WEATHER HISTORY FOR 11TH - 20TH
http://www.examiner.com/weather-in-wilmington/charlie-wilson
Charlie Wilson Wilmington Weather ExaminerSubscribeSponsor an Examiner A member of the American Meteorological Society, 
Charlie Wilson has combined his knowledge of Meteorology & Weather History with his Education background in Communications.
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November 11th:

1099
A violent storm in the North Sea killed 100,000 people in England and The Netherlands.

1911
The central U.S. experienced perhaps its most dramatic cold wave on record. 
During the early morning temperatures across the Central Plains ranged from 68°at Kansas City, MO to 4°at North Platte, NE. Kansas City, MO warmed to a record 76°by late morning before the arctic front moved in from the northwest. 
Skies became overcast, winds shifted to the northwest, and the mercury began to plummet. 
By early afternoon it was cold enough to snow, and by midnight the temperature had dipped to a record low of 11°.  
Oklahoma City, OK also established a record high of 83°followed by a record low of 17°just before midnight and to 14°by early the next morning. 
Chicago, IL experienced their biggest day-to-day temperature drop. 
From a record high of 74° at 4 PM on this date, the mercury fell to a low of 14° by noon the next day – a drop of 61 degrees in 20 hours.  
Columbia, MO set a then record high of 82°.
Later in the day a cold front passed and the temperature dropped 69 degrees to set a then record low of 13° all in the same day. 
In southeastern Kansas, the temperature at Independence plunged from 83°to 33°in just one hour. 
The arctic cold front produced severe thunderstorms and tornadoes in the Mississippi Valley, a blizzard in the Ohio Valley, and a dust storm in Oklahoma. 
The intense winter storm spawned an F4 tornado that struck a community near Janesville, IL.  Within an hour of the tornado, the residents dealt with blizzard conditions and temperatures near 0°.

A tornado outbreak strikes the Midwest, killing more than a dozen people. Nine people are killed as a violent tornado hits Janesville, Wisconsin. 
Within an hour, survivors of the storm were digging out in near-blizzard conditions with zero degree temperatures.
 In Michigan, a tornado kills two people and injures 21 others as it destroys five factories and 21 homes in the northern part of Owosso in Shiawassee County. 
Another tornado hits southeast of Battle Creek in Calhoun County, leveling barns and taking the roofs off homes. 
A tornado near Kingsland in Eaton County kills cattle and horses.

1940
A rapidly deepening low pressure system moved northeast from Kansas City, MO, through the Upper Mississippi Valley, into the Upper Great Lakes where Duluth, MN reported a barometric pressure of 28.66 inHg. 
This became one of the most powerful blizzards on record. Armistice Day began with blue skies and temperatures in the 40s and 50s. 
The day was so nice that duck hunters dressed in short- sleeved shirts and rushed to the marshes along the Mississippi River early that morning. 
However, during the late morning and early afternoon, a strong cold front moved through the region. 
Behind the cold front, the weather became rather blustery and the temperature plunged to the single digits by the next morning. 
The rain turned to sleet and eventually to driving snow. More than 20 duck hunters within a 50 mile radius of Winona, MN remained trapped on the Mississippi River by gusty winds and threatening waves.
 They had sought shelter on small islands and eventually froze to death.
 The howling winds and blinding snow brought all movement in Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, and the Dakotas to grinding halt. Winona, MN received 22 inches of snow and up to 17 inches of snow fell in Iowa. 
Winds estimated at 50 to 80 mph whipped snow into drifts 20 feet deep isolating whole towns. 
The blizzard left 49 people dead in Minnesota, and gales on Lake Michigan caused ship wrecks resulting in another 59 deaths. 
The blizzard claimed a total of 154 lives, and killed thousands of cattle in Iowa. The storm became known as the "Armistice Day Storm". 
This storm along with a slow moving blizzard which would move across northern Minnesota in mid March 1941 caused the Weather Bureau to rethink its forecasting procedures. 
Forecasting for the entire region had been directed by the Chicago office, but in the wake of this storm, responsibilities were distributed to regional centers to provide more timely and accurate predictions.

1955
An early arctic outbreak set many November temperature records across Oregon and Washington. 
The severe cold damaged shrubs and fruit trees.  Readings plunged to near 0°in western Washington and dipped to -19°in the eastern part of the state.

1968
The second major storm in three days from the Gulf of Mexico crossed north Florida. 
Most reporting stations had maximum sustained winds of 25 to 45 mph, but observers in the Tampa Bay area reported gusts of 50 to 75 mph. 
Tides at Tarpon Springs were 3 feet above normal. Over a dozen tornado/waterspouts/funnel clouds were reported in central and south Florida. 
The strongest tornado crossed Collier and Hendry Counties damaging 17 homes in Naples. Five homes were unroofed and torn apart. 
It skipped over to Clewiston destroying a barn and injuring three men.

1980
On this date through the 12th, More than 23 inches of rain fell on Key West. This is their greatest 24-hour amount ever recorded. 
Widespread flooding caused heavy damage to about 300 cars and 500 homes and businesses. Five waterspouts were sighted during the next afternoon.

1983
A strong waterspout was observed over Millar Channel near Flores Island off the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia Canada packing 69 mph wind gusts.

1987
On the weekend preceding the Veteran’s Day snowstorm, November 7th through the 9th, the region experienced beautiful 70 degree weather. 
The snow began during the early morning on this date with a quick burst of snow that produced 1 to 2 inches across the Baltimore/Washington D.C. area. 
But snowfall quickly ended, leading many to believe the storm was over.
 For a few hours in the morning no snow fell and people headed off to work, school and shopping. A second low system quickly intensified. 
By noon, a very heavy, nearly stationary, band of snow had set up across the area. Localized within this band, snow fell at a whiteout rate of 3 to 4 inches per hour for several hours, accompanied by lightning and thunder. 
This was the earliest snowstorm ever to hit the Baltimore/Washington area.
 The 11.5 inches of snow that fell at National Airport easily broke an old November record of only 6.9 inches that fell on 11/30/1967. 
Baltimore-Washington International Airport recorded a daily record of 6 inches and Dulles just over 5 inches. 
National Airport was in the heavy snow band that reached its maximum of 14 to 16 inches in western Prince George's County. 
Snowfall amounts were much less to the northwest with Gaithersburg reporting only 3 to 4 inches of snow. 
Record low maximum temperatures were also set. BWI and Dulles Airport only saw a high temperature of 34° while National Airport managed just 35°.
 Gale force winds lashed the Middle and Northern Atlantic Coast. Norfolk VA reported their earliest measurable snow in 99 years of records. 
Both Boston and Providence received 10 inches of snow also setting new records. On November 12th, a high temperature 48 allowed for a quick return to normal road conditions for the area.

1989
Veteran's Day was an unseasonably warm one across much of the nation east of the Rockies. 
Temperatures warmed into the 70s and 80s from the southwest, to the southern and central Plains to the southern half of the Atlantic coast. 
Many cities reported record high temperatures for the date, including Borrego Springs, CA: 94°, Calico, AR: 87°, Gilbert, AR: 87°and St. Louis, MO: 85°.

1990
An extremely unusual F4 tornado struck Mobara, Japan, causing severe damage. 60 people were injured; but fortunately no fatalities.

1991
Unseasonable severe thunderstorms brought large hail up to golf ball size in parts of Connecticut during the pre-dawn hours.

1995
Strong downslope winds gusted to 124 mph at the National Center for Atmospheric Research on the mesa in Boulder, CO. 
Utility poles and power lines were downed leaving several hundred homes without power in Boulder, where windows were also blown out of cars. 
Other reports of strong wind gusts included: 104 mph atop Squaw Mountain, west of Denver, 99 mph in Golden Gate Canyon, 85 mph on Rocky Flats, and 69 mph at the Jefferson County Airport.

1996
Heavy snows fell across the Great Lakes. Cleveland, OH, Erie, PA and Syracuse, NY were blanketed under incredible snowfall.
 Three-day storm totals included 68.9 inches at Chardon OH, 54.8 inches at Edinboro, PA and 50 inches at Shaker Heights, OH. 
 41 inches fell in downtown Erie, PA with 27 inches at the Erie Airport and 20.8 inches fell at Cleveland, OH.  

1999
High temperature records continued to fall across the Central and Western U.S. 
Several spectators at the Veteran's Day Parade in Dallas, TX had to be treated for heat exhaustion.

2002
A late-season, major outbreak of tornadoes caused damage in 13 states across the Ohio and Tennessee Valley. 
A total of 105 tornadoes struck from the 9th through the 11th, resulting in at least 36 deaths.

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November 12th:

You may have heard the saying "it was even 100 degrees in shade." Well, to be accurate thermometers must be read in the shade. This is so because an incredible number of air molecules constantly bombard the thermometer transferring energy to or away from it. If the air is warmer than the thermometer the liquid in the bulb expands and rises up the tube and if the air is colder the liquid contracts and sinks in the tube. It is impossible to measure air temperature accurately in direct sunlight because the thermometer will absorb radiant energy from the sun as well as energy from the air molecules. The additional energy from the sunlight will cause the liquid to continue to rise giving an improper reading. So, to accurately measure air temperature the thermometer must be kept in the shade.

1863

A severe windstorm toppled an outhouse into the Moira River at Belleville, Ontario Canada. No trace was ever found of the woman who occupied it at the time.

1906

The mercury soared to 106°at Craftonville, CA (now Crafton Hills, near Redlands), a November record for the United States.

1959

Between Noon on the 11th and Noon on the 12th, a winter storm buried Helena, MT under 21.5 inches of snow, which surpassed their previous 24 hour record by 7 inches.

1967

A surprise snow and ice coating paralyzed Boston, MA during the evening rush hour.

1968

A severe coastal storm produced high winds and record early snows from Georgia to Maine. Areas in northern Virginia saw 4 to 6 inches. Winds reached 90 mph in Massachusetts, and 10 inches of snow blanketed interior Maine.

1970

The infamous "Bangladesh Cyclone" struck the Bay of Bengal of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). An estimated 300,000 people were killed as a wall of water 20 feet high swept across the low islands and settlements in the Ganges Delta.

1974

A great Alaska storm in the Bering Sea caused the worst coastal flooding on record at Nome, AK with a tide of 13.2 feet. The flooding caused $12 million dollars damage, however no lives were lost.

Santa Ana conditions warmed up Imperial Beach to 96°, the hottest in the nation that day.  Other record highs included: Long Beach, CA: 95°, Los Angeles (LAX), CA: 94°, Downtown Los Angeles, CA: 93°, Santa Ana, CA: 92°, San Diego: 91°, Big Bear Lake, CA: 69°, Eugene, OR: 69°-Tied and Portland, OR: 66°.

1980

A rain band from Hurricane Jeannie dropped 23.38 inches of rain in 24 hours at Key West, Florida for an all-time 24 hour record.

1987

Heavy snow spread across much of New England. Totals in Massachusetts ranged up to 14 inches in Plymouth County. The 7-inch total at the Logan Airport in Boston, MA was their highest on record for so early in the season, and the 9.7 inch total at Providence, RI was a record for November. Roads were congested with traffic and made impassable as snowplow operators were caught unprepared for the early season snowstorm.

