Weather

November 2023 Saint Cloud Weather Summary

 


November Continued Warm Trend, But Reverted to Dry

Saint Cloud Weather Summary for November 2023 and Fall 2022

November 2023 in Minnesota began on pace to produce another top 10 warmest month. Through November 22, the November St. Cloud, Minnesota, average temperature was over 40 degrees, which would have ranked as the 2nd warmest November, just short of 2001. However, the Thanksgiving period of November 23-28 were all colder than the late November average temperatures, including November 27, the coldest temperature of the cold season so far (high of 19 degrees coldest since March 17) and November 28 (low of 3 degrees, coldest since March 30). The final St. Cloud November temperature averaged 35.3 degrees, 4.4 degrees above average, 21st warmest on record.

For meteorological fall (September 1 through November 30), the St. Cloud average temperature was 50.1 degrees, 4.7 degrees above average. That was St. Cloud's 7th warmest fall on record. In recent years, 2016 (50.2 degrees) and 2015 (50.7 degrees) were warmer.

However, St. Cloud got extremely little precipitation during November. The November total was only 0.08 inch., joining a large portion of Minnesota which had less than one-tenth of an inch (lightest shade of blue on the NWS Minnesota November rainfall map). It was St. Cloud's 7th driest November, tied with 1904. There was only one day with measurable snow and that only produced 0.1 inch. There have been 13 Novembers with no measurable snowfall and 16 Novembers with only 0.1 inch or less. There were only 4 days with a measurable amount of precipitation, below the average of 6.

Still, having an extremely dry month during the cold season isn't unheard of. The amount of moisture in the air reduces by a factor of 4 between July and November, so the amount of available moisture is more limited. There have been 4 months with less than a tenth inch of melted precipitation since the rare June 1988, when only 0.05 inch fell. They were:

St. Cloud Most Recent Months With Less Than One-Tenth Inch
Month Precipitation (inch) Rank
June 1988 0.05 inch Driest June on record
March 1989 0.01 inch Driest March on record
February 1999 0.07 inch 7th driest February on record
November 2007 0.01 inch tied for 3rd driest November on record
November 2023 0.08 inch tied for 7th driest November on record

But, June 1988 had the greatest drought impact because it was the furthest below average (June average rainfall is much lower than the cold season months). Also, the much hotter than average temperatures (8th warmest June on record; 11 90-degree highs ; 5 100-degree highs) led to huge water loss due to evaporation.

The warm and dry November allowed extreme statistics to continue from May through November. The average May through November temperature was 60.8°F, the second warmest on record. The lack of precipitation dropped the May through November precipitation back into the driest 10 years (ranked 9th). See tables below.

St. Cloud Temperature and Precipitation During Warm Season 2023
Temperature Actual Average Rank
May-Sept 68.1°F 64.0°F 3rd warmest on record
May-Oct 65.0°F 61.1°F 2nd warmest on record
May-Nov 60.8°F 56.8°F 2nd warmest on record
       
Precipitation Actual Average Rank
May-July 3.37 inches 11.01 inches Driest on record
May-August 7.87 inches 15.01 inches 2nd driest on record
May-Sept 10.52 inches 18.02 inches 5th driest on record
May-Oct 14.33 inches 20.63 inches 18th driest
May-Nov 14.41 inches 21.22 inches 9th driest

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 60-degree high was significantly late (16 days) this year, but the first frost and freezes were quite late.

Statistic 2020 2021 2022 2023 Median
Last 80-degree high 9-Oct 30-Sept 20-Sept 3-Oct 30-Sept
Last 70-degree high 8-Nov 19-Oct 2-Nov 20-Oct 19-Oct
Last 60-degree high 9-Nov 6-Nov 9-Nov 16-Nov 31-Oct
First frost 2-Oct 17-Oct (latest 10%) 28-Sept 10-Oct (latest 10%) 26-Sep
First hard freeze (28 deg or lower) 2-Oct

22-Oct (latest 10%)

