While the past few months in the Midwest have been on the quiet end of the spectrum, November has been home to some extreme weather in years passed. Severe weather outbreaks, snow storms and even a few warm spells have occurred. Let's go down memory lane and learn what kind of curve balls Mother Nature can throw in November.
While November is not technically defined as astronomical or even meteorological winter, the month can produce when it comes to snow. All of the major cities in the Midwest have had a snowstorm in the past where snow blowers, not leaf blowers, needed to be used.
Despite being the most northerly location and being close to Lake Michigan, Chicago comes in last in the record snowfall department during November. This is likely because Chicago is also the driest location during the month of November, with only 2.66” of liquid precipitation on average (see below). The reason being? Chicago is more susceptible to cold polar outbreaks, which do bring cold air, but oftentimes without much moisture. In general, the further south you are in the Midwest, the more precipitation one receives as it is easier for Gulf of Mexico moisture to work its way north. If conditions come together just right, good sized snowstorms can be the case (as with most of the other cities on this list).
For those who want to turn up the heat a little, besides the one on your thermostat, November offers one last hope of warm weather before winter really gets underway. Record highs are around 80 degrees, though most locations set record highs early in the month before the winter pattern really sets up.
It is this warm weather, however, that can provide the fuel for severe weather outbreaks. In Illinois, last year’s November 17th was the deadliest and most expensive in history for the month of November1. In fact, 106 tornadoes were confirmed by the Storm Prediction Center, which included a powerful EF-4 tornado in Washington, IL that was a half mile wide, had 190 mph peak winds, and covered a 34.5 mile path.
November can definitely provide a wide range of weather throughout the Midwest on a day to day basis. The best course of action? Be prepared for anything in November!
1 - http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=2582