1988

Thunderstorms developing ahead of a cold front produced severe weather in the Lower Mississippi Valley during the afternoon and early evening hours. Thunderstorms produced wind gusts to 80 mph at Bovina, MS.  

Morning thunderstorms drenched Atlanta, TX with more than 4 inches of rain.

1989

Many cities reported record high temperatures for the date as readings soared into the 70s and 80s from the Southern and Central Plains to the Southern and Middle Atlantic Coast Region. The afternoon high of 80°at Scottsbluff, NE was a record for November, and highs of 81°at Chattanooga, TN were the warmest on record for so late in the season.  Other record highs for the date included: Borrego Springs, CA: 94°, Columbia, SC: 86°, Augusta, GA: 85°, Wilmington, NC: 85°, Victorville, CA: 84°, Charleston, SC: 84°, Macon, GA: 83°, Nashville, TN: 82°, Pueblo, CO: 82°, Athens, GA: 81°, Greenville-Spartanburg, SC: 81°, Charlotte, NC: 81°, Atlanta, GA: 80°, Pensacola, FL: 80°-Tied, Roswell, NM: 80°-Tied, Knoxville, TN: 79°, Greensboro, NC: 79°-Tied, Raleigh, NC: 79°-Tied, Goodland, KS: 78°, Oak Ridge, TN: 78°, Paducah, KY: 78°-Tied, Rapid City, SD: 76°, Valentine, NE: 76°, Topeka, KS: 76°, Denver, CO: 76°, Stockton, CA: 75°-Tied, Colorado Springs, CO: 74°, Jackson, KY: 73°-Tied, Alamosa, CO: 65° and Lander, WY: 65°-Tied.

1990

14 typhoons hit the Philippines during this intense tropical season. Late season Typhoon Mike was the worst, striking on this date with winds of up to 145 mph. 436 people perished.

1992

Intense low pressure over Eastern Canada brought high winds across the Great Lakes to the Northeast. The intense winds created a 3 foot “seiche” (standing wave) on Lake Erie.

1998

Heavy rains in Texas plagued many of the same areas that had been struck by severe flooding in late October. 8.44 inches of rain fell between the 12th and 14th in Victoria TX, adding to their monthly total of 10.11 inches which established a new November record.  The San Bernard River surged to a record flood stage of 24.7 feet, 5 feet above the pervious record stage.

1999

Record warmth occurred in parts of the Western U.S. The World Cup ski races at Park City, UT had to be moved because of a lack of snow. Sheridan, WY hit 81° to set an all-time November record. Other all-time November records were set at Miles City, MT: 81, Pendleton, OR: 80°, Glasgow MT: 79°, Havre, MT: 78°, Lewiston, ID: 77°, Billings, MT: 77°-Tied and the warmest for so late in the year, Helena, MT: 75°, Missoula, MT: 73° and Kalispell, MT: 69°.

Other daily record highs included: Phoenix, AZ: 93°, Tucson, AZ: 90°, Galveston, TX: 84°, Tulsa, OK: 83°, Valentine, NE: 80°, Oklahoma City, OK: 80°, Springfield, MO: 80°, Glasgow, MT: 79°, Rapid City, SD: 78°-Tied, Columbia, MO: 78°-Tied, Williston, ND: 75°, Medford, OR: 75°, Hanford, CA: 74°, Great Falls, MT: 74°, Madera, CA: 73°, Grand Island, NE: 73°, Norfolk, NE: 73°, Bismarck, ND: 73°, Cheyenne, WY: 73°, Eureka, CA: 73°-Tied, Winnemucca, NV: 72°, Merced, CA: 71°, Ely, NV: 71°, Casper, WY: 70°, Boise, ID: 70°, Pocatello, ID: 70°, Sioux Falls, SD: 68°, Spokane, WA: 67°, Yakima, WA: 67°, Burns, OR: 67° and Lander, WY: 66°.

2003

On this date through the 13th, an intense storm system started with a line of severe thunderstorms and damaging winds the evening of the 12th in Southwestern Ontario Canada. By the next morning, the howling, polar winds gusted in excess of 68 mph driving snow squalls over Southwestern Ontario Canada, damaging buildings and trees and cutting power to thousands.

An intense rush-hour rainstorm dropped up to 5 inches of rain in just 2 hours in Los Angeles County, CA, snarling traffic with flooded roads.

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November 13th:

1881

Hailstones from a severe storm that hit parts of Georgia on the 8th were still visible nearly a week later at Dry Pond, GA.

1904

An unusually severe late season hurricane brushed the North Carolina coast near Cape Hatteras.  Several ships were sunk by the storm and the rescue station at New Inlet was washed away, drowning 4 crewmen.  The storm was especially unusual, because as it moved away, its cyclonic circulation pulled in cold air, creating an early-season snow across North Carolina.

1933

The first dust storm of the great dust bowl era of the 1930s occurred.  The dust storm, which spread from Montana to the Ohio Valley the day before, prevailed from Georgia to Maine resulting in a black rain over New York and a brown snow in Vermont.  Parts of South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa reported zero visibility on the 12th.  On this date, dust reduced the visibility to a half mile in parts of Tennessee.

1946

General Electric scientist Vincent Schaefer dropped six pounds of dry ice pellets into a cloud over Pittsfield, MA.  The cloud seeding experiment produced snowfall, as a 4 mile long cloud was converted into snow flurries.  The success of the experiment became the basis of many weather modification projects.

1951

A strong tornado touched down near Morris, moving northeast to near Channahon, Preston Heights, and Tinley Park, IL. About 100 homes were badly damaged or destroyed by this tornado along its 36 mile path, with damage estimated at $7 million dollars.  A separate tornado further southwest destroyed a dozen planes and several hangars at the Streator airport.

1953

Strong southeasterly winds associated with a Pacific cold front reached 70 mph at Sacramento, CA to equal their all-time record.  The previous record was established in a similar weather pattern on December 12th of the previous year.

1970

A cyclone swept over the coast of Bangladesh, producing a 49 foot storm surge.  Flooding killed 500,000 people.  Over 50 million people were affected by the storm.

1981

A powerful storm brought high winds to Washington State and Oregon.  The storm, which formed about 1,000 miles west of San Francisco, CA intensified rapidly as it approached the Oregon coast with the central pressure reaching 956 millibars or 28.22 inHg. A wind trace from the Whiskey Run Turbine Site, about 12 miles south of Coos Bay in Oregon, showed peak gusts to 97 mph 50 feet above ground level.  The wind caused widespread damage in Washington and Oregon, with 12 deaths reported.  As much as 4 feet of snow fell in the Sierra Nevada Range of northern California.

International Falls, MNset a record high with 61°.

1986

High temperatures are held in the upper teens to lower 20s as arctic air pours into Lower Michigan. The high of 19° at Grand Rapids, MI is a record for the date and the coldest high temperature for so early in the season.  Widespread record lows were set from the Plains to the Southeast including: International Falls, MN: -12°, Duluth, MN: -7°, North Platte, NE: -7°, Marquette, MI: -5°, Sioux City, IA: -4°, Rochester, MN: -4°, Omaha, NE: -2°, Waterloo, IA: -1°, Minneapolis, MN: 0°, Dubuque, IA: 1°, Green Bay, WI: 2°, La Crosse, WI: 2°, Madison, WI: 2°, Concordia, KS: 2°, Kansas City, MO: 3°, Rockford, IL: 3°, Ste. St. Marie, MI: 4°, Topeka, KS: 4°, Springfield, MO: 5°, Milwaukee, WI: 5°, Moline, IL: 5°, Peoria, IL: 5°, Chicago, IL: 6°, Columbia, MO: 7°, Springfield, IL: 7°, St. Louis, MO: 10°, Indianapolis, IN: 10°, Grand Rapids, MI: 10°, Paducah, KY: 10° (broke previous record by 10 degrees), Houghton Lake, MI: 11°, Fort Wayne, IN: 12°, Flint, MI: 12°, Beckley, WV: 12°, Dayton, OH: 13°, Mansfield, OH: 13°, Jackson, KY: 13° (broke previous record by 12 degrees), Evansville, IN: 14°, Louisville, KY: 16°, Fort Smith, AR: 17°, Youngstown, OH: 17°, Bristol, TN: 19°, Little Rock, AR: 20°, Memphis, TN: 20°-Tied, Abilene, TX: 21°-Tied, Dallas, TX: 23°, Shreveport, LA: 31°, Del Rio, TX: 31°, Corpus Christi, TX: 36° and Brownsville, TX: 38°.

1987

A storm moving in off the Pacific Ocean produced rain and gale force winds along the northern and central Pacific coast, and heavy snow in the Cascade Mountains.  

Cold weather prevailed in the southeastern U.S.  A few cities reported record low temperatures for the date, including Augusta, GA: 25°, Macon, GA: 27°-Tied and Jacksonville, FL: 31°.

1988

Low pressure brought rain and snow and gusty winds to the northeastern U.S.  A thunderstorm drenched Agawam, MA with 1.25 inches of rain in 15 minutes.  Winds gusted to 58 mph at Nantucket, MA.

A few locations reported record high temperatures for the date including: San Angelo, TX: 85°, Midland-Odessa, TX: 84° and Cape Hatteras, NC: 77°-Tied.

1989

Many cities in the central and eastern U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date as readings warmed into the 70s as far north as Michigan and Pennsylvania.  Afternoon highs in the 80s were reported from the Southern Plains to the southern Atlantic coast. Columbia, SC reported a record high of 86°, and the high of 71°at Flint, MI was their warmest on record for so late in the season.  Other daily record highs included: Columbia, SC: 86°, Midland-Odessa, TX: 84°-Tied, Savannah, GA: 83°-Tied, Charleston, SC: 82°, Montgomery, AL: 82°-Tied, Charlotte, NC: 80°-Tied, Columbus, GA: 79°-Tied, Columbia, MO: 78°, Jackson, KY: 78°, Chattanooga, TN: 78°-Tied, Cape Hatteras, NC: 77°-Tied, Moline, IL: 76°, Peoria, IL: 76°, Oak Ridge, TN: 76°-Tied, Elkins, WV: 74°-Tied, Chicago, IL: 73°, Rockford, IL: 73°, Pittsburgh, PA: 73°-Tied, South Bend, IN: 72°, Toledo, OH: 72°, Cleveland, OH: 72°-Tied, Youngstown, OH: 71°, Erie, PA: 71°, Detroit, MI: 70°, Grand Rapids, MI: 70°, Akron, OH: 70°, Milwaukee, WI: 69°, Mansfield, OH: 69°, Buffalo, NY: 68° and Ely, NV: 67°.