8-Oct 28-Oct (latest 10%) 4-Oct
First Inch 20-Oct (7.0 inches) 13-Nov (1.2 inch) 14-Nov (1.5 inch) 30-Oct (2.2 inch) 15-Nov
First Day of Continuous Snow Cover 24-Dec 17-Dec 8-Dec   15-Dec
Snowfall by November 30 (inches) 15.8 2.1 5.2 2.5 7.9
Total Season Snowfall (inches) 45.2 49.5 88.2 ??? 47.9

 

 

    November 2023 Statistics
Temperatures (°F)
November 2023
Normal
November Average High Temperature (°F)
45.6
39.3
November Average Low Temperature (°F)
25.0
22.6
Mean Temperature for November (°F)
35.3
31.0
November Extremes
Temperature(°F)
Date
Warmest High Temperature for November 2023 (°F)
65
November 16
Coldest High Temperature for November 2023 (°F)
19
November 27
Warmest Low Temperature for November 2023 (°F)
39
November 20
Coldest Low Temperature for November 2023 (°F)
3
November 28
     
Record Temperatures in November 2023
Temperature(°F)
Date
Old Record
Daily Record Warm Average Temperature (°F)
52
November 14
tied record set in 1930
Temperature Thresholds
Number of Days
Normal
November 2023 Days with High Temperatures <= 32°F
4
9.9
November 2023 Days with Low Temperatures <= 32°F
20
25.7
November 2023 Days with Low Temperatures <= 0°F
0
1.5
Precipitation (in)
November 2023
Normal
November 2023 Precipitation (in)
0.08 (tied for 7th driest with 1904)
1.37
2023 Total Precipitation (in)
24.38 (-3.53 from average)
27.91
Precipitation Thresholds
Number of Days
Normal
November 2023 Days with Measurable (>= 0.01 inch) Precipitation
4
6.6
November 2023 Days with >= 0.10 inch Precipitation
0
3.0
November 2023 Days with >= 0.25 inch Precipitation
0
1.5
November 2023 Days with >= 0.50 inch Precipitation
0
0.7
November 2023 Days with >= 1.00 inch Precipitation
0
0.2
November Extremes
Precipitation (in)
Date
Most Daily Precipitation in November 2023
0.05 inch
November 21
 
Record Precipitation in November 2023
Precipitation (in)
Date
Old Record
No records set      
Snowfall (in)
November 2023
Normal
November 2023 St. Cloud Snowfall (in)
0.1
6.9
2023-2024 St. Cloud State University Snowfall (1 Oct 2023 - 30 Nov 2023)
2.6
7.9
     
Snowfall Thresholds
Number of Days
Normal
November 2023 Days with Measurable (>= 0.1 inch) Snowfall
1
5.7
November 2023 Days with >= 1.0 inch Snowfall
0
2.6
November 2023 Days with >= 2.0 inch Snowfall
0
1.5
November 2023 Days with >= 5.0 inch Snowfall
0
0.5
November Extremes
Snowfall (in)
Date
Most St. Cloud Daily Snowfall in November 2023
0.1 inches
November 26
Record Snowfall in November 2023
Snowfall (in)
Date
Old Record
No record snowfall recorded      

 

 

Fall (September 1-November 30) 2023 Statistics
Temperatures (°F)
Fall 2023
Normal
Average Fall High Temperature (°F)
60.4
55.4
Average Fall Low Temperature (°F)
39.8
35.4
Mean Temperature for Fall (°F)
45.4

 

10 Warmest Falls
Liquid Equivalent Precipitation (in)
Fall 2023
Normal
Fall Precipitation (in)
6.54
6.99
Snowfall (in)
Fall 2023
Normal
2023 Fall Snowfall (1 Oct 2023 - 30 Nov 2023
2.6
7.9
2023 Calendar Year Snowfall (1 Jan 2023-30 Nov 2023)
63.1
34.5

Historic temperature data provided courtesy of the Saint Cloud National Weather Service Office, and NOAA/NWS
National Weather Service logo NOAA logo

Send comments to: raweisman@stcloudstate.edu