A remarkably warm meteorological fall concluded across the United States last month, with the season ranking as the nation's sixth warmest fall on record, according to scientists at NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).
An intense Atlantic hurricane season also came to an end, ranking fourth among the most named storms in a year since 1950.
Below are highlights from NOAA's November 2023 US climate report:
The climate in figures
November 2023
The average November temperature in the contiguous United States was 44.4 degrees F (2.7 degrees above average), ranking as the 19th warmest November in NOAA's 129 years of climate records.
November temperatures were above average across much of the U.S., while below-normal temperatures were observed in parts of the Northeast. No state in the contiguous United States recorded its November among the 10 warmest or coldest on record. However, Alaska experienced its fourth warmest November in the state's 99-year record period.
The nation's average precipitation in the contiguous United States was 1.38 inches (0.85 inches below average), making it the 12th driest November on record. Indiana recorded its third driest November on record, while Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri and Wisconsin all recorded a top 10 driest November. No state recorded a November among the 10 wettest.
meteorological autumn
It was very hot meteorological autumn (September to November) in the contiguous United States The average fall temperature was 56.1 degrees F (2.5 degrees above average), ranking as the sixth warmest fall on record.
New Mexico and Texas recorded the third warmest falls on record, while Maine recorded the fourth warmest fall. Arizona, Colorado, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Vermont, Wisconsin and Wyoming all had their 10 warmest autumns.
Total fall precipitation in the U.S. was 5.66 inches (1.22 inches below average), making it the 15th driest fall on record. Tennessee's fall ranked as the third driest, with three additional states (Indiana, Kentucky and Mississippi) recording their top 10 driest falls. No state ranked among the 10 wettest on record during the September-November period.
Year to date (YTD, January to November 2023)
With just one month left in 2023, the year-to-date average temperature in the contiguous U.S. was 55.8 degrees F (2.0 degrees above average), ranking as the 10th warmest ever to date on record.
Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas each ranked among the warmest places on record, while Connecticut, Florida and Massachusetts ranked second warmest during the January-November period.
Total precipitation to date for the contiguous U.S. was 26.89 inches, 0.70 inches below average, ranking in the driest third of the all-time record.
Louisiana and Maryland were the seventh and eighth driest on record, respectively, in this period to date. Meanwhile, Wyoming ranked seventh as the wettest place on record, while Maine, Nevada, New Hampshire and Vermont recorded their top 10 wettest places to date.
(Image credit: NOAA/NCEI)
Billion dollar disasters
During the first 11 months of 2023, there were 25 separate weather and climate disasters throughout the United States, each with losses exceeding a billion dollars.
These disasters consisted of:
- 19 severe storms.
- Two floods.
- A tropical cyclone.
- A winter storm.
- A forest fire event.
- A drought/heat wave event.
The 2023 drought in the South and Midwest has been the costliest disaster of the year in the United States, with losses exceeding $10 billion. The total cost of the 25 events exceeds $81 billion.
Other notable highlights from the November report
- Hurricane season comes to an end: The 2023 Atlantic hurricane season It officially ended on November 30, producing a total of 20 named tropical systems, ranking fourth among the most named storms in a year on record. There were seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes (Category 3 or higher). Hurricane Idalia was the only hurricane to make landfall in the United States in 2023. It made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane near Keaton Beach, Florida, on August 30, causing storm surge flooding of 7 to 12 feet and widespread rainfall flooding. in Florida and throughout the Southeast.
- Despite the dry month of November, drought conditions improved slightly: According to November 28 US Drought Monitor Report external link, about 36.1% of the contiguous United States was in drought, down about 0.4% from the end of October. Moderate to exceptional drought spanned much of the Lower Mississippi Valley, Tennessee Valley, central Great Plains, and Southwest, with moderate to extreme drought in parts of the southern Great Plains, Hawaii, and parts of the Florida Peninsula. Moderate to severe drought was present in parts of the Northwest, Mid-Atlantic, and New York.
More > Access NOAA's latest climate report and download images.