1994

After a serpentine track through the Caribbean Sea, Tropical Storm Gordon began affecting south Florida while located off the northeast coast of Cuba. Gordon moved slowly west-northwest, reaching the lower Florida Keys late on the 15th. On the 16th, Gordon turned northeast and accelerated, moving inland near Fort Myers in the morning and exiting into the Atlantic just north of Vero Beach in the late afternoon. After becoming a hurricane off the coast of North Carolina, then weakening to a tropical depression and moving south and west, Gordon moved ashore a second time just north of Melbourne on the 21st.  The maximum sustained wind was 53 mph at Virginia Key in east Dade County, and the minimum central pressure was 995 millibars shortly after initial landfall near Fort Myers. Gordon directly caused 8 fatalities and 43 injuries. Seven of the deaths were by drowning, five in the Atlantic off the southeast coast, and two when cars plunged into canals in Dade County. One death and 40 injuries resulted from a tornado in Brevard County, one of six tornadoes spun off by Gordon on the evening of the 15th. There were three indirect deaths, one from a heart attack while pushing a car stalled in a flooded road, and two in traffic accidents. Gordon's total damage is estimated around $400 million.  Agricultural interests suffered $275 million in losses, primarily from freshwater flooding caused by widespread rainfalls totaling 6 to 16 inches. Cooperstown, FL received 16.10 inches.  Vegetable and tropical fruit crops in south Florida were particularly hard hit. Inland flooding caused damage to buildings through both rising freshwater and collapse of rain-loaded roofs. Especially hard hit was Volusia County where 1236 buildings (977 single family homes, 68 mobile homes and 139 multi-family buildings) reported flood damage, and losses were estimated at over $26 million. Marine effects included several boat sinkings or groundings, including a 506-foot freighter beached off Ft. Lauderdale. At least 37 people were rescued from sinking boats. One woman was rescued after being swept 1,000 yards off a fishing pier in Boynton Beach. Atlantic beaches suffered moderate to locally severe erosion that undermined a few buildings. Several sea walls and beach access walks were destroyed. Some coastal roads along the east coast were inundated by a storm tide, estimated to be a maximum of one to two feet along Miami Beach.

1999

Over 135 daily record highs were established across the western and central United States as an unseasonable 588 decameter heat ridge dominated.  Lincoln and Omaha, NE set their all-time November high temperature records with 85° and 83° respectively.  Lincoln broke their previous record by 11 degrees.  Springfield, MO tied their all-time November record with 81° as did Idyllwild, CA with 80°.  Other daily record highs included: Riverside, CA: 92°, Yuma, AZ: 92°, Phoenix, AZ: 91°, Tucson, AZ: 88°-Tied, Bakersfield, CA: 86°, Topeka, KS: 84°, Concordia, KS: 83°, Grand Island, NE: 82°, Norfolk, NE: 82° (broke previous record by 12 degrees), Columbia, MO: 82°, St. Louis, MO: 82°-Tied, North Platte, NE: 81°, Pueblo, CO: 81°, Oklahoma City, OK: 81°, Springfield, MO: 81°, Des Moines, IA: 81° (broke previous record by 11 degrees), Galveston, TX: 81°-Tied, Clayton, NM: 79°, Sioux Falls, SD: 79° (broke previous record by 10 degrees), Goodland, KS: 79°, Wichita, KS: 79°, Kansas City, MO: 79°, Waterloo, IA: 79° (broke previous record by 10 degrees), Valentine, NE: 78°, Dodge City, KS: 78°, Sioux City, IA: 78°, Scottsbluff, NE: 78°-Tied, Sheridan, WY: 76°, Rapid City, SD: 76°, Denver, CO: 75°, Huron, SD: 75°, Colorado Springs, CO: 75°-Tied, Lewiston, ID: 74°, La Crosse, WI: 73°, Yakima, WA: 72°, Pendleton, OR: 72°, Dubuque, IA: 72°, Eugene, OR: 71°, Portland, OR: 71°, Winnemucca, NV: 71°, Helena, MT: 71°, Minneapolis, MN: 71°, Rochester, MN: 71°, St. Cloud, MN: 71° (broke previous record by 10 degrees), Salem, OR: 70°, Ely, NV: 70°, Cheyenne, WY: 70°, Casper, WY: 69°, Aberdeen, SD: 69°, Madison, WI: 69°, Milwaukee, WI: 69°-Tied, Big Bear Lake, CA: 68°, Lander, WY: 68°, Pocatello, ID: 67°, Duluth, MN: 67°, Astoria, OR: 66°, Missoula, MT: 66°, Marquette, MI: 66°, Fargo, ND: 65°, Burns, OR: 64°-Tied, Alamosa, CO: 63°-Tied, Williston, ND: 63°-Tied, Spokane, WA: 60°, Houghton Lake, MI: 59°-Tied and Kalispell, MT: 58°-Tied.

2004

An early season snowstorm took its toll on Nova Scotia, Canada. Yarmouth received 21 inches and an additional 3.4 inches the next day for a storm total of 24.4 inches, its 2nd 20 inch snowfall in 48 hours.  Strong winds combined with the heavy, wet snow across the province knocked out transmission towers leaving more than 100,000 without power.

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November 14th:

Ice crystals sometimes act as prisms in the sky. If the Sun is positioned right, they can bend light rays and reflect them back to the light source. This causes a display known as a "sun pillar". Sun pillars are most likely around sunrise or sunset. They appear as columns of bright light extending upward or downward from the Sun.

1842

Mild conditions in the Midwest were misleading as a major change to colder conditions was coming. Within 36 hours, the Mississippi River at Galena, IL completely froze over and navigation would not be possible on the river there for over 5 months; not until April 15th of the following year.

1959

Canadian high pressure brought extremely early season winter cold to parts of the Plains and Great Lakes. Sioux Falls, SD & Sioux City, IA tied their November record for the coldest for so early in the season with -17° and -9° respectively. Valentine, NE set a November record low with -22°. Rapid City, SD not only set their low temperature record for November but their coldest for so early in the season with -19°. Other daily record lows included: Huron, SD: -18°, Aberdeen, SD: -15°, International Falls, MN: -14°, Norfolk, NE: -12°: Tied, Duluth, MN: -3°: Tied, Des Moines, IA: -1°, Moline, IL: 0°, Madison, WI: 2°, Rockford, IL: 4°, Milwaukee, WI: 7°, Grand Rapids, MI: 15°-Tied and San Angelo, TX: 23°.

1964

With the help of a fresh 3 inch snow cover and a deep upper level trough established from the Rockies to the West Coast, the temperature at Ely NV dipped to -15° to establish an all-time record low for the month of November up to that time. This record was later tied on 11/19/1985.

A winter storm that began the day before brought heavy snow to parts of the northern Rockies. Some storm totals included: Burgess Junction, MT: 18 inches, Biddle, MT: 17 inches, Broadus, MT: 15 inches, Wyola, MT: 13 inches, Sheridan, WY: 12 inches, Baker, MT: 11 inches, Miles City, MT: 9 inches and Plevna, MT: 8 inches.

1969

43 seconds into its flight to the moon, Apollo 12 was struck by lightning, knocking out its electronic navigation system, nearly forcing the mission to be "scrubbed".

In Massachusetts, Boston’s greatest consecutive days with measurable precipitation ended on this date at 12 days.

1970

Winds associated with a strong Mediterranean Sea storm gusted to 125 mph in Croatia toppling trees, damaging roofs and disrupting power and communications.

1972

Heavy snow fell in parts of New England as a major coastal storm moved up the coast.  18 inches of wet snow fell in Vermont and New Hampshire. Power lines toppled and communication was disrupted.

1974

A storm produced 15 inches of snow at Buffalo, NY and 30 inches on the south shore of Lake Erie.

1979

Severe flooding in Hawaii after 40 inches of rain fell over the mountainous areas of the northeastern islands. A new road to Waipio Lookout was severely damaged.

1986

An early season cold wave set more than 200 record lows from the northwestern U.S. to the east coast over a 7 day period. For some places it proved to be the coldest weather of the winter season.  Locations that reported record lows for the date included: Caribou, ME: 4°, Elkins, WV: 5°, Concord, NH: 7°-Tied, Beckley, WV: 8°, Worcester, MA: 10°, South Bend, IN: 10°-Tied, Evansville, IN: 11°, Fort Wayne, IN: 11°, Indianapolis, IN: 11°, Akron, OH: 11°, Dayton, OH: 11°, Mansfield, OH: 11°, Toledo, OH: 11°, Cincinnati, OH: 12°, Flint, MI: 12°, Columbus, OH: 12°, Youngstown, OH: 12°, Paducah, KY: 12°, Binghamton, NY: 12°, Portland, ME: 12°, Albany, NY: 12°-Tied, Detroit, MI: 13°, Cleveland, OH: 13°, Charleston, WV: 13°, Huntington, WV: 13°, Roanoke, VA: 13°, Sterling (Dulles Airport), VA: 13°, Lexington, KY: 15°,  Louisville, KY: 15°, Buffalo, NY: 15°, Hartford, CT: 15°, Burlington, VT: 15°-Tied, Bristol, TN: 16°, Asheville, NC: 16°, Reading, PA: 16°, Trenton, NJ: 16°, Nashville, TN: 18°, Baltimore, MD: 18°, Greensboro, NC: 19°, Islip, NY: 19°, Oak Ridge, TN: 20°, Bridgeport, CT: 20°, Knoxville, TN: 20°-Tied, Wilmington, DE: 20°-Tied, Newark, NJ: 21°, Charlotte, NC: 22°, Salisbury, MD: 22°, Georgetown, DE: 22°, Birmingham, AL: 24°, Wallops Island, VA: 24°, New York (Kennedy Airport), NY: 24°and New York (LaGuardia Airport), NY: 24°.

1987

The first major snowstorm of the season hit the Southern and Central Rockies, producing 12 inches at the Brian Head ski resort in Utah during the overnight hours. Strong and gusty winds associated with the storm reached 52 mph at Ruidoso, NM.  

In the eastern U.S., the temperature at Washington, D.C. soared to 68°, just 3 days after being buried under more than a foot of snow.

1988

A massive storm produced snow and gusty winds in the western U.S., with heavy snow in some of the higher elevations. Winds gusted to 66 mph at Show Low, AZ, and Donner Summit, located in the Sierra Nevada Range of California, was buried under 23 inches of snow. Heavy rain soaked parts of California, with 3.19 inches reported at Blue Canyon.

Several locations across the southern Plains set record high temperatures for the date including: Austin (Bergstrom), TX: 88°-Tied, Roswell, NM: 84°, Dodge City, KS: 82°, Amarillo, TX: 80°-Tied and Concordia, KS: 72°.

1989

Unseasonably warm weather prevailed east of the Rockies. Temperatures reached 70°as far north as New England, and readings in the 80s were reported across the southeast. 25 cities reported record high temperatures for the date. For the 2nd time in the month Dallas/Fort Worth, TX equaled their record for November with an afternoon high of 89°.  The high of 91°at Waco, TX was their warmest on record for so late in the season. Other daily record lows for the date included: Corpus Christi, TX: 91°, Dallas, TX: 89°, San Angelo, TX: 88°, Tampa, FL: 87°-Tied, Shreveport, LA: 85°-Tied, Savannah, GA: 82°, Fort Smith, AR: 82°-Tied, Cape Hatteras, NC: 79°, Tulsa, OK: 79°-Tied, Baltimore, MD: 77°, Atlantic City, NJ: 75°, Harrisburg, PA: 74°-Tied, Allentown, PA: 72°, Avoca, PA: 71°, Syracuse, NY: 71°, Concord, NH: 71°, Boston, MA: 71°-Tied, Milton, MA: 69°, Williamsport, PA: 69°-Tied, Youngstown, OH: 68°, Worcester, MA: 68°-Tied, Binghamton, NY: 66°and Alamosa, CO: 63°.

