November 2020
Monthly Overview - November 2020
Drier Than Normal
Scattered precipitation in the Midwest left more areas dry than wet in November
(Figure 1). Regionwide precipitation was 2.17 inches which was 0.60 inches below normal. This represented about 80 percent of normal for November (Figure 2). Moderate precipitation fell across portions of Iowa, central Wisconsin, central Minnesota, northern and central Missouri, and the northern Ohio River Valley. However, none of these areas received more than 150 percent of normal. Northwestern Minnesota was significantly drier than normal, with amounts less than a quarter of normal. Areas in southwestern Kentucky also had less than half the normal amount. More than 280 daily precipitation records were broken across the Midwest
(Figure 3), with more than half of these records occurring on November 10 (Figure 4), November 11
(Figure 5) and November 25 (Figure 6).
Extreme Warmth in Early November
Temperatures were warm across the Midwest in November
(Figure 7). Average temperatures for the region were 43.5°F which was 5.0°F above normal. This ranked as the 7th warmest November on record for the region (1895-2020). Each of the nine states in the region ranked among the ten warmest Novembers on record as well (1895-2020). Significant warmth was observed across the region during the first week of the month (Figure 8), especially with maximum temperatures
(Figure 9). A total of more than 2,100 daily high temperature records were broken in November, with more than 1,300 of these records from high maximum temperatures (Figure 10). More than 1,900 of these records occurred from November 3-11. Temperatures moderated slightly, however, during the middle of the month, with some areas in the Upper Midwest colder than normal. This kept the stations across the region from experiencing record temperatures for the full month.
Limited Snowfall
Snowfall in the Midwest was limited as warm temperatures and a lack of major storm systems decreased accumulation
(Figure 11). Most of Wisconsin, Michigan and Iowa had less than half the normal amount of snowfall for November (Figure 12), with only a few areas in northeastern Minnesota were above normal. Lake-effect snowfall was limited in the U.P. of Michigan as well, where less than half the normal amount fell. However, some moderate to heavy snow during a period from November 10-16
(Figure 13). Areas in northeastern Minnesota received more than 8 inches with Duluth, MN receiving more than 16 inches. This snowfall coincided with the only timeframe with significantly below-normal temperatures in the Upper Midwest (Figure 14).
Severe Weather November 10-16
The major storm system that brought snow to the Upper Midwest brought severe weather to the central and southern parts of the region from November 10-16. On November 10
(Figure 15), strong winds and several tornadoes were reported in northern Illinois and southwestern Michigan. The strongest of these tornadoes was an EF-1 tornado that travelled through Whiteside County, IL. Winds were estimated at 100 mph. Damaging wind gusts were also reported across northeastern Illinois and extreme southeastern Wisconsin, including in Milwaukee, WI. On November 14 (Figure 16), damaging winds impacted southern Missouri as power lines and large trees were felled along with roof damage. As the storm system moved east on November 15,
(Figure 17) damaging winds were reported in Ohio. Wind gusts as high as 79 mph were reported.
Drought Holds Serve
With decreased demand for water and well-placed precipitation, slight decreases in drought coverage were observed in the Midwest in November according to the U.S. Drought Monitor (Figure 18). The most prominent areas that improved were in southwestern Missouri, where drought and abnormal dryness was eliminated, and western Iowa. However, extreme drought remained mostly unchanged in northwestern Iowa. Meanwhile, abnormally dry conditions and scattered moderate drought were introduced across most of Minnesota as drier conditions set in. In total, around one third of the region was either abnormally dry or in drought, with around 10 percent of the region in drought.
Harvest Season Ends
Drier weather across the region increased harvest activities in November. Corn and soybean
(Figure 19) (Figure 20) harvests were ahead of the five-year average through the first week of November, and neared completion by the third week of November according to USDA NASS. Significant progress was made across Missouri, where the soybean harvest was at 60 percent harvested at the beginning of November before nearing completion by the November 15 update (Figure 21) (Figure 22). Corn and soybean harvests were above 90 percent by November 15 except for Kentucky soybeans. Of note, Wisconsin and Michigan neared completion almost a full week ahead of average from good harvest weather.
-BJP-