NOVEMBER 2016 – GAITHERSBURG 2 WNW MARYLAND
BRIEF SUMMARY STATISTICS FOR THE NJWO BLOG
by Kevin Shaw, Observer in charge
Average high temperature 58.7° (+ 3.5°)
Average low temperature 37.7° (+ 3.0°)
Mean temperature 48.2° (+ 3.2°)
Precipitation 2.19″ (- 1.63″)
Greatest daily amount (date) 1.59″ (30)
Year to date precipitation 37.10″ (- 4.37″)
High temperature for the month (date) 74° (2,3)
Low temperature for the month (date) 26° (23)
Highest barometric pressure (date) 30.54″ (7)
Lowest barometric pressure (date) 29.54″ (30)
Peak wind gust (date/direction): 29 (20/WSW)
Heating degree days for the month: 505
Cooling degree days for the month: 0
Greatest diurnal range (date): 34.8° (8)
Least diurnal range (date): 7.1° (20)
Number of days:
Fog: 2 (both days dense)
Thunder: 0
Sunny/clear days:12 Partly Cloudy days:6 Cloudy days:12
Days with measurable precipitation (=>.01″) = 6
Days with maximum temperatures of 70° or more = 2
Days with minimum temperatures of 32° or less = 8
NOVEMBER 2016 MONTHLY SUMMARY
GAITHERSBURG 2 WNW MARYLAND
by Kevin Shaw, observer in charge
November 2016 was warm and dry, the 9th such monthly
pattern in my 38 years of Novembers. However, it fell
short of being the driest November ever, as the last 2
days of the month provided for over 88% of the month’s
total precipitation (1.94″ 2 day total vs. 2.19″ monthly
total). The 1.59″ daily amount on the last day of the month
was the wettest day of the month by far, and also set a daily record precipitation amount for the date. Statistically
November 2016 was the 8th driest November on record.
Temperature-wise the month fell in the middle of the pack
both on the max, min and mean side of the ledger. One
temperature record was set during our warmest spell of the
month, with the 55° min temp on the 3rd setting a record
for the highest minimum temperature for the date. The min
temperature for the month of 26° on the 23rd was a warm
extreme monthly min, most Novembers in the past have at
least dropped into the low 20s if not the teens by the end
of November. 6 days of measurable precipitation and 8
days of 32 or lower mins both were well below the normal
amounts of 9.6 and 13 days. No snow month was the 14th
time that has occurred.
November 2016 featured more above normal temperatures but
not to the extent of previous warm months. The most notable
temperature fact during the month was the first 32° min of the season was recorded on November 8, which tied 2014 for the
latest first freeze date of the season.
Most of the month was also quite dry as only 0.25″ fell during the first 28 days of the month. We were headed towards an all-time record dry November but the rains on the last 2 days of the month (1.94″) wiped out that possibility. Still considerably below normal (-1.63″) and the 8th driest November in my 38 period of record (POR). Measurable rain fell on only 6 days through out the month, only about half of the long-term average amount of 9.6 days. My current year to date precipitation total of 37.10″ through November 30 is 4.37″ below the normal amount of 41.47″.
The average maximum temperature for the month was 58.7°
(+3.4°), the average minimum temperature was 37.7° (+ 3.0°). The resultant mean average temperature for the month was
48.2° (+ 3.2°).
The month’s highest barometric pressure reading of 30.54″ on the 7th was at the end of the beginning of the month warm spell. The lowest pressure reading of the month of 29.54″ was on the last day of the month (30th) when we had our stormiest/wettest day of the month.
The distribution of 12 sunny, 6 partly cloudy and 12 cloudy days didn’t fit in as well as October with the generally dry conditions.
There were 505 heating degree days (HDD) and 0 cooling degree days during the month. I managed to catch two foggy days in November right at the end of the month during our two wettest days. Both days actually had dense fog at times, occurring around midnight to enable them to share with the two days. There were no thunderstorm days. The peak wind gust during the month was 29 MPH out of the WSW on the 20th and was our windiest day since early April. I had a total of five days with PWG readings above the 20 MPH mark. It was another generally calm month as 10 days recorded a PWG of 9 MPH or less, spread out fairly evenly throughout the month. The dominant daily wind direction was 23 days with a westerly component, followed by 7 days with a easterly component (mostly towards the end of the month).
My maximum temperature frequencies included 2 days at or above 70°, 12 days between 60° and 69°, 12 days between 50° and 59°, and 4 days in the 40s. On the minimum temperature frequency side of things, there were 4 days between 20° and 29°, 15 days between 30° and 39°, 8 days between 40° and 49°, and 3 days between 50° and 59°.
The diurnal range average actually a bit above normal, the first time it has done that in quite a while (21.0° vs the normal of 20.5°). The max daily range of 34.8° occurred on the 8th (67°-32°) on the day of our first freezing min of the fall season. There were 3 other days with ranges in the 30s, and an additional 15 days with daily ranges at or above 20°. The lowest daily temperature range of 7.1° (43°-36°) occurred on a cool, cloudy, damp day on the 20th. There were a total of 4 days with minimum daily temperature ranges less than 10°.
The tropics calmed down in November when it normally starts to wind down. There was one remarkable hurricane Otto at the end of November that formed way down in the southern Caribbean that only affected Central America. The remarkably strong storm also held together to move through the isthmus land mass and into the Pacific, maintaining its tropical characteristics enough to hold on to the storm name Otto through its total life. Our rainstorm at the end of the month wasn’t related to Otto at all, though it was a pretty warm storm. As we enter December now, it appears that we finally are getting into a wetter, colder pattern that may lead to some snow eventually. We shall see what develops. I may not be able to do another report like this for the
foreseeable future due to major personal changes. I am going to have to shut my personal weather station down sometime during the month for an unknown period of time. When it opens up again hopefully, it will be in a different location. With the close of November, I completed a full 38 years of precipitation records at my location, starting on December 1, 1978. My temperature records started on January 1, 1979. Seems like only yesterday! It has been quite a run!
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