Heavy snow blanketed parts of Wyoming overnight, with a foot of snow reported at Cody, and 10 inches at Yellowstone Park.

1993

Morning thunderstorms, producing very heavy rain, caused flash flooding and damaged several businesses in the downtown district of West Plains, MO. 20 other homes were flooded leading to a large number of evacuations. Deer hunters were also trapped from rising water with two vehicles reportedly washed away. A 27 foot travel home was washed away at Caney Mountain Refuge in Ozark County, Arkansas when the North Fork River flash flooded.

A ridge along the east coast provided unseasonably warm weather across the East.  Locations reporting record high temperatures for the date included: Tampa, FL: 88°, Fort Myers, FL: 88°-Tied, Charleston, WV: 85° (broke previous record by 10 degrees), Montgomery, AL: 85°, Augusta, GA: 85°, New Orleans, LA: 84°, Savannah, GA: 83°, Columbia, SC: 83°, Huntington, WV: 82°, Wilmington, NC: 82°, Roanoke, VA: 82°, Charleston, SC: 82°-Tied, Jackson, KY: 81°, Bristol, TN: 81°, Richmond, VA: 81°, Norfolk, VA: 80°-Tied, Elkins, WV: 79°, Beckley, WV: 78°, Chattanooga, TN: 78°, Lynchburg, VA: 78°, Wallops Island, VA: 77°, Salisbury, MD: 77°, Providence, RI: 75°, Newark, NJ: 73°, Allentown, PA: 73°, Trenton, NJ: 72°, New York (Central Park), NY: 72°, New York (LaGuardia Airport), NY: 72°, Boston, MA: 71°-Tied, Milton, MA: 70°and Islip, NY: 64°.

1995

An early season snowstorm dropped 20-30 inches of snow in parts of Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York. Some totals included 32 inches at Somerset County, PA, 28 inches at Garrett County, MD, and 21 inches at Coudersport, PA.

Locations out west enjoyed record high temperatures for the date including: Daggett, CA: 85°, Las Vegas, NV: 81°, Stockton, CA: 79°, Redding, CA: 78°, Sacramento, CA: 78°, Winnemucca, NV: 70°, Portland, OR: 66°, Olympia, WA: 65°, Seattle, WA: 65°, Astoria, OR: 64°, Missoula, MT: 61° and Quillayute, WA: 61°-Tied.

1997

A heavy early-season snowstorm dumped over 8 inches of snow at Toronto, Ontario Canada. Drivers were thwarted by lack of snow removal from the roads due to municipal budget cuts.

1999

For the 8th straight day, record high temperatures were set across a large area of the nation. Over 300 record daily highs were set during the week, including over 3 dozen new records for November.  Daily record highs included: Borrego Springs, CA: 93°, Palm Springs, CA: 92°, Phoenix, AZ: 91°, Tucson, AZ: 90°, Little Rock, AR: 83°-Tied, Fort Smith, AR: 82°-Tied, Memphis, TN: 81°, Raleigh, NC: 81°-Tied, Oklahoma City, OK: 80°, Knoxville, TN: 80°-Tied, Hanford, CA: 79°, Chattanooga, TN: 79°, Greenville-Spartanburg, SC: 79°, Lynchburg, VA: 79°, Idyllwild, CA: 78°, Oak Ridge, TN: 78°, Fort Benton, MT: 78°, Asheville, NC: 76°, Livingston, MT: 75°, Sheridan, WY: 74°, Choteau, MT: 73°, Lewistown, MT: 72°, Ely, NV: 71°, Great Falls, MT: 71°, Havre, MT: 71°, Cheyenne, WY: 71°, Billings, MT: 70°, Miles City, MT: 70°, Winnemucca, NV: 70°-Tied, Butte, MT: 69°, Lewiston, ID: 68°, Cut Bank, MT: 68°, Casper, WY: 68°-Tied, Burns, OR: 66°, Alamosa, CO: 65°, Wisdom, MT: 65°, Yakima, WA: 63° and Kalispell, MT: 63°.

The 12th named storm of the North Atlantic Hurricane Season formed in the Caribbean on this date. Within a few hours, Tropical Storm Lenny was upgraded to a hurricane, with maximum winds of 80 mph. The hurricane was moving eastward, an anomaly and thus obtaining the name “backwards Lenny” and was threatening the island of Jamaica.

2005

A winter storm spread of heavy snow across parts of the Rockies; especially in Colorado where some areas picked up over a foot. Some totals included: Aspen Springs: 14 inches and near Nederland: 12 inches. Part of I-70 was closed for a time due to blowing and drifting.  Winds gusted over 60 mph in some areas. Some gusts included: Sugarloaf Mountain west of Boulder: 91 mph, Georgetown: 89 mph and at the Denver International Airport: 61 mph. 

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November 15th:

1900

On this date through the 15th, a record lake-effect snowstorm at Watertown, NY produced 45 inches in 24 hours. The storm total was 49 inches. This would remain a record snowfall event for New York State until 1976.

1942

Edmonton, Alberta Canada's record one-day November snowfall occurred as 15.7 inches fell with temperatures dropping to -13°.

1959

Cheyenne, WYrecorded their greatest daily temperature change. After a high of 56°, a powerful cold front passed and by midnight that night the temperature had plummeted to -5°, a change of 61 degrees.

1961

Between the 13th and 15th, the earliest heavy snow on record fell in western Texas. A general 4 to 20 inches of snowfall whitened the area; 20 inches fell at Hartley, 16 inches at Romero and 70 mph winds were reported in El Paso.

1964

The earliest snow ever recorded in Las Vegas, NV occurred on this date when 3 inches fell at the airport.

1967

A surprise snow and ice coating paralyzed Boston, MA during the evening rush hour.

A foot of snow fell in north central and northeastern Massachusetts

1987

Ahead of a potent cold front and upper level trough, thunderstorms spawned 22 tornadoes across eastern Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma. A tornado moving out of northeastern Texas killed one person and injured 96 others around Shreveport, LA causing more than $5 million dollars damage. Tornadoes in Texas claimed 10 lives, and injured 191 people.  A tornado caused more than $19 million dollars damage around Palestine, TX. One tornado, rated F3 on the Fujita scale, tracked 49.5 miles from eastern Texas into northwestern Louisiana. This tornado struck a chicken farm near Juaquin, TX and killed 34,000 chickens. In Desoto Parish in Louisiana this tornado also lifted a 9700 pound tractor with a front end loader and carried it nearly 2000 feet and deposited it in a heavily forested area. Severe thunderstorms spawned 18 tornadoes in Mississippi and 7 in Georgia the next day, and thunderstorms in southeastern Texas produced wind gusts to 102 mph at Galveston, and wind gusts to 110 mph at Bay City, killing one person. There were a total of 49 tornadoes in the south central U.S. in two days. The tornadoes claimed 11 lives, injured 303 people, and caused more than $70 million dollars damage. Very heavy rains also fell from slow moving thunderstorms. Rainfall totals, ending on the 16th, reached 21.21 inches near Olla, LA and 17.76 inches at Jena, LA.

Along the cold front, low pressure brought the first snow, a major snowstorm to parts of the Rockies. The heavy snow combined with strong winds to close I-70 east of Denver, CO and I-25 to Colorado Springs, CO. Snowfall accumulations ranged from up to 9 inches across Denver to as much as 20 inches in the nearby Foothills. Winds gusting over 40 mph combined with temperatures below freezing brought wind chills down as low as -5°.

1988

For the second day in a row, thunderstorms produced severe weather from Oklahoma and northeastern Texas to northern Indiana and southern Wisconsin from mid morning through the pre-dawn hours of the following day. Thunderstorms spawned 44 tornadoes, including 13 in Missouri, and there were more than 200 reports of large hail or damaging winds. A tornado in central Arkansas hit Scott and Lonoke killing 5 people, injuring 60 others, and causing $15 million dollars damage. Another tornado hit Southside, AR killing one person, injuring 10 others, and causing more than $2 million dollars damage, and a tornado near Clarksville, AR injured 9 people and caused more than $2 million dollars damage. One tornado struck the gym of a high school in Van Buren County, Arkansas. Luckily, the basketball team was playing an away game, or 400 fans would have been in serious danger from the F3 tornado. An F2 tornado moving through the southwest part of Topeka, KS injured 22 people and caused $3.9 million dollars damage.  A tornado near Jane, MO killed one person and injured 12 others, and a tornado moving across the southwest part of O'Fallon, MO injured 10 people. Severe thunderstorms also produced hail 3.5 inches in diameter east of Denison, TX, and wind gusts to 85 mph at Kirksville, MO. Damaging winds were widespread across Oklahoma as a line of severe thunderstorms moved east across the state. Along with widespread 70 to 80 mph straight line winds, a few brief tornadoes occurred.

1989

Thunderstorms developing along a powerful cold front produced severe weather in the Middle Mississippi Valley before sunrise, and by early the next morning thunderstorms had spawned 17 tornadoes east of the Mississippi River, with a total of 350 reports of severe weather. There were 100 reports of damaging winds in Georgia, and 5 tornadoes, and there were another 4 tornadoes in Alabama. Hardest hit was Huntsville, AL where a violent F-4 tornado killed 21 people, injured 463 others, and caused $100 million dollars damage. 12 of the 21 fatalities occurred in automobiles as many people were homeward bound during the afternoon rush hour. Tragically, many motorists were caught on congested streets and highways in the nearly pitch black conditions of the approaching storm. The damage path was 18.5 miles long and a half mile wide. Following the tornado, temperatures dropped quickly, and late night news reports showed snow showers falling around the terrible damage. Thunderstorms in Kentucky produced hail 3 inches in diameter in Grayson County, and wind gusts to 110 mph at Flaherty. Thunderstorms produced severe weather in the eastern U.S. through the morning and afternoon hours. Severe thunderstorms spawned 23 tornadoes, and there were 164 reports of damaging winds. There were 14 tornadoes in New Jersey, central and eastern New York, and eastern Pennsylvania, and 122 reports of damaging winds. A tornado at Coldenham, NY killed 9 school children and injured 18 others, and thunderstorm winds gusted to 100 mph at Malvern, PA. Thunderstorms spawned a total of 39 tornadoes east of Great Plains in 2 days, with 499 reports of large hail and damaging winds.

