 was closed from just east of Denver at Gun Club Road to the Kansas border. Ten inches of snow fell at Strasburg east of Denver where north winds at sustained speeds of 35 to 45 mph with gusts as high as 60 mph produced 2 to 4 foot drifts. Snowfall totaled only 2.2 inches at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport. North winds gusted to 51 mph at Denver International Airport.
23
In 1876…skies were fair…but winds were sustained to 48 mph.
In 1942…a major storm dumped 10.2 inches of snow over downtown Denver. Post-frontal northeast winds were sustained to only 13 mph.
In 1955…the first snowfall of the season and the only measurable snow of the month dumped 4.1 inches of snow on Stapleton Airport. This was the single heaviest October snowfall in 13 years since 1942. The storm also brought the first sub-freezing temperatures of the season when the temperature dipped to a low of 25 degrees.
In 1956…southwest winds gusted to 53 mph and produced some blowing dust at Stapleton Airport.
In 1967…a northwest wind gust to 51 mph was recorded at Stapleton International Airport. In downtown Boulder… Winds were sustained at 20 mph with gusts in excess of 40 mph.
In 1981…strong winds occurred in the foothills. Wind gusts to 70 mph were reported at Wondervu.
Strengthening La Niña conditions in the Pacific could lead to another dry winter on the Colorado Front Range according to the winter 2011 / 2012 outlook released by NOAA. However, as we well know, Mother Nature is never consistent and other factors could give us some help.
While temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific Ocean are indeed cooler than normal – and getting cooler – at this point they remain warmer than they were last year at this same time. This does help us hold out some hope that the winter won’t be as dry as last year.
It should also be noted that the effects of La Niña and El Niño in Colorado are much harder to predict and less consistent than in other places in the nation. Our location near the middle of the country with the monstrous Rocky Mountains adjacent to us oftentimes throws a wrench in the works.
U.S. dealt another La Niña winter but ‘wild card’ could trump it Devastating drought in Southern Plains likely to continue
NOAA's winter 2011 temperature outlook. Click the image for a larger view.
The Southern Plains should prepare for continued drier and warmer than average weather, while the Pacific Northwest is likely to be colder and wetter than average from December through February, according to the annual Winter Outlook released today by NOAA.
For the second winter in a row, La Niña will influence weather patterns across the country, but as usual, it’s not the only climate factor at play. The ‘wild card’ is the lesser-known and less predictable Arctic Oscillation that could produce dramatic short-term swings in temperatures this winter.
NOAA expects La Niña, which returned in August, to gradually strengthen and continue through the upcoming winter. It is associated with cooler than normal water temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean and influences weather throughout the world.
“The evolving La Niña will shape this winter,” said Mike Halpert, deputy director of NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. “There is a wild card, though. The erratic Arctic Oscillation can generate strong shifts in the climate patterns that could overwhelm or amplify La Niña’s typical impacts.”
The Arctic Oscillation is always present and fluctuates between positive and negative phases. The negative phase of the Arctic Oscillation pushes cold air into the U.S. from Canada. The Arctic Oscillation went strongly negative at times the last two winters, causing outbreaks of cold and snowy conditions in the U.S. such as the “Snowmaggedon” storm of 2009. Strong Arctic Oscillation episodes typically last a few weeks and are difficult to predict more than one to two weeks in advance.
NOAA's winter 2011 precipitation outlook. Click the image for a larger view.
With La Niña in place Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and parts of surrounding states are unlikely to get enough rain to alleviate the ongoing drought. Texas, the epicenter of the drought, experienced its driest 12-month period on record from October 2010 through September 2011.
Stormy periods can occur anytime during the winter season. To improve the ability to predict and track winter storms, NOAA implemented a more accurate weather forecast model on Oct.18. Data gathered from the model will support local weather forecast office efforts to prepare for and protect the public from weather events. This service is helping the country to become a Weather-Ready Nation at a time when extreme weather is on the rise.
According to the U.S. Winter Outlook (December through February) odds tilt in favor of:
Pacific Northwest: colder and wetter than average. La Niña often results in below-average temperatures and increased mountain snow in the Pacific Northwest and western Montana during the winter months. This may set the stage for spring flooding in the Missouri River Basin;
California: colder than average and wetter than average conditions in northern California and drier than average conditions in southern California. All of the southern part of the nation are at risk of having above normal wildfire conditions starting this winter and lasting into the spring;
Northern Plains: colder and wetter than average. Spring flooding could be a concern in parts of this region;
Southern Plains and Gulf Coast States: warmer and drier than average. This will likely exacerbate drought conditions in these regions;
Florida and south Atlantic Coast: drier than average, with an equal chance for above-, near-, or below-normal temperatures. Above normal wildfire conditions;
Ohio and Tennessee Valleys: wetter than average with equal chances for above-, near-, or below-average temperatures. Potential for increased storminess and flooding;
Northeast and Mid-Atlantic: equal chances for above-, near-, or below-normal temperatures and precipitation. Winter weather for these regions is often driven not by La Niña but by the Arctic Oscillation. If enough cold air and moisture are in place, areas north of the Ohio Valley and into the Northeast could see above-average snow;
Great Lakes: colder and wetter than average;
Hawaii: above-average temperatures in the western islands with above normal precipitation during the winter. Some drought recovery is expected across the state with Kauai and Oahu having the best potential for full recovery.
Alaska: colder than average over the southern half of the state and the panhandle with below average precipitation in the interior eastern part of the state.
This seasonal outlook does not project where and when snowstorms may hit or provide total seasonal snowfall accumulations. Snow forecasts are dependent upon winter storms, which are generally not predictable more than a week in advance.
Weather, natural disasters & climate news and information.
Typically November is a quiet weather month with plenty of nice, fall days but it can also turn wet with plenty of snow and moisture. Just like Forest Gump’s proverbial box of chocolates, you never quite know what you are going to get.
