November's Reputation

November's weather has a rather gloomy brand image.

The legendary voice of NFL Films, the late John Facenda, narrates in the song "November" that the dreams of NFL teams in September tend to "wilt and die in the chill of November."

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Then again, even the rock group Guns 'n Roses once sang, "Nothing lasts forever, even cold November rain."

Not all November's weather features are, well, bad. Here are five typical changes that kick in during the month.

NEXT > Lake Snow Factory

Lake-Effect Snow Machine Ramps Up

With apologies to the destructive Buffalo lake-effect snowstorm in mid-October 2006 (Stu Ostro's blog), lake-effect snow ramps up in earnest during November in the Great Lakes snowbelts.

A long fetch of cold air spilling over relatively warm Great Lakes water is all that's needed. This sets up a relatively shallow unstable air mass in which warm, moist air rises to form bands of clouds that then deposit their rain or snow (when cold enough) downwind of the Great Lakes, from Upstate New York to Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

"In early November, it's the northern Great Lakes (northern Michigan) that typically sees the most lake-effect snow," said Tom Moore, senior meteorologist and  lake-effect expert with The Weather Channel. "By around the 20th of November, the eastern Great Lakes join in."

Below are some comparisons of October vs. November average snowfall for Great Lakes snowbelt cities:

{"id":"wxn0","type":"wxnode_content_well","schema_version":"1.1.12","contentwell":"<\/iframe><div style='\"width:550px;border-top:1px' solid><a target='\"_blank\"' href="%5C%22%5C/%5C/infogr.am%5C/average-snowfall%5C%22" style='\"color:#acacac;text-decoration:none;\"'>\n \n Average Snowfall\n \n<\/a> | </a><a style='\"color:#acacac;text-decoration:none;\"' href="%5C%22%5C/%5C/infogr.am%5C%22" target='\"_blank\"'>Create infographics<\/a><\/div>"}<p>Often a November storm will be a more egregious wind, than snow producer.</p><p><strong>NEXT ></strong>&nbsp;<a href="?pageno=3">Notorious "November Witches"</a></p><p></p><hr><h3>November's Great Windstorms</h3><p>&nbsp;</p><div id="wxn1" data-config="eyJpZCI6Ind4bjEiLCJ0eXBlIjoid3hub2RlX2V4dGVybmFsX2ltYWdlIiwic2NoZW1hX3ZlcnNpb24iOiIxLjEuMTIiLCJzcmMiOiJodHRwczovL3Mudy14LmNvL2lpbXd4L3dlYi9uZXdzLzIwMTEvbm92ZW1iZXIvZWRmaXR6YmlnLW5vYWEtNjAweDQwNS5qcGciLCJsaW5rdXJsIjoiIiwiYWxpZ24iOiJsZWZ0IiwiYWx0IjoiRWRtdW5kIEZpdHpnZXJhbGQiLCJzeW5vcHNpcyI6IlRoZSBpcm9uLW9yZSBzaGlwIEVkbXVuZCBGaXR6Z2VyYWxkIHNhbmsgaW4gTGFrZSBTdXBlcmlvciBkdXJpbmcgYSBzdG9ybSBpbiBOb3ZlbWJlciAxOTc1LiAoTk9BQSkiLCJsaW5rcyI6W10sInNpemVjb2RlIjoibGFyZ2UiLCJfX3d4bmV4dCI6eyJfaW5kZXgiOjB9fQ=="></div><p><em>"The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait when the Gales of November came slashin'. When afternoon came it was freezin' rain in the face of a hurricane west wind." </em>&ndash; Gordon Lightfoot</p><p>Fall, November in particular, is notorious for producing intense low-pressure systems in the nation's mid-section. These systems are notable for their wind than their rain or snow.</p><p>A 1903 paper from the U.S. Weather Bureau's Professor Edward B. Garriott found that November was the month with the most storms"in the Great Lakes, averaging one to two such gales each November.</p><p>Arguably the most infamous of these "November witches" sunk a 26,000 ton iron-ore ship, the <em>Edmund Fitzgerald</em>, in Lake Superior on Nov. 10, 1975, claiming the lives of all 29 crew members.