1993

High pressure off the southeast coast brought unseasonably warm weather to the east coast. National Airport outside of Washington, D.C. recorded their latest reading over 80° as the temperature hit 83°. Other record highs included: Tampa, FL: 89°, Augusta, GA: 87°, Columbia, SC: 86°, Raleigh, NC: 86°, Richmond, VA: 86°, Tallahassee, FL: 86°-Tied, Savannah, GA: 85°, Wilmington, NC: 85°, Norfolk, VA: 84°, Athens, GA: 83°, Columbus, GA: 83°, Charleston, SC: 83°-Tied, Wallops Island, VA: 82°, Charlotte, NC: 82°-Tied, Greensboro, NC: 81°, Sterling (Dulles Airport), VA: 81°, Salisbury, MD: 81°, Lynchburg, VA: 80°, Wilmington, DE: 80°, Newark, NJ: 80°, New York (Central Park), NY: 80°, New York (LaGuardia Airport), NY: 80°, Atlanta, GA: 79°, Baltimore, MD: 79°, Trenton, NJ: 78°, Bridgeport, CT: 78°, Hartford, CT: 78°, Providence, RI: 78°, Boston, MA: 78°, Islip, NY: 77°, New York (Kennedy Airport), NY: 77°, Reading, PA: 76°, Cape Hatteras, NC: 76°-Tied, Albany, NY: 74°, Milton, MA: 74°, Concord, NH: 74° and Worcester, MA: 72°.

1994

A waterspout/tornado on the outer fringes of Tropical Storm Gordon, struck the Barefoot Bay area of southern Brevard County in Florida. One person was killed and six people were hospitalized. About 63 mobile homes were destroyed and 181 had minor damage. Five other weaker, tornadoes were reported along the east coast during the evening

1996

One of the longest and most intense early season lake effect snow squall events came to an end over western New York, northeastern Ohio, and northwest Pennsylvania.  Chardon, OH was buried under 68.9 of snow over a six day period. Edinboro, PA checked in with 54.8 inches. 18.5 inches blanketed Cleveland, OH and 42 inches fell at Sherman, NY.

1999

“Backwards” Hurricane Lenny was churning eastward through the Caribbean, passing south of Jamaica and threatening Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. During the day, reconnaissance planes found a central pressure of 971 millibars or 28.71 inHg and top winds of 100 mph.

Some locations from the Rockies to the West Coast enjoyed record high temperatures.  

Laramieand Cheyenne, WY set their warmest November temperatures of this date when they hit 70°& 75°respectively. Other daily records included: Yuma, AZ: 91°-Tied, Phoenix, AZ: 90°, Tucson, AZ: 89°-Tied, Flagstaff, AZ: 70°-Tied, Casper, WY: 69°, Medford, OR: 69°, Astoria, OR: 65°, Eugene, OR: 65°-Tied, Portland, OR: 62°-Tied and Kalispell, MT: 55°-Tied.

2001

A week of torrential rains brought serious flooding to parts of Texas. 13 inches of rain fell across parts of south Texas, breaking records in Austin and San Antonio. A resourceful woman in Travis County, Texas drove long nails into a tree to create steps for her to climb into the upper parts of the tree, escaping the floodwaters. 8.66 inches of rain fell in 24 hours at Austin, TX.

2004                                                                                                                                   

On this date through the 18th, heavy rainfall of 5 to 10 inches fell in the Texas Hill Country, producing widespread flooding.

2006

With sustained winds of nearly 110 mph, Hurricane Sergio became the strongest tropical storm to form in the eastern Pacific basin this late in the year. At the time, the storm was about 485 miles south of Manzanillo, Mexico.

2007

Tropical Cyclone Sidr, a Category 4 storm, brought torrential rains, 150 mph winds and a 4 foot storm surge to the Bangladesh coast. At least 3,200 people died and millions are left homeless.

2008

Santa Anawinds blew from this day through the 19th bringing record highs. Winds gusted over 70 mph in the Santa Ana Mountains and over 60 mph in the northern Inland Empire. The Freeway Complex Fire burned from Corona through Chino Hills and Yorba Linda. This fire destroyed or damaged over 300 homes and four businesses. More than 30,000 acres burned and more than 40,000 evacuated.

Record high temperatures for the date included: Downtown Los Angeles, CA: 93°, Long Beach, CA: 91°, San Diego, CA: 89°-Tied, Los Angeles (LAX), CA: 88°, Santa Maria, CA: 87°-Tied, Redding, CA: 83°, Madera, CA: 79°, San Francisco (Airport), CA: 79°, Hanford, CA: 78°, Merced, CA: 78°and Stockton, CA: 76°-Tied.

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November 16th:

1933
A cold wave struck the Mid-Atlantic States. Washington, D.C.’s National Airport dropped to 19° tying the record low for the date and 17° the following morning. Other record lows for the date included: Houghton Lake, MI: -11°, Duluth, MN: -10°, Rochester, MN: -6°, Grand Forks, ND: -5°, St. Cloud, MN: -4°, Minneapolis, MN: -2°, Fargo, ND: -2°, Alpena, MI: 0°, Green Bay, WI: 1°, Waterloo, IA: 2°, Elkins, WV: 2°, La Crosse, WI: 3°, Moline, IL: 3°, Rockford, IL: 3°, Mansfield, OH: 3°, Ste. St. Marie, MI: 3°, Akron, OH: 4°, Milwaukee, WI: 5°, Lansing, MI: 5°, Worcester, MA: 5°, Dubuque, IA: 6°, Syracuse, NY: 6°, Burlington, VT: 6°, Flint, MI: 7°, Detroit, MI: 8°, Youngstown, OH: 8°, Rochester, NY: 8°, Milton, MA: 8°, Chicago, IL: 9°, Toledo, OH: 9°, Pittsburgh, PA: 9°, Albany, NY: 9°, Richmond, VA: 10°, Buffalo, NY: 10°, Portland, ME: 10°, Grand Rapids, MI: 11°, Avoca, PA: 11°, Williamsport, PA: 11°, Cleveland, OH: 12°, Beckley, WV: 12°, Allentown, PA: 12°, Boston, MA: 12°, Muskegon, MI: 14°, Erie, PA: 14°, Hartford,, CT: 14°, Providence, RI: 14°, Newark, NJ: 15°, Cincinnati, OH: 16°, Huntington, WV: 16°, Greensboro, NC: 16°, Lexington, KY: 17°, Salisbury, MD: 17°, New York (Central Park), NY: 17°, Charleston, WV: 18°, Greenville-Spartanburg, SC: 18°, St. Louis, MO: 19°, Baltimore, MD: 19°, Philadelphia, PA: 20°, Huntsville, AL: 20° and Norfolk, VA: 26°.

1958
Tucson, AZ received 6.4 inches of snow during an unusual snow event in the desert southwest.

It was 17° in Palomar Mountain, CA, tying their lowest temperature on record for November. Other daily record lows included: Ely, NV: -10°, Reno, NV: 7°, Fresno, CA: 27°, Stockton, CA: 31°, Eureka, CA: 32°, Sacramento, CA: 32°-Tied, San Francisco (Airport), CA: 38°, Long Beach, CA: 42°, San Diego, CA: 42° and Downtown Los Angeles, CA: 44°.

1959
The most severe November cold wave in U.S. history was in progress. A weather observing station located 14 miles northeast of Lincoln, MT reported a reading of -53°, which established an all-time record low temperature for the nation for the month of November. Their high that day was 1°. Billings, MT also recorded their coldest November reading of -22°with their high for the day just 5°with 14 inches of snow on the ground. Other November record lows included: Helena, MT: -39°, Kalispell, MT: -28°and Sheridan, WY: -25°.

Other daily record lows included: Glasgow, MT: -18°, Havre, MT: -18°, Great Falls, MT: -17°, Williston, ND: -16°, Casper, WY: -11°, Huron, SD: -8°:Tied, Sioux Falls, SD: -6°, Fargo, ND: -6°, International Falls, MN: -8°, Grand Forks, ND: -6°, Sioux City, IA: -3°, Norfolk, NE: -2°, Des Moines, IA: 0°, Waterloo, IA: 0°, Dubuque, IA: 1°, Green Bay, WI: 1°-Tied, La Crosse, WI: 2°, Rockford, IL: 2°, Madison, WI: 2°-Tied, Omaha, NE: 3°, Marquette, MI: 3°, Moline, IL: 3°-Tied, Milwaukee, WI: 4°, Chicago, IL: 6°, Springfield, IL: 7°, Topeka, KS: 8°, Columbia, MO: 8°-Tied, Kansas City, MO: 9°, Yakima, WA: 9°, St. Louis, MO: 13° and Stockton, CA: 31°-Tied.

1980
Snow fell across western north Texas during the morning hours. The early season snow storm left two inches of snow at Wichita Falls, causing some minor tree damage and inconvenience to motorists.

1987
High winds and heavy snow created blizzard conditions across parts of eastern Colorado. Wind gusts reached 68 mph at Pueblo, and snowfall totals ranged up to 37 inches at Echo Lake. In Wyoming, the temperature dipped to -14°at Laramie.  On the west coast, Quillayute, WA set a new record low with 29°.

Strong thunderstorms in Louisiana drenched Alexandria with 16.65 inches of rain in 30 hours, with an unofficial total of 21.21 inches north of Olla. Flash flooding in Louisiana caused $5 to $6 million dollars damage.

1988
A powerful low pressure system in the north central U.S. produced high winds across the Great Lakes Region, with wind gusts to 60 mph reported at Chicago, IL. Heavy snow blanketed much of Minnesota, with 11 inches reported at International Falls.

1989
A continuation of the previous day's severe weather outbreak produced 22 tornadoes from Virginia to New York State. A straight-line wind gust blew down the cafeteria wall at the East Oldenham Elementary School near Newburg, NY, killing 9 students. The event was officially listed a weak tornado, making it the deadliest tornado in New York history.  

Snow and gusty winds invaded the north central U.S. Winds gusting to 40 mph produced wind chill readings as cold as -25°, and blizzard conditions were reported in Nebraska during the late morning hours. High winds around a powerful low pressure system produced squalls in the Great Lakes Region. Winds gusted to 63 mph at Whitefish Point, MI, and snowfall totals in Michigan ranged up to 19 inches at Hart, north of Muskegon.

Further south, Jackson, KY set a new morning record low with 26°.

1999
Hurricane warnings were in effect as late-season “Backwards” Hurricane Lenny threatened Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Lenny was a Category 3 hurricane with top winds of 115 mph. Lenny was not only unusual because of its late-season strength, but because of its movement from west to east across the Caribbean. Lenny was the first hurricane in recorded history to threaten Puerto Rico from the west. The unusual motion meant that some harbors normally protected from hurricanes were threatened.

Unseasonably warm weather prevailed across portions of the Western U.S. Some record high temperatures for the date included: Phoenix, AZ: 89°, Tucson, AZ: 89°-Tied, Provo, UT: 74°, Winslow, AZ: 74°-Tied, Cheyenne, WY: 70°, Elko, NV: 68°-Tied, Casper, WY: 67°, Great Falls, MT: 66°, Ely, NV: 66°-Tied and Pocatello, ID: 63°.

2002
Foehn winds push temperatures as high as 75° at Salzburg Airport and 78° at Bad Goisern in the Salzkammergut area of Austria, the latter is thought to be the highest temperature ever recorded in Austria in November.

2005
Regina Saskatchewan Canada's temperature plunged to a record low of -23°.

Further south, San Angelo, TX tied their record low with 23°.

