November 2013 in Illinois — cold and dry
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[December 05, 2013]
CHAMPAIGN — November 2013 will
always be remembered for the tornado outbreak on Nov. 17 that, based
on the latest reports, produced 25 tornadoes across Illinois. While
not as dramatic, overall weather conditions for the month of
November were colder and drier than average, according to Jim Angel,
state climatologist at the Illinois State Water Survey, Prairie
Research Institute, University of Illinois.
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Statewide average precipitation was 2.6 inches, 0.9 inches below
the 1981-2010 average. This is the fifth month with
below-average precipitation for Illinois. Since July, the
statewide precipitation has totaled 12.2 inches, 5.4 inches
below average.
This year ranks as the 15th-driest July-November on record.
These statistics are in stark contrast to the first half of
2013, which was the wettest January-June on record, with 29.0
inches.
Snowfall was common in the northern half of the state in
November. Snowfall amounts were heaviest in the northwest corner
of the state and in the range of 4.0-4.6 inches in the Galena
area.
The statewide average temperature for November was 38.3
degrees, 4.2 degrees below average. While cold, it was far from
the coldest November on record. That record stands at 33.6
degrees in 1976. Many places in Illinois experienced both
springtime temperatures and winter chill in November.
The warmest day of the month was Nov. 17,
as warm air moved in from the south ahead of a strong cold
front. The warm, moist air helped fuel the tornado outbreak.
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Just one week later, low temperatures dropped down into the teens.
For example, Chicago O'Hare Airport reported a high of 69 degrees on
Nov. 17 and a low of 11 degrees on Nov. 24. That's a 58-degree
change in temperature in seven days.
[Text from file received from
the Illinois
State Water Survey]
The Illinois State Water Survey at the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a division of the
Prairie Research Institute, is the primary agency in Illinois
concerned with water and atmospheric resources. |