November 2025 Overview – Midwestern Regional Climate Center

Temperature

The average November temperature for the Midwest was 40.5°F, which was 2°F above the 1991-2020 normal (Figure 1). Temperatures were 1 to 5°F above normal in the western half of the region and near to slightly below normal in the eastern half (Figure 2). From week to week, temperatures oscillated widely above and below average throughout November. A mild start to the month gave way to widespread freezing temperatures that moved across the Midwest from November 9th to 11th (Figure 3). The lower Midwest experienced its first hard freeze of the fall, marking the end of the growing season. Bitter wind chills of 10 to 20°F reached as far south as Missouri and Kentucky. The cooldown was short-lived as temperatures rebounded by mid-month. In Sioux City, Iowa, the maximum temperature rose to 76°F on November 14, the latest date a temperature over 75°F has occurred in the calendar year since records began in 1889. Also on November 14, the Minneapolis area reached 72°F, which was their warmest temperature recorded so late in the year. Anomalous warmth lingered, especially in the western half of the Midwest (Figure 4), until a blast of Arctic air cooled the region on and after Thanksgiving Day. From November 27th to 30th, temperatures were about 6 to 12°F below normal for most of the Midwest (Figure 5). The average fall (September-November) temperature for the Midwest was 3°F above normal, which was the 6th warmest on record dating back to 1895 (Figure 6).

Precipitation

November precipitation totaled 1.77 inches for the Midwest, which was 0.77 inches below normal, or 70 percent of normal (Figure 1). Precipitation across most of the region was 25 to 75 percent of normal (Figure 7). A few isolated areas had precipitation that was 125 to 175 percent of normal, including Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, northwest Iowa, portions of northern Missouri, and far southern Ohio. Final statewide precipitation totals showed all nine states were below normal, with totals ranging from 0.43 inches below normal in Iowa to 1.12 inches below normal in Illinois (Figure 1). While dryness dominated the region, statewide deficits did not approach any records. In northern Minnesota, Park Rapids had its 5th driest November in 141 years with just 0.14 inches of precipitation. The NWS office in Marquette, Michigan, had its 6th wettest November on record (dating back to 1961), with 5.7 inches of precipitation. Fall (September-November) precipitation for the Midwest totaled 6.65 inches, which was 2.41 inches below normal, or 73 percent of normal (Figure 6).

Drought

Drought conditions remained largely stable throughout November across the region, with the month beginning (Figure 8) and ending (Figure 9) with approximately 65 percent of the Midwest classified as abnormally dry or in drought. Drought and dryness affected portions of all states except Kentucky. Drought expanded and intensified across the far upper Midwest, while conditions showed improvements in Missouri. Extreme (D3) drought lingered in portions of east-central Illinois, northern Indiana, and northwest Ohio.

Snowfall

November snowfall totals ranged from 10 to 50 inches in lake-affected regions downwind of Lake Superior and Lake Michigan (Figure 10). The NWS office in Marquette, Michigan, had its 3rd snowiest November on record (dating back to 1961), with 48.8 inches of snow. Across the upper and central Midwest, monthly snowfall totals ranged from 2 to 30 inches, with an inch or less across the far lower Midwest. For the central and lower Midwest, November brought record to near-record monthly totals, with a vast portion of the region accumulating 200-500 percent of normal snowfall for the month (Figure 11). Goshen, Indiana, had its snowiest November in 112 years with 27 inches for the month, which was 23.6 inches above normal. This beat the previous record set in 1977 by 13 inches. Racine, Wisconsin, had its 2nd snowiest November in 130 years with 15.3 inches. Spencer, Iowa, had its 3rd snowiest November in 131 years with 15.8 inches. The first measurable snowfall of the season for many locations across Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, and Ohio occurred on November 10-11, when cold air from the north moved over the Great Lakes, generating lake-effect snow that reached as far as the lower Midwest (Figure 12). Some parts of northern Indiana, southwestern Michigan, and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula observed over a foot of snow. On November 10, Chicago O’Hare International Airport observed 1.7 inches of snow, nearly a month earlier than the typical first inch of snow for that location. Thundersnow was also reported along Lake Michigan on the early morning of November 10. Snowfall was scant throughout the middle of the month until a more active pattern resumed late in the month. From November 25-27, a potent winter storm traversed Minnesota, northern Wisconsin, and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (Figure 13). This storm brought 3 to 30 inches of snowfall across the far upper Midwest, along with extreme winds and pre-Thanksgiving travel stress. Another notable snow-producing weather system moved across the region immediately following the Thanksgiving holiday, from November 28th to 30th (detailed below), driving up monthly snowfall totals region-wide.

November 28-30 Snowstorm

An early-season winter storm blanketed the central Midwest with unusually deep snow for November. Snowfall totals ranging from 6 to 16 inches were reported across Iowa, southern Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and southern Michigan (Figure 14). On November 29, many long-running reporting locations had their largest single-day November snowfall on record, including Dubuque, IA (11 inches); Springfield, IL (8.9 inches); Chicago, IL (8.4 inches); and Madison, WI (9.3 inches). Waterloo, Iowa, and Springfield, Illinois, experienced their largest November storm-total snowfall on record, with many other Midwest cities also reporting a top 5 November storm-total snowfall. The post-Thanksgiving storm brought travel stress to the region, with thousands of flights delayed and cancelled, and major interstate highways closed due to hazardous driving conditions and crashes.