November 2024 Overview – Midwestern Regional Climate Center

Temperature

The average November temperature for the Midwest was 43.3°F, which was 4.8°F above the 1991-2020 normal. Final rankings indicate the Midwest as a whole achieved the 7th warmest November on record. Statewide average temperatures ranged from 3.9°F above normal in Iowa to 6.0°F above normal in Kentucky (Figure 1). Final rankings indicate the following states had a top 7 warmest November on record: Indiana (6th), Kentucky (5th), Michigan (4th), Ohio (5th), and Wisconsin (7th). While both daytime high and nighttime low temperatures were persistently above normal throughout the month, it was the magnitude of the overnight warmth that was notable (Figure 2). Most weather stations along and east of the Mississippi River had low temperatures for the month that were 5-8 °F above normal. On November 4, Paducah, Kentucky, set a record-high November minimum temperature of 71°F. Lexington, Kentucky, observed a minimum temperature of 67°F on November 6, which was the warmest November minimum temperature since records began in 1872. A potent weather system traversed the Midwest on November 25, ushering in a dramatic change in temperatures that would linger for the rest of the month (and into December) (Figure 3). Temperatures dropped 20-30°F in 24 hours across the lower Midwest as the cold front swept through. Daytime high temperatures only reached the teens and 20s across the Upper and Central Midwest on the closing days of the month. The average fall (September-November) temperature for the Midwest was 4.3°F above normal, which was the 3rd warmest on record (Figure 4).

Precipitation

November precipitation totaled 3.67 inches for the Midwest, which was 1.13 inches above normal, or 144 percent of normal. Final rankings indicate the Midwest as a whole had its 9th wettest November on record. Precipitation was 150-300 percent of normal for a wide area across the western half of the region, with precipitation 125-200 percent of normal along the Ohio River (Figure 5). Every state had above-normal November precipitation, with statewide totals that ranged from 0.15 inches above normal in Ohio to 2.24 inches above normal in Missouri. Precipitation totals were particularly high across southern Missouri, driven by heavy rains during the first week of the month (Figure 6). A new two-day statewide precipitation record for November was set on Election Day (November 5) when Mountain Grove, Missouri, measured 12.5 inches of rain. Heavy rainfall on November 5 alone dropped 4-8 inches of flooding rain across a wide swath from south-central Missouri to the St. Louis area, inundating roadways and resulting in three fatalities. St. Louis had its 2nd wettest November on record (dating back 148 years), with 9.68 inches. Michigan’s Upper Peninsula was another very wet area for November, with Sault Ste Marie having its wettest November on record (dating back 137 years) and Marquette having its 2nd wettest November. Fall (September-November) precipitation for the Midwest totaled 7.01 inches, which was 2.05 inches below normal (Figure 4).

Drought

The month concluded with about 70 percent of the Midwest classified as abnormally dry or in drought (Figure 7), according to the U.S. Drought (USDM) map, which was a 24 percent reduction in drought coverage compared to the start of November (Figure 8). Dryness was completely removed around the southern extent of the Mississippi River and along the Ohio River. Southeast Ohio, which had been locked in exceptional (D4) drought for months, saw notable improvements in drought extent and severity. Relief was notable across the central and western regions, too, where severe (D2) drought was largely eliminated.

Late November Lake Effect Snow (LES)

The persistently warm fall temperatures resulted in record-high water temperatures in the Great Lakes by late November, which fueled a significant lake-effect snow event starting November 28 as cold arctic air spilled across the region. Snowfall totaled 24.8 inches in Gaylord, Michigan, on November 29, setting a new daily record. Across Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula, 10-20 inches of snow fell from Nov 28-30, with isolated heavier amounts (Figure 9). Extreme northeast Ohio accumulated 5-10 inches of snow during that time. The intense LES persisted for a week into December, with storm event snowfall totals that would top out at 20-50 inches in northern Michigan and northeast Ohio.