November 2019 Was Cooler and Drier, as US Continued Its Record-Wet Year

Autumn wrapped up wetter and warmer overall

November 2019 saw a bit of everything for the contiguous United States: Cooler and drier weather in the Midwest and Northeast, and warmer and wetter in the West and Southwest.

• Related: NOAA: October was Coldest in 10-Years | 2019 Still Wettest Year on Record

But: The month’s overall dryness didn’t stop the trend of a record-wet year to date.

Here are more highlights from NOAA’s latest monthly U.S. climate report:

Climate by the numbers

November 2019

• The average November temperature across the contiguous U.S. was 41.2 degrees F (0.5 of a degree below average) and ranked in the middle third of the 125-year record.
• The average precipitation last month across the contiguous U.S was 1.86 inches (0.37 of an inch below average) and ranked in the driest third of the November record.
• Above-average precipitation fell across the Southwest, parts of the Rockies and Great Plains, as Arizona had its third-wettest November on record.
• Below-average precipitation fell across the Pacific Northwest, the deep South, and parts of the Central Plains, Great Lakes, and Mid-Atlantic.

Year to date and meteorological autumn

• It was a relatively wet and warm meteorological autumn (September through November) across the contiguous U.S. The total autumn precipitation was 7.46 inches — 0.58 inches above average — ranking in the upper third of the historical record.
• The average autumn temperature was 53.9 degrees F (0.4 of a degree above average), which ranked in the middle third of the historical record for the season.
• The wet autumn extended the year’s soggy stretch, as the U.S. continued its wettest year to date (January through November) on record, with a precipitation total of 32.14 inches (4.55 inches above average).
• For the year to date, the average temperature was 54.2 degrees F (0.4 of a degree above average). This ranked in the middle third of the record.

More notable climate events

• A hot month, season and year for Alaska: Anchorage, Kodiak, Homer and Cold Bay experienced their warmest November on record. Alaska, on the whole, had its fourth-warmest autumn on record. The state also continued its record-warm year to date, which narrowly eclipsed 2016.
• Raymond brought record rainfall: The remnants of Tropical Storm Raymond in the eastern Pacific Ocean helped set new rainfall records across southeastern Arizona in November.
• Drought continued to improve: By the end of November, approximately 12% of the contiguous U.S. was in drought, down 6% from the end of last month.