2006
Heavy rainfall generated flash flooding that caused 120 deaths in he Badghis, Farah and Uruzgan provinces in western Afghanistan.

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November 17th:

1819
A lightning bolt struck the spire of the Notre Dame church at mid-day. Eight hours later, the iron cross fell to the ground.

1869
Hurricane force winds blew all of the cars of a train off the tracks near Boston Corners, NY. The derailed cars fell down a 75 foot embankment. An ensuing fire burned up the mail and baggage car. Three people died. There were major losses of timber in New England's Berkshire and Green Mountains.

1894
The temperature at Oklahoma City, OK fell to 9°, establishing their coldest reading for so early in the season.

1910
A heavy rain storm dumped 18.3 inches of rain in 24 hours at Riposto, Sicily.

1927
A tornado cut a 17 mile path across Alexandria, VA and southeastern Washington D.C. injuring 31 people. The tornado struck the Naval Air Station where a wind gust of 93 mph was recorded. A waterspout was seen over the Potomac River 90 minutes later.

1953
The temperature at Minneapolis MN reached 71°, their warmest reading on record for so late in the autumn.

Fargo, ND: 73°, Aberdeen, SD: 72°, Rapid City, SD: 72°, Huron, SD: 71°, Sioux Falls, SD: 68°-Tied and Grand Forks, ND: 64°.

1955
An early season cold snap finally came to an end throughout Montana. Helena, MT experienced 138 consecutive hours of subzero temperatures, including a record low of -16°. Other locations from the Northwest to the southern Plains reporting record lows for the date included: Havre, MT: -26°, Kalispell, MT: -14°, Sheridan, WY: -13°, Lander, WY: -8°, Rapid City, SD: -5°, Billings, MT: -6°, Missoula, MT: -6°, Pocatello, ID: 0°, Goodland, KS: 3°, Denver, CO: 5°, Spokane, WA: 9°, Clayton, NM: 9°, Yakima, WA: 11°, Eugene, OR: 18°, Tulsa, OK: 19°, Olympia, WA: 21°, Seattle, WA: 23°, Portland, OR: 23°, Wichita Falls, TX: 23°-Tied, Dallas (DFW), TX: 26°, Astoria, OR: 28° and Dallas, TX: 29°-Tied.

1958
A deep upper level trough covered most of the west bringing record low temperatures.  Bishop, CA recorded a low temperature of 5° which is the coldest November reading ever. This also broke their previous record by 11°.  It was 10° in Idyllwild, CA tying their lowest temperature on record for November. Other record low temperatures for the date included: Alamosa, CO: -10°, Casper, WY: -9°, Flagstaff, AZ: -8°, Ely, NV: -6°, Reno, NV: 1°, Burns, OR: 4°, Clayton, NM: 8°, Winslow, AZ: 11°, Lewiston, ID: 14°, Tucson, AZ: 24°, Santa Maria, CA: 25°, Stockton, CA: 26°, Sacramento, CA: 27°, Las Vegas, NV: 28°-Tied, Fresno, CA: 29°, Yuma, AZ: 30°, Long Beach, CA: 34°, Eureka, CA: 35°-Tied, San Francisco (Airport), CA: 36°, Downtown Los Angeles, CA: 40°, San Diego, CA: 41° and Los Angeles (LAX), CA: 41°-Tied.

1959
The most severe November cold wave in U.S. history was in progress. Many locations from the Plains to the Appalachians reported record low temperatures: Williston, ND: -10°, Rapid City, SD: -9°, Duluth, MN: -9°, Aberdeen, SD: -8°, Sioux Falls, SD: -7°, St. Cloud, MN: -6°, Norfolk, NE: -5°, Sioux City, IA: -4°, Rochester, MN: -4°, Waterloo, IA: -3°, Grand Island, NE: -2°, Scottsbluff, NE: -2°, Des Moines, IA: -2°, Dubuque, IA: -2°, Madison, WI: -1°, Moline, IL: -1°, Marquette, MI: -1°, Green Bay, WI: 0°, La Crosse, WI: 0°, Rockford, IL: 0°, Milwaukee, WI: 1°, Houghton Lake, MI: 1°, Chicago, IL: 3°, Peoria, IL: 3°, Columbia, MO: 4°, Springfield, MO: 4°, Springfield, IL: 4°, Indianapolis, IN: 4°, South Bend, IN: 4°, Ste. St. Marie, MI: 4°, Lincoln, NE: 5°, Topeka, KS: 5°, St. Louis, MO: 6°, Fort Wayne, IN: 6°, Kansas City, MO: 7°, Lansing, MI: 7°, Wichita, KS: 8°, Flint, MI: 9°, Grand Rapids, MI: 9°, Muskegon, MI: 9°, Dayton, OH: 9°, Lubbock, TX: 10°, Evansville, IN: 10°, Cincinnati, OH: 10°, Toledo, OH: 10°, Tulsa, OK: 11°, Amarillo, TX: 11°, Pittsburgh, PA: 11°, Lexington, KY: 12°, Paducah, KY: 12°, Detroit, MI: 13°, Columbus, OH: 13°, Louisville, KY: 13°, Buffalo, NY: 13°, Roswell, NM:: 14°, Cleveland, OH: 14°, Wichita Falls, TX: 15°, Fort Smith, AR: 15°, Rochester, NY: 15°-Tied, Charleston, WV: 16°, Huntington, WV: 16°-Tied, Abilene, TX: 17°, Midland-Odessa, TX: 18°, Nashville, TN: 18°, Dallas (DFW), TX: 20°, San Angelo, TX: 20°, Little Rick, AR: 20°, Bristol, TN: 20°, Dallas, TX: 21°, Oak Ridge, TN: 24°, Waco, TX: 25°, Shreveport, LA: 27°, Austin, TX: 28°, San Antonio, TX: 30°, Del Rio, TX: 31°, Lake Charles, LA: 32°, Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX: 32°-Tied, Corpus Christi, TX: 33° and Houston, TX: 33°-Tied.

1964
2.5 inches of snow fell in Victorville, CA, their earliest date in the season to record measurable snowfall. Palm Springs, CA fell to 23°, their lowest temperature on record for November. Other record lows included: Flagstaff, AZ: -10°, Phoenix, AZ: 32°-Tied and San Francisco (Airport), CA: 36°-Tied.

1972
A snow storm moved across Oklahoma, dumping up to 10 inches of snow over north-central Oklahoma. Other areas received between 1 and 8 inches. Roads across the state became very slick and hazardous, causing many traffic accidents. At Will Rogers World Airport, a commercial jet aircraft slid off the runway.

1987
A storm in the Rockies produced 21 inches of snow at the Monarch ski resort in Colorado, with 14 inches reported at Steamboat Springs, CO.  

In the Pacific Northwest, Quillayute, WA set a record low with 26°.

Early morning thunderstorms in the southeastern U.S. drenched Mary Esther, FL with 4.43 inches of rain. Gale force winds over the Great Lakes Region gusted to 49 mph at Johnstown, PA.

1988
Another in a series of storms brought heavy snow to the mountains of the western U.S. Totals ranged up to 17 inches at Bob Scott Summit in Nevada. Winds around Reno, NV gusted to 80 mph. The Alta and Sundance ski resorts in Utah received 14 inches of snow.

1989
Freezing temperatures overspread the southeastern U.S. in the wake of the severe weather outbreak of the previous two days. A few cities across the south reported record low temperatures for the date, including Gilbert, AR with a reading of 8°, Jackson, KY with 22° and Mobile, AL tied their record with 31°. 

A fast moving storm blanketed the Great Lakes Region and Upper Ohio Valley with snow during the evening and overnight hours. Totals ranged up to 12 inches at Pellston, MI and Little Valley, NY while Grand Rapids, MI picked up 7 inches of snow, bringing their three day storm total to over a foot.

1999
Hurricane Lenny became the first hurricane ever to strike the islands of the Lesser Antilles from the west. The menacing Category 4 storm was dubbed "backwards or left-handed Lenny" because of its unusual motion. Packing winds of 140 mph and a 15 foot storm surge, it moved just south of the island of St. Croix in the Virgin Islands and later near St. Maarten with winds of 145 mph. Only two other tropical storms have moved west to east across the open waters of the Caribbean.  The central pressure in the hurricane dropped to 933 millibars or 27.55 inHg, making it as strong as Hurricane David while in the Caribbean in 1979.

2001
Dense fog in the San Joaquin Valley of California reduced visibilities to less than 150 feet. Highway Patrol cars had to "pace" groups of vehicles on interstates in order to prevent accidents from occurring. Repeat occurrences were reported on the following 2 days also.

2008
Santa Ana winds blew across southern California courtesy of high pressure across the Great Basin. Winds gusted over 70 mph in the Santa Ana Mountains and over 60 mph in the northern Inland Empire. The Freeway Complex Fire burned from Corona through Chino Hills and Yorba Linda. This fire destroyed or damaged over 300 homes and four businesses. More than 30,000 acres burned and more than 40,000 evacuated. The ridge was responsible for record high temperatures including: Downtown Los Angeles, CA: 91°, Phoenix, AZ: 87°, Tucson, AZ: 87°, Bakersfield, CA: 84°, Hanford, CA: 82°, Merced, CA: 82°, Fresno, CA: 81°, Las Vegas,NV: 81°, Madera, CA: 80°, Bishop, CA: 77°, San Francisco, VA: 73°-Tied, Eugene, OR: 70°-Tied, Ely, NV: 69°-Tied and Quillayute, WA: 60°.

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November 18th:

Annual weather losses in the United States are estimated to be as high as $34.5 billion dollars with $22 billion in the agricultural industry alone. The next highest monetary damage in any industry is the $2.7 billion dollars lost by the construction industry. Preventable losses in agriculture are an estimated $9.7 billion dollars, with $894 million preventable in construction. Money estimated to be saved by improved forecasts and technology in the National Weather Service is estimated to be two to three times greater than all losses to the general public combined.

1421
The St. Elizabeth's Flood in the Netherlands killed 10,000 people as 72 Dutch villages were swept away when dikes were breached by waves.

1873
A number of ships from fishing fleets were lost from Georgia to Maine and Nova Scotia as a strong coastal storm wreaked havoc along the coast. The barometer in Portland, ME dropped to 28.49 inHg and Eastport, ME had wind gusts to 64 mph. Boston, MA recorded their lowest pressure of 28.73 inHg.

1921
54 inches of snow and sleet closed the Columbia River Highway around The Dalles, OR area.

1929
An earthquake off the coast of the Grand Banks, Newfoundland caused a submarine landslide that triggered a tsunami that killed people on the Burin Peninsula of Newfoundland. The undersea landslide damaged several miles of transatlantic telegraph cables, resulting in much of the $400,000 dollars in damage. The tsunami was felt as far away as South Carolina and Portugal.  

1931
An hourly average wind speed of 126 mph was recorded at Cape Hopes Advance on the Ungava Peninsula in Quebec, Canada: This remains Canada's highest recorded wind speed.

