November 2024 Saint Cloud Weather Summary

November 2024 in Minnesota began on pace to produce another top 10 warmest month. Through November 24, the November St. Cloud, Minnesota, the average temperature was 40.5 degrees (sum high 47.3, sum low 33.7), which would have ranked as the 2nd warmest November, just short of 2001. However, the Thanksgiving period of November 25-30 were all colder than the late November average temperatures, including November 30, the coldest temperature of the cold season so far (high of 14 degrees, coldest since January 20; low of 2 degrees, coldest since February 28) and November 28 (low of 3 degrees, coldest since March 23). The final St. Cloud November temperature averaged 35.7 degrees (high 42.1 degrees, low 29.3 degrees), 4.8 degrees above average, 16th warmest on record. Last November accomplished nearly the same feat, running as the 2nd warmest November until November 24-28.

Even though November was warmer than average, the number of unusually warm days (see number of 70 and 80 degrees highs through October). The warmer periods in November tended to be cloudy, as is typical in November and December, except for the 8th, which had the 57 degree high. The average November high of 42.1 degrees was 2.8 degrees above average, while the average November low of 29.3 degrees was 6.7 degrees warmer than average and the 6th warmest November low on record.

The cold streak late in the month did produce 8 straight days of colder than average temperatures from November 25 through December 2, the longest streak of colder than average temperatures since August. November 30 had the coldest high (14) since January 20 (8 degrees) and the coldest low since February 28 (0 degrees).

For meteorological fall (September 1 through November 30), the St. Cloud average temperature was 51.9 degrees, 6.5 degrees above average. That set a new record for fall temperature, topping the 1963 mark of 51.3 degrees. In recent years, 2015 (50.7 degrees), 2016 (50.2 degrees), 2023 (50.1 degrees), and 2021 (49.5 degrees) all placed in the 10 warmest.

The 11 months of 2024 in the book average as St. Cloud's warmest January through November on record, by 0.8 degrees over 1931 (see table below). 6 of the 11 warmest Jan-Novs occurred since 2000. If St. Cloud has merely an average temperature in December (17.8 degrees), 2024 would tie 1931 as St. Cloud's warmest year on record (47.9 degrees).

The April through November period, containing most of the summer and fall was the second warmest on record. Note that the bulk of the years in the top 11 occurred before 2000, because the bulk of the 10 warmest summers have occurred in the 1930's or earlier (only 1988 and 2021 are in the top 10).

The warmer than average streak has now reached 19 straight months. Since May 2023, the 19 month average in 2023-2024 is the warmest record by 1.7 degrees over 2011-2012. Again, 7 of the 12 periods in the list have occurred since 2005.

St. Cloud precipitation was the 2nd highest total from December 2023 through August 2024. However, the September-October period was the 5th driest in St. Cloud records and was even drier before the October 30-31 storm, which produced 0.88 of wet snow and rain. However, November 2024 reversed that trend. There was a total of 2.10 inches of precipitation in November 2024, 0.73 inch above average. The bulk of that fell during a slow-moving storm from November 18 through 20. The wettest day of that period produced 1.18 inch of rain, breaking the November 18 daily record rainfall of 0.98 inch. At the tail end of the storm, there was 2.0 inch of snow on November 20, accounting for nearly all of the 2.2 inches for the month.

The total precipitation between last December, which set a new December precipitation record, and this November is 37.74 inches, the 4th wettest on record (see table below). However, it won't be that easy to break into the 10 wettest years, since the January through November (32.72 inches) ranks only as the 18th wettest January-November. It would require at least 2.70 December inches, about three and a half times the average December precipitation (0.88 inch).

There still are enough winter-like milestones to note the last day with a high above certain thresholds, first freezes, and first snowfall. The last 80-degree and 70-degree highs were quite late, but the change to cooler highs meant the final 60-degree high was 2 days earlier than average.