November 2003 Saint Cloud Weather Summary

Wet or White, It's Still too Dry

     November continued the trend of below normal precipitation that began on July 15. The total melted precipitation officially recorded in Saint Cloud was 1.05 inch, nearly half-an-inch below normal. The rainfall was measured at the Saint Cloud Regional Airport, but the snowfall was melted and recorded at the Math-Science Building at Saint Cloud State University. The low precipitation has allowed the precipitation deficit since July 15 to reach nearly 6 inches (see Fall 2003 statistics). The final weekly precipitation report from the Minnesota State Climatologist's Office shows that all of Minnesota, except for a swath from Alexandria and Glenwood through Little Falls, Milaca, and Hinckley, had below normal rainfall for the growing season. The latest drought monitor from the National Drought Mitigation Center shows that most of central Minnesota is listed as having a Moderate Drought. However, extreme drought conditions cover the area approximately bounded by the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area, the Mississippi River, and I-35.

     Much of the November precipitation fell in the form of snow. The Saint Cloud November snowfall totalled 13.2 inches, nearly four and a half inches above normal. The bulk of the snow fell on November 3rd, when 3.8 inches of wet snow fell, breaking a daily snowfall record, and on November 23rd, when 7.3 inches fell, tying a snowfall record. The November 22-23 snowfall was the larrgest in central Minnesota with Little Falls and Wadena recording 10 inches of snow. The November 2003 snowfall ranks as the 16th heaviest November total snowfall in the 96 years of Saint Cloud snowfall records. However, high November snowfalls have been the rule over the past 10 years. Higher November snowfalls occured in 1996 (13.4 inches; 15th place), 1993 (13.5 inches; 14th place), 1992 (14.1 inches; 13th place), and 1991 (21.3 inches; 4th place). The snowiest November on record was 1940 (26.9 inches), which included the Armistice Day blizzard. (Ten snowiest/driest Novembers are here.)

    November's temperatures were within a degree of normal. As was the case the past couple of months, the near-normal average temperature was the result of some very warm weather and some very cold weather. The warmer weather in the middle of November produced some near record highs in the 50's. After each snowfall, colder weather reigned, including Saint Cloud's first sub-zero low of the season on November 24th. In our recent spate of mild winters, there have been only two other Novembers since 1997 with a sub-zero low (1997, 2000). However, sub-zero lows in November have been a fairly regular occurrence; there were 9 November days with a sub-zero low during 1994-1996. (Historic sub-zero lows are here)

    November 30 marks the end of meteorological fall. Fall 2003 was dominated by the dry weather with rainfall half an inch below normal. The average temperature ended up a bit more than a degree above normal. Usually, the fall is the best season to try make up a deficit since usage by plants is at a low level after the growing season ends. It is possible that the current snowpack could melt, allowing some rain to penetrate the soil before it freezes, but it is more likely that we will have to make up that deficit after the ground thaws during the spring. (Fall 2003 statistics are here.)

   Finally, Saint Cloud has a "new" normal snowfall. The National Climatic Data Center issues new 30-Year normal temperatures and precipitation statistics at the end of each decade. Currently, the 30-year period are the years 1971-2000. (My site is the only free on-line source of Saint Cloud's 30-year daily normal temperatures and precipitation as well as the monthly normal temperature and precipitation). However, the NCDC has discontinued keeping snowfall records. Thus, I have recomputed the 30-year-normal snowfall (1974-2003) through last cold season. Despite the last few snowless winters, the heavy snowfalls during most of the past 30 years pushed the normal snowfall to 46.8 inches, up 1.2 inches from the 1961-1990 values and more than 5 inches higher than the historic Saint Cloud average of 41.6 inches.

    November 2003 Statistics

Fall (September 1-November 30) 2003 Statistics