1957
An F4 tornado cut a 27 mile path from near Rosa to near Albertville in Blount and Marshall Counties in Alabama, killing three people. An F2 tornado cut a path across the Birmingham area from Ensley to Tarrant City, damaging over 500 homes and resulting in one fatality. Other tornadoes touched down near Tuscaloosa and in Greene and Hale Counties. The day's activity followed an F4 the previous day in Walker County, Alabama.

In the upper Midwest heavy snow fell in areas from Iowa to Wisconsin. Snowfall totals included:  Preston, MN: 14 inches (tied for greatest one-day snowfall with 1/22/1982), New Hampton, IA: 11 inches, Spring Grove, MN: 11 inches, Rochester, MN: 9.7 inches, Elgin, MN: 9 inches, Waucoma, IA: 8 inches, Decorah, IA: 7 inches, Grand Meadow, MN: 7 inches, Mondovi, WI: 7 inches, Austin, MN: 6.5 inches, Lanesboro, MN: 6.5 inches, Sparta, WI: 6.4 inches, La Crosse, WI: 6.2 inches, Dorchester, IA: 6 inches, Osage, IA: 6 inches. Caledonia, MN: 6 inches, Harmony, MN: 6 inches. Mather, WI: 6 inches and Viroqua, WI: 6 inches.

1958
Record high temperatures were set all across the lower Great Lakes as a southerly flow of air pushed afternoon high temperatures to around 70°. At Muskegon, MI the temperature hit a record 71° for the second day in a row. Other record highs included: Youngstown, OH: 72°, Grand Rapids, MI: 70°, Akron, OH: 70°-Tied, Lansing, MI: 69°and Flint, MI: 68°-Tied. 

A trough out west brought record lows to parts of the southwest including: Flagstaff, AZ: -13°, Winslow, AZ: 11°, Bishop, CA: 13°, Las Vegas, NV: 23°, Fresno, CA: 28°, Phoenix, AZ: 31°and Downtown Los Angeles, CA: 43°.

1967
A moist subtropical storm that started on this day ended on the 21st. 14+ inches of precipitation fell in the mountains above Los Angeles, CA, 7.96 inches fell at Los Angeles. Flooding was called the “worst since 1934.” Two people were killed and 400 others were stranded in the mountains due to closed highways.

1986
The first of two successive snowstorms struck the northeastern U.S. The storm produced up to 20 inches of snow in southern New Hampshire. Two days later a second storm produced up to 30 inches of snow in northern Maine.

Very cold temperatures struck parts of the northern Plains. Record lows for the date included: Williston, ND and Bismarck, ND tied record lows with -17°and -16°respectively.

1987
It was a windy day across parts of the nation. Gale force winds whipped the Great Lakes Region. Winds gusting to 80 mph in western New York State damaged buildings and flipped over flatbed trailers at Churchville. In Montana, high winds in the Upper Yellowstone Valley gusted to 64 mph at Livingston.  

Strong Santa Ana winds buffeted the mountains and valleys of southern California.

1988
Thunderstorms developing along a warm front drenched Little Rock AR with 7.01 inches of rain, smashing their previous record for the date of 1.91 inches.

1989
A second surge of arctic air brought record cold to parts of the north central U.S. A few cities in the Upper Midwest reported record low temperatures for the date, including Rochester, MN: -4°, Sioux City, IA: 4°, Waterloo, IA: 5° and Dubuque, IA: 7°. Strong winds ushering the arctic air into the north central U.S. produced squalls in the Lower Great Lakes Region. Snowfall totals in northern Ohio ranged up to 20 inches in Ashtabula and Geauga Counties.

1999
Hurricane Lenny stalled near the island of St. Maarten in the northern Leeward Islands for much of the day, with winds near 145 mph, a pressure of 939 millibars or 27.73 inHg and dropping between 25 and 30 inches of rain that led to widespread flooding. The highest rainfall totals included: Gendarmarie, St. Martin: 34.12 inches, Port Louis Gendarmarie, Guadeloupe 17.28 inches, Jayuya, Puerto Rico: 14.64 inches and Granard, St. Croix: 10.47 inches.

2002
A strong cold front moving across Morocco produced the worst flooding in 30 years causing at least 60 deaths.

2004
Locally heavy snow and strong winds battered much of Scandinavia. Throughout southern and central Sweden, snow accumulates to 8 inches. Strong winds, gusting over 60 mph, combined with snow and rain to produce wind damage in parts of Norway and Denmark.

2006
A rare tornado hit the US Camp Schwab Post Exchange on the island of Okinawa in the western Pacific causing minor damage to the barracks, the post office, vehicles, and power lines.

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November 19th:

1798
On this date through the 21st, the infamous “Long Storm” swept across the northeastern U.S. spreading heavy snow from Maryland to Maine. The storm dumped a foot of snow at New York City and New Haven, CT, and as much as three feet in parts of Maine and New Hampshire. This storm opened the famous Long Winter of 1798-99 which continued to drop snow across parts of the northeast as late as May.

1921
The Columbia Gorge ice storm finally came to an end. In Oregon, 54 inches of snow, sleet and glaze blocked the Columbia River Highway at The Dalles. Over 6 inches of melted precipitation fell in 24 hours. Apart from traffic on the river itself, all transportation between Walla Walla, WA and Portland, OR came to a halt. Nine trains were stopped as railroads were blocked for several days.

1930
23 people died in an unusually strong F4 tornado that carved a 7 mile path from west of the Oklahoma City metro area through Bethany, OK. Five students and a teacher were killed as they dove for cover in the Canal Creek School.

1947
60.5 inches of snow fell over a five day period ending on the 24th at Fort Resolute, Northwest Territories Canada.

1957
A snowstorm struck the upper Midwest. 19 inches of snow covered the ground at Cresco, IA, a record November snow depth for the state. Snowfall totals included: Cresco, IA: 14 inches (tied 3/6/1959 for the greatest one-day snowfall), Curtiss, WI: 13 inches (tied with 1/4/1971 for greatest one-day snowfall), La Crescent, MN: 11 inches, Lanesboro, MN: 10 inches, Wabasha, MN: 10 inches, Trempealeau, WI: 10 inches, Harmony, MN: 9 inches, Fayette, IA: 9 inches, Caledonia, MN: 8.1 inches, Dorchester, IA: 8 inches, Winona, MN: 8 inches, Genoa, WI: 8 inches, Goodrich, WI: 8 inches, Jump River, WI: 8 inches, Neillsville, WI: 8 inches, Mondovi, WI: 7.5 inches Charles City, IA: 6.5 inches, Decorah, IA: 6 inches, Waucoma, IA: 6 inches. Grand Meadow, MN: 6 inches and Owen, WI: 6 inches.

1964
After a major snowstorm, arctic air covered the region. Big Bear Lake, CA plunged to -15°, their lowest temperature on record for November, the third lowest temperature on record, and the earliest date in the season to record a temperature below zero. Idyllwild, CA fell to 10°, tying their lowest temperature on record for November with 11/17/1958. Victorville, CA fell to 8°, their lowest temperature on record for November.  Other daily record lows for the date included: Winnemucca, NV: -3°, Reno, NV: 8°, Medford, OR: 17°, Salem, OR: 22°, Fresno, CA: 29°-Tied, Stockton, CA: 30°, Long Beach, CA: 35°, San Francisco Airport, CA: 35°, Los Angeles (LAX), CA: 38° and Los Angeles (Downtown), CA: 39°.

1973
A tornado occurred in McClain County near Blanchard, and tracked north northeastward to near Moore in Cleveland County, Oklahoma. A total of 67 trailers were destroyed in Moore, resulting in 3 fatalities. Another tornado touched down in and near Tonkawa, in Kay County, damaging 180 homes, 20 businesses, and the local high school. Four trailer homes and four businesses were destroyed.

1975
A low pressure located in Oklahoma moved north across Kansas, Iowa and into Wisconsin by the 20th. What began as light rain across eastern South Dakota and the tri- state area around Sioux Falls quickly turned to snow on the 19th. Winds increased to near 50 mph with gusts to 75 mph resulting in widespread blizzard conditions. Snow amounts of 6 to 15 inches fell over an area southeast of a line from Todd to Aurora to Grant County in South Dakota. Snow amounts were generally 8 to 10 inches across extreme northwest Iowa.

June in the Western Pacific Ocean became a Super-Typhoon with maximum sustained winds that peaked at 185 mph with a minimum central pressure of had a central barometric pressure of 876 millibars or 25.87 inHg. Luckily, June stayed well east of Philippines before moving north then northeast east of Japan. June was a Category 5 Super Typhoon from 06z on this date through 00z on the 21st.

1977
A cyclone and tidal wave in Andhra Pradesh, India killed 20,000 people.

1978
A waterspout moved onshore in the Hilo, HI harbor causing moderate damage.

1981
An unusually early snowstorm brought as much as a foot of snow to the Twin Cities of Minnesota. The weight of the heavy snow caused the newly inflated fabric dome of the Hubert Humphrey Metrodome in downtown Minneapolis to collapse and rip.

1985
Hurricane Kate moved south of Key West, FL causing downed power poles, power lines, trees, and branches. Two people were killed when their small boat capsized in heavy seas. Another man was electrocuted when he stepped on a downed power line. Two days later, Kate made landfall between Panama City and Apalachicola, FL. Tides ran 8 to 10 feet above normal. Many houses were damaged by fallen trees. Many power poles and lines were downed. Several roads were washed out.

A deep upper level trough out west brought record lows for the date including: Ely, NV: -15°, Spokane, WA: -9°, Billings, MT: -8°, Casper, WY: -7°, Lander, WY: -7°, Yakima, WA: 4°, Boise, ID: 7°, Grand Junction, CO: 8°, Bishop, CA: 9°, Salt Lake City, UT: 13°-Tied, Las Vegas, NV: 24°-Tied, Stockton, CA: 25° and Sacramento, CA: 28°-Tied.

1987
A sharp cold front pushed across the Great Lakes Region and the Mississippi Valley. Northwest winds gusting to 50 mph in Iowa caused some property damage around Ottumwa and wind chill readings dropped well below zero.  

Showers and thunderstorms over Florida produced 5.80 inches of rain in 6 hours at Cocoa Beach, FL.

Record highs occurred across parts of the West Coast including: Eureka, CA: 78°, Quillayute, WA: 66°, Astoria, OR: 64°and Seattle, WA: 60°.

1988
Strong thunderstorms developed during the mid morning hours and produced severe weather across eastern Texas and the Lower Mississippi Valley into the nighttime hours. Thunderstorms spawned 21 tornadoes, including 13 in Mississippi. An F3 tornado killed two people and injured 11 others at Nettleton, MS, and another F3 tornado injured 8 people at Tuscaloosa, AL. Thunderstorms produced baseball size hail in east Texas and northern Louisiana, and Summit, MS was deluged with 6 inches of rain in 4 hours.

1989
Gale force winds continued to produce squalls in the Lower Great Lakes Region early in the day. Snowfall totals in western New York State reached 24 inches in southern Lewis County, with 21 inches reported at Highmarket.  

