A concerning trend is developing of above average temperatures and below average rainfall. Granted it wasn´t a record dry month, but when you only have 10% of normal rainfall, it does become concerning.
The average daily high during November was 56.3, 2.5 degrees above normal. The average daily low was 37.6, 5.6 degrees above normal. This gave us a monthly mean temperature of 47, 4.1 degrees above normal. This trend of abnormally warm evening temperatures is something that has been noted for several years now.
Average overnight lows are frequently warmer than average more so than the average highs. While we were noticeably above normal we were a long way from a record warm November. The warmest November in record was in 1999 when the monthly mean temperature was 51.8. The coldest November was in 1985 with a chilly monthly mean temperature of 35.2. The highest temperature during the month was the high of 78 on Black Friday, November 24th. The lowest temperature was the frosty morning low of 17 on the 21st.
There were multiple temperature records broken during November. The high of 71 on the 23rd (Thanksgiving Day) broke the old record high of 70 set in 1958. The high of 78 on the 24th broke the old record of 72 set in 1990. The high of 73 on the 27th broke the high for that date of 70 set in 1960. The overnight low of 51 on the 23rd broke the record high low temperature for that date, set in 1974 and the low of 46 on the 26th broke the old record high low temperature for that date which
was set in 1994.
Rainfall in November amounted to an occasional teasing by Mother Nature. November is our 4th driest month of the year with long term average rainfall of 1.55 inches. All we could manage was 0.16 inches at Milford Lake and 0.14 inches in Junction City. The last measurable precipitation was November 15th. As dry as it was, it was still only the 13th driest November on record, dating back to 1931. November 1954, 1966 and 1989 all had no measurable precipitation. On the opposite end of that spectrum,
November of 1931 recorded 5.88 inches of precipitation. Due to good rains earlier in the year, for what it´s worth now, we are still close or slightly over for the year. Year to date average precipitation is 32.13
inches. Milford Lake has had 34.18 inches year to date and Junction City 30.57 inches. Normal November snowfall is one inch. We received a trace of snowfall actually on October 31st, but because precipitation is recorded 7 a.m. to 7 a.m., credit was given to November.
December is normally our second coldest month of the year and our second driest. Average daily highs range from 46 on the 1st to 38 on the 31st. Average overnight lows drop from 25 on the 1st to 18 on New Year´s Eve.
Average precipitation is only 1.02 inches. Long-term average snowfall for December is only 3.7 inches and we have less than a 25% chance of experiencing a white Christmas!
Chuck Otte
County Extension Agent, Ag & Natural Resources