</p><p>Twenty-three years later to the day, a more intense low pressure center tracked right over western Lake Superior, producing extensive damaging winds across the Upper Midwest.</p><p>The Nov. 9-11, 1998 storm broke the all-time low pressure record for the state of Minnesota (28.43 inches of mercury at both Austin and Albert Lea) and Iowa (28.54 inches at Spencer and Estherville). Waves over 20 feet were observed on Lake Superior. Winds gusted to 93 mph at La Crosse, Wisc. and 95 mph at Mackinac Island, Mich. The top of a water tower in Kaukauna, Wisc. was partially blown off. Some lost power for three to four days.</p><p>Veterans' Day has also been a cruel time of year in the Great Lakes. Consider, these other two notable storms of the past:</p><ul><li>Armistice Day Blizzard (1940): Over 150 killed (69 of these on ships in Lake Michigan)</li><li>Freshwater Fury(1913): Shipwrecks on four of five Great Lakes</li></ul><p><strong>NEXT ></strong>&nbsp;<a href="?pageno=4">Less "Liquid Sunshine"</a></p><p></p><hr><h3>Florida's Dry Season</h3><div id="wxn2" data-config="eyJpZCI6Ind4bjIiLCJ0eXBlIjoid3hub2RlX2ludGVybmFsX2ltYWdlIiwic2NoZW1hX3ZlcnNpb24iOiIxLjEuMTIiLCJsaW5rcyI6W10sImFsaWduIjoibGVmdCIsImFzc2V0aWQiOiI3OGEyYjlhNy1jZDE2LTQ2MTAtOThkNi01N2JhYjgxY2RlZWEiLCJzaXplY29kZSI6ImxhcmdlIiwibGlua3VybCI6IiIsIl9fd3huZXh0Ijp7InByaW9yaXR5IjpmYWxzZSwiaW1hZ2VVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3Mudy14LmNvL2E0ZWMyMjM4LWFjZDMtNGFmMy1hZWEwLTk2ZDM4MDIyN2I2My5qcGciLCJjYXB0aW9uIjoiU2NoZW1hdGljIG9mIEZsb3JpZGEgcG9sYXIgZnJvbnQgaW4gZHJ5IHNlYXNvbi4iLCJsaW5rVXJsIjpudWxsfX0="></div><p>Why does a state bordered on three sides by water have a "dry season"?</p><div id="wxn3" data-config="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"></div><p>From late fall through early spring, cold fronts frequently plunge through the state, sweeping away any warm and humid air.&nbsp;Any rain associated with these frontal passages is usually in the form of thin lines that sweep quickly through before they can dump significant rainfall.</p><p>Cool, dry air behind the front stabilizes the atmosphere, suppressing any showers and thunderstorms.</p><p>Also, the threat from tropical cyclones to Florida becomes negligible (but not zero) in November.</p><p>The drop-off in rainfall from October to November is most dramatic in South Florida, but less so in the Panhandle.&nbsp;In central Florida, the dry season typically arrives sometime in mid-October, thus, the lower October average rainfall in Orlando.</p><wxnode type="wxnode_content_well">{"id":"wxn4","type":"wxnode_content_well","schema_version":"1.1.12","contentwell":"<iframe src="%5C%22%5C/%5C/e.infogr.am%5C/average-monthly-rainfall%5C%22" width='\"550\"' height='\"500\"' scrolling='\"no\"' frameborder='\"0\"' style='\"border:none;\"'><\/iframe><div style='\"width:550px;border-top:1px' solid><a target='\"_blank\"' href="%5C%22%5C/%5C/infogr.am%5C/average-monthly-rainfall%5C%22" style='\"color:#acacac;text-decoration:none;\"'>\n \n Average Monthly Rain\n \n<\/a> | </a><a style='\"color:#acacac;text-decoration:none;\"' href="%5C%22%5C/%5C/infogr.am%5C%22" target='\"_blank\"'>Infographics<\/a><\/div>"}<p>From late spring through early fall, Florida's wet season sets in. Cold fronts can no longer penetrate that far south, so warmth and humidity simply build.