Unseasonably warm weather prevailed from the Northern and Central Plains to California courtesy of a 588 decameter ridge over California. Many cities reported record high temperatures for the date, including: Long Beach, CA: 90°, Los Angeles (LAX), CA: 90°, Downtown Los Angeles, CA: 90°, Palm Springs, CA: 90°, Denver, CO: 79°, Goodland, KS: 77°, Redding, CA: 76°, Colorado Springs, CO: 74°, Sacramento, CA: 73°, San Francisco Airport, CA: 73°, Stockton, CA: 73°, Scottsbluff, NE: 73°, Norfolk, NE: 73°-Tied, Sheridan, WY: 69° and Grand Forks, ND: 58°.

1994
There were numerous reports of severe weather in the Permian Basin of West Texas during the evening hours. Severe thunderstorms moved across Odessa, causing a swath of damage that tore sections of roofs off mobile homes, a church, and a high school, as well as downing many power lines. Other unsecured mobile homes were tumbled by the winds. A 6-ton trailer was overturned in a parking lot and then pushed on its side 30 feet. A wind gust to 60 mph was recorded by the National Weather Service at Midland International Airport, with structural damage sustained to many homes 10 miles east of the airport. The storm that caused that damage then moved into Howard County where main transmission lines were downed along U.S. Highway 87 by strong outflow winds. Dime-to nickel-size hail was reported in Odessa, Midland and near Stanton, with quarter-size hail reported at Knott in Howard County.

1996
The first in a series of wet and wintry storms struck the West Coast as the Pineapple Express fed moisture into the powerful storms. Rain fell over southern Oregon, with snow in the Seattle area in Washington. Spokane, WA experienced freezing rain and snow and more than 75,000 people were without power for weeks. Oregon registered their record maximum 24 hour precipitation as 11.66 inches of rain fell at Port Orford.

1998
Famed tornado researcher Theodore Fujita passed away after a long illness at the age of 78. Known as "Mr. Tornado," he developed the famous Fujita scale which is used to classify the damage caused by tornadoes. Fujita also discovered microbursts, those sudden, severe downdrafts that can result in 150 mph winds on or near the ground. He blamed microbursts for the 1975 Eastern Airlines Flight 66 crash at New York's Kennedy Airport. The discovery, controversial for years before it became accepted among Meteorologists, led to the installation of Doppler radar at airports to improve safety.

1999
Lenny weakened to a tropical storm over the Virgin Islands after wreaking havoc for several days on an unusual west to east trek across the Caribbean. The storm was the fifth major November hurricane on record. Its west-east track made it a once-in-a-century event. Other major November hurricanes included: a Category 4 Hurricane in 1912, a Category 4 Hurricane in 1932, Category 4 Hurricane Greta in 1956, Category 3 Hurricane Kate in 1985.

2008
More than 1,500 cars and trucks were stranded overnight on the Trans-Canada Highway near the Cobequid Pass, Nova Scotia Canada. The winter's first major storm dumped wet snow that drifted around in strong winds and reduced visibility. During the height of the storm, whiteout conditions left traffic at a standstill overnight along a seven and a half mile stretch of the highway.

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November 20th:

1869

A second great windstorm in 3 days struck Vermont and New York blowing railroad trains off their tracks.

1879

A hurricane that formed in the Caribbean Sea moved across Cuba then raced N to Labrador. Although the storm remained a considerable distance from the Atlantic
seaboard, Cape May, NJ, measured a wind gust to 112 mph.

1900

An unusual tornado outbreak in the Lower Mississippi Valley resulted in 73 deaths and extensive damage across Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee. A group of students and a teacher trying to escape an approaching tornado in Arkansas were injured when the twister overtook them.  It had missed the school building entirely. Two F4 tornadoes accounted for most of the deaths.

1914

Atlanta, GA only reached a high of 28° for the day, marking their earliest daily high below 32°.

1942

A 6-day heat wave was in progress from Texas to the Mid-Atlantic States. National Airport at Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, MD had peak temperatures of 79°. Other locations reporting daily record highs included: Wichita Falls, TX: 84°-Tied, Amarillo, TX: 83°, Austin (Bergstrom), TX: 83°, Midland-Odessa, TX: 83°, Savannah, GA: 83°, Augusta, GA: 82°, Columbia, SC: 82°, Charleston, SC: 82°-Tied, Tupelo, MS: 80°, Paducah, KY: 80°, Athens, GA: 80°, Macon, GA: 80°, Roanoke, VA: 80°, Huntsville, AL: 79°, Atlanta, GA: 79°, Charlotte, NC: 79°, Lexington, KY: 78°, Chattanooga, TN: 78°, Nashville, TN: 78°, Raleigh, NC: 78°, Greenville-Spartanburg, SC: 78°-Tied, Harrisburg, PA: 77°, St. Louis, MO: 76°, Springfield, IL: 76°, Asheville, NC: 76°, Indianapolis, IN: 75°, Wilmington, DE: 75°,  Columbus, OH: 74°-Tied, Dayton, OH: 74°-Tied, Williamsport, PA: 73°, Peoria, IL: 72°, Fort Wayne, IN: 70°-Tied, Detroit, MI: 70°-Tied and Rockford, IL: 69°.

1977

Northern and western portions of South Dakota were hammered by a strong winter storm that began the previous day ending on this date. The storm moved rapidly from Colorado across eastern Nebraska and into Minnesota producing widespread snowfall across the area. Generally snowfall totals ranged from 5 to 15 inches. Winds of 50 mph produced blowing snow which greatly reduced visibilities and drifted snow up to 5 feet deep. The storm also caused the derailment of a freight train in northeast South Dakota.

1979

A blizzard struck parts of the Rockies. Cheyenne, WY received a record 19.8 inches of snow in 24 hours, and a record total of 25.6 inches in 40 hours. Other snowfall totals included: Wheatland: 26 inches, Douglas, WY: 13 inches, Rawlins, WY: 10.8 inches and Scottsbluff, NE: 7.6 inches.  Strong winds created huge drifts stopping all transportation.

A few locations from Texas to the Mid-Atlantic reported record high temperatures for the date including: Del Rio, TX: 83°-Tied, Atlanta, GA: 79°-Tied, Memphis, TN: 78°, Sterling (Dulles Airport), VA: 75° and Oak Ridge, TN: 74°.

An unusual electrical storm hit Yukutat, AK.

1985

Kate intensified to a major Category 3 Hurricane and as she moved west of Key West, FL wit top winds of 115 mph and a minimum central pressure of 954 millibars or 28.17 inHg. The next day Kate made landfall between Panama City and Apalachicola, FL. Tides ran 8 to 10 feet above normal. Many houses were damaged by fallen trees. Many power poles and lines were downed. Several roads were washed out.

1987

Blustery northwest winds created snow squalls in the Great Lakes Region and the Upper Ohio Valley. Snowfall totals in Upper Michigan ranged up to 18 inches at Paradise. Lake City, MI received 9.5 inches of snow in just four and a half hours. Up to a foot of snow blanketed Oswego County in western New York State. Strong winds produced wind chill readings as cold as -20°.

1988

Thunderstorms developing ahead of a fast moving cold front produced severe weather in the Upper Ohio Valley and the Mid-Atlantic Coast Region during the afternoon and early evening. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 69 mph at Kennedy Airport in New York City, and winds along the cold front itself gusted to 56 mph at Cincinnati, OH. The same storm produced snow in parts of Kansas, Missouri and Illinois, with 8 inches reported at Rolla, MO. Up to nine inches of snow fell in the Oklahoma Panhandle, while up to 7 inches fell in parts of northern Oklahoma. The snow was accompanied by sleet, freezing rain, and even thunder.

Some locations across the southeast reported record high temperatures for the date including: Daytona Beach, FL: 88°, Jacksonville, FL: 86°, Tampa, FL: 85°-Tied, Raleigh, NC: 78°-Tied and Bristol, TN: 75°.

1989

Low pressure brought thunderstorms and high winds to the northeastern U.S. There were 193 reports of damaging winds with thunderstorms in New York State, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Tornadoes touched down near Seaside Park, NJ and McAlevys Fort, PA. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 94 mph at Newburgh, NY and 92 mph at Poughkeepsie, NY. High winds in the Washington D.C. area gusted to 73 mph, resulted in one fatality.

Some locations from the Rockies to the West Coast reported record high temperatures for the date including: Santa Maria, CA: 88°, Fort Smith, AR: 82°, Tulsa, OK: 81°, Oklahoma City, OK: 78°, Stockton, CA: 73°, Ely, NV: 72°, Sacramento, CA: 71°, San Francisco (Airport), CA: 69°-Tied and Alamosa, CO: 65°.

1994

Strong west winds whipped across parts of West Texas and most of the southern Plains. Wind gusts to 63 mph were recorded by the NWS at Lubbock International Airport, with a gust to 60 mph reported in Plainview. The high winds also caused lowing dust, with visibilities reduced to a half mile at times.

Corpus Christi, TX reported a record high of 87° and Tampa, FL tied their record high with 85°.

2001

Five people were killed during thunderstorms at Tenerife in the Canary Islands. 3.43 inches of rain fell at Las Palmas while Santa Cruz reported 3.31 inches. The average November rainfall there is 1.77 inches.

2004

Thundersnow started during evening in the upper California desert and snow continued through the 22nd. Widespread reports of two feet with drifts to three feet came from Wrightwood, Lake Arrowhead, Big Bear and the Palm Springs Tramway, at 8,500 feet. The snow level was as low as 1,000 feet. 18 to 20 inches of snow fell in foothills south of Yucca Valley, 14 inches fell in Phelan, 9 to 12 inches in Hesperia and Apple Valley, 9 inches in Yucaipa and Calimesa and up to 3 inches throughout the southern Inland Empire. Tree damage resulted in lower elevations, which caused house damage and power outages. Snow lined I-10 near Calimesa for a few days following the end of the snow.

On this date through the 21st, wind gusts were clocked at 108 mph in parts of Slovakia, the strongest since record keeping began in 1936. The winds destroyed approximately half of all the timber in the country's High Tatras Mountains. Officials put the loss in the tens of millions of dollars.

A hailstorm dropping hailstones as big as walnuts triggered blasts from previously unexploded and undiscovered bomblets scattered across the landscape across southern Lebanon. No injuries were reported.

2007

A winter storm beginning the previous day through this date brought moderate to heavy snow across northern and central Rockies. While generally 2 to 6 inches fell across parts of Colorado, higher amounts were reported further north. Snowfall totals included: Roscoe, MT: 13 inches, Red Lodge, MT: 12 inches, Big Timber, MT: 10 inches, Pray, MT: 8 inches, Livingston, MT: 7 inches, Fort Collins, CO: 7 inches, Boulder, CO: 6 inches, Wilsall, MT: 6 inches and Billings 5.5" (their 1st measurable snow of the season).

Meanwhile further south areas from Texas to the Southwest reported record high temperatures for the date including: Wichita Falls, TX: 85°, Amarillo, TX: 85°-Tied, Amarillo, TX: 84°, Dallas (DFW), TX: 84°, Oklahoma City, OK: 82°, El Paso, TX: 79°-Tied, Las Vegas, NV: 76°-Tied, Albuquerque, NM: