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The statewide precipitation total was 5.60 inches, 2.13
inches above average and the third wettest November on record.
In first place was 1985 with 9.05 inches, and in second place
was 1992 with 6.51 inches.
The largest reported precipitation total for November was
reported in Rock Island with 8.39 inches. This was followed
closely by Sparta with 8.09 inches. Precipitation includes both
rainfall and the water content of snowfall.
Most of the November snowfall came from a winter storm before
Thanksgiving, which left a band of heavy snow stretching from
the High Plains through Michigan. Typical amounts in northern
Illinois for November were in the 6- to 12-inch range.
A few places along the IL-WI border had the highest amounts,
including Harvard with 20.8 inches, and Gurnee with 20.2 inches.
Snowfall totals dropped off steeply, moving southward with the
southern boundary of the snowfall ending near Interstate 70.
The statewide average temperature was 46.0 degrees, 3.5 degrees
above average and the 10th warmest November on record. The
spread between the highest and lowest temperature reported for
the month was 80 degrees, an impressive range.
Grand Chain Dam in southern Illinois reported a high of 79 on
November 5. Kewanee reported a low of -1 on November 22.
The above-average temperatures in November were common across
the eastern half of the United States, including Illinois and
surrounding states, just as the National Weather Service had
forecasted. This forecast was driven primarily by the strong El
Niņo occurring in the Pacific Ocean.
[Lisa A. Sheppard, Illinois State
Water Survey, Prairie Research Institute] |
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