Midwest Overview - November 2011

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Warm Temperatures

November temperatures averaged above normal across the Midwest. Temperatures ranged from 1°F to 6°F above normal with the warmest locations to the north and east (Figure 1). More than 400 record high daily temperature records were set or tied compared to about a dozen record lows during the month. The second and fourth weeks of the month were warm across the region while some areas of cooler than normal conditions existed in the first and third weeks.
 

Wet in the Southeast but Dry in the Northwest

Rainfall totals for the month varied considerably, from less than 0.10" to more than 10.00" (Figure 2). In Minnesota, northwest Iowa, northwest Wisconsin, and the western part of Upper Michigan, rainfall totals were well below normal with southwestern Minnesota and northwest Iowa receiving less than 10% of normal. To the southeast totals increased rapidly with a swath of roughly 200% of normal across northern Missouri into west central Illinois and another swath from the boot heel of Missouri, up the Ohio River Valley, extending northward to Lake Erie largely exceeding 200% of normal (Figure 3). The rains in the southeast put Cincinnati's airport well beyond its annual record for precipitation with December still to come. Through November, the 2011 total was 66.76", 27.72" above normal and well above the record of 57.58" set in 1990. Some other stations in Kentucky were also close to setting annual rainfall records. Daily precipitation records were numerous, with over 1100 daily records set or tied during November. Four days (3rd, 8th, 9th, and 29th) topped 100 records and 17 days topped 20 records.
 

Snow

While some locations were left waiting for their first snowfall of the season, November snow storms were scattered around the region (Figure 4). Record snow fell in Iowa and Wisconsin on the 9th and 10th, Minnesota on the 20th, and Michigan and Indiana on the 30th.
 

Drought

There were areas of improvement and also of degradation in drought status during November (Figure 5). The dry conditions in the northwest led to degradations in Minnesota and northwest Iowa with Severe Drought designations spreading in those areas. Along with the rains in the southeast two-thirds of the region, improvements were seen in Missouri, Illinois, and southeast Iowa. Further east in Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio, the heavy precipitation pushed numerous rivers near or above flood stage by the end of the month (Figure 6).
 

Fall Season

The fall precipitation pattern resembled November precipitation except the transition from above to below normal was further south and a little further east (Figure 7). Totals ranged from 2" to more than 15", departures from normal ranged from 5" below to 9" above, and percentages from less than 25% of normal to more than . Temperatures were near normal for the southern half of the region and a few degrees above normal in the northern half (Figure 8).
 

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The Indiana State Climate Office also contributed to this report.
The Iowa Climatology Bureau also contributed to this report.
The Minnesota State Climatology Office also contributed to this report.