</p><p>As cooler air glides inland from the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean, thunderstorms can erupt along sea-breeze fronts. At times, these thunderstorms can be virtually a daily occurrence. Sometimes these storms may move very slowly, quickly dumping several inches of rain.</p><p>Then there's hurricane season.</p><p>While the Sunshine State gets more, well, sunshine in November, one other region of the country shifts into its rainy peak.</p><p><strong>NEXT ></strong>&nbsp;<a href="?pageno=5">"Seattle Weather"</a></p><p></p><hr><h3>Pacific Northwest's Wet Season</h3><div id="wxn5" data-config="eyJpZCI6Ind4bjUiLCJ0eXBlIjoid3hub2RlX2V4dGVybmFsX2ltYWdlIiwic2NoZW1hX3ZlcnNpb24iOiIxLjEuMTIiLCJzcmMiOiJodHRwczovL3Mudy14LmNvL2lpbXd4L3dlYi9uZXdzLzIwMTEvbm92ZW1iZXIvU0VBX0FWR19QUkVDSVBfTk9WXzYwMHg0MDUuanBnIiwibGlua3VybCI6IiIsImFsaWduIjoibGVmdCIsImFsdCI6IlNlYXR0bGUncyBBdmVyYWdlIE1vbnRobHkgUmFpbmZhbGwiLCJzeW5vcHNpcyI6IkF2ZXJhZ2UgbW9udGhseSByYWluZmFsbCBpbiBTZWF0dGxlLiAoRGF0YTogTmF0aW9uYWwgV2VhdGhlciBTZXJ2aWNlKSIsImxpbmtzIjpbXSwic2l6ZWNvZGUiOiJsYXJnZSIsIl9fd3huZXh0Ijp7Il9pbmRleCI6M319"></div><p>Whether Seattle truly deserves its rainy reputation is certainly up for debate. Seattle typically picks up less precipitation annually than New York, Washington and Atlanta.</p><p>But November is marked by a distinct rise in precipitation in the Pacific Northwest. In fact, November is the wettest month on average in both Seattle (see graph below) and Portland, Ore., kicking off a three-month wet-season peak from November through January.</p><p>Here are some more big November precipitation leaps in the Northwest. In almost all the cases below, precipitation at least doubles from October into November.</p><wxnode type="wxnode_content_well">{"id":"wxn6","type":"wxnode_content_well","schema_version":"1.1.12","contentwell":"<iframe src="%5C%22%5C/%5C/e.infogr.am%5C/average-monthly-precip%5C%22" width='\"550\"' height='\"450\"' scrolling='\"no\"' frameborder='\"0\"' style='\"border:none;\"'><\/iframe><div style='\"width:550px;border-top:1px' solid><a target='\"_blank\"' href="%5C%22%5C/%5C/infogr.am%5C/average-monthly-precip%5C%22" style='\"color:#acacac;text-decoration:none;\"'>\n \n AVERAGE MONTHLY PRECIP.\n \n<\/a> | </a><a style='\"color:#acacac;text-decoration:none;\"' href="%5C%22%5C/%5C/infogr.am%5C%22" target='\"_blank\"'>Create infographics<\/a><\/div>"}<p>Why all the November rain?</p><p>Simply put, a steady diet of vigorous dips in the polar jet stream, so-called upper-level troughs, parade into the Pacific Northwest in earnest beginning in November.</p><p>Often in the heart of the rainy season, you can see multiple storms lined up over the Pacific Ocean. Not all of them will make it to the Pacific Northwest, and some may spin up closer to the Pacific Northwest coast. <a href="/maps/maptype/satelliteworld/pacificoceansatellite_large_animated.html">Click here for a satellite loop</a> showing the current storms in the Pacific Ocean.</p><p>Of course, rain isn't the only story here. Feet of snow can clobber the Cascades, Siskiyous and Bitterroots. The meteorologically famous Paradise Ranger Station in Mt. Rainier National Park picks up at least 108 inches of snow each month from November through January, then again in March.</p><p>You may think November is all about cold, rain, and wind, but did you know severe weather can make a cameo appearance?</p><p><strong>NEXT ></strong>&nbsp;<a href="?pageno=6">Severe Weather's Second Season</a></p><p></p><hr><h3>Severe Weather's Second Season</h3><p><module type="wx_video" class="corsican-video" bcplayerkey="AQ~~,AAAAAAQxtuk~,N9g8AotC12eobrWkZvrqKiXxOtGg-8h1" bcplayerid="1543561897001" companionadpos="WX_Top300Variable" position="left" gridsize="4" videos="class=video;q=clip:22033" showheadline="true" showplaylist="false" showdescription="false" showrelatedlinks="false" inpage="false" forceautoplay="false" autoplay="true" primary="true"></module></p><p>Cold, snow, rain, wind. These weather words don't elicit the thought of severe thunderstorms or tornadoes.</p><p>However, November typically sees a bump up in severe weather across parts of the South.</p><div id="wxn7" data-config="eyJpZCI6Ind4bjciLCJ0eXBlIjoid3hub2RlX2V4dGVybmFsX2ltYWdlIiwic2NoZW1hX3ZlcnNpb24iOiIxLjEuMTIiLCJzcmMiOiJodHRwczovL3Mudy14LmNvL2lpbXd4L3dlYi9tdWx0aW1lZGlhL2ltYWdlcy90b3JuYWRvY2hhcnRzL3Rvcm5hZG8tdGhyZWF0LW5vdmVtYmVyLmpwZyIsImxpbmt1cmwiOiIiLCJhbGlnbiI6InJpZ2h0IiwiYWx0IjoiTm92ZW1iZXIgdG9ybmFkbyB0aHJlYXQiLCJzeW5vcHNpcyI6IkF2ZXJhZ2UgdG9ybmFkbyB0aHJlYXQgaW4gTm92ZW1iZXIuIChEci4gR3JlZyBGb3JiZXMpIiwibGlua3MiOltdLCJzaXplY29kZSI6ImxhcmdlIiwiX193eG5leHQiOnsiX2luZGV4Ijo0fX0="></div><p>The map at right shows the areas most susceptible to November tornadoes, based on long-term climatology, with the area of greater threat shaded in red.</p><p>(<strong>MORE:</strong> <a href="/outlook/weather-news/severe-weather/articles/tornadoes-seasonal-risk_2010-03-31">Monthly Tornado Risk Maps</a>)</p><p>"Most of the time, second-season tornado outbreaks are in the Gulf Coast states, but they can sometimes spread north to the Ohio Valley," says Dr. Greg Forbes (<a href="http://twitter.com/drgregforbes" target="_blank">Twitter</a>), severe weather expert.</p><p>"In many ways, this is counterpart to spring, when strong fronts and upper-air systems march across the United States. When enough warm, moist air accompanies these weather systems, the unstable conditions yield severe thunderstorms and sometimes tornadoes."</p><p><a href="/safety/tornadoes/worst-tornado-outbreaks-20130228?pageno=6">One of the worst U.S. tornado outbreaks</a> took place the weekend before Thanksgiving 1992 from Texas to the Carolinas.</p><p>From severe weather to high winds, heavy snow, soaking rain, and nice weather with low humidity, November's weather changes deliver a little bit of everything.</p><div id="wxn8" data-config="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"></div><p>&nbsp;&nbsp;<wxnode type="wxnode_content_well">{"id":"wxn9","type":"wxnode_content_well","schema_version":"1.1.12","contentwell":"<!-- Place this tag where you want the widget to render. -->\n<div class='\"g-follow\"' data-annotation='\"bubble\"' data-height='\"20\"' data-href='\"\/\/plus.google.com\/102322965397714519552\"' data-rel='\"author\"'><\/div>\n\n<!-- Place this tag after the last widget tag. -->\n<script type='\"text\/javascript\"'>\n (function() {\n var po = document.createElement('script'); po.type = 'text\/javascript'; po.async = true;\n po.src = 'https:\/\/apis.google.com\/js\/plusone.js';\n var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(po, s);\n })();\n<\/script>"}<p>&nbsp;<p><strong>MORE ON WEATHER.COM: &nbsp;Nov. 1992 Tornado Outbreak<wxnode type="wxnode_slideshow">{"id":"wxn10","type":"wxnode_slideshow","schema_version":"1.1.12","title":"Slideshow WXNode 517fe8bf-c39f-4c50-8b7f-675e5a878cb2","refreshadbeacon":"0","refreshpvbeacon":"3","sizecode":"M","slideshow":"aba6fe78-bffd-4628-bb8b-5452a5e5c4d8","adposition":"WX_Hidden"}</script></div></wxnode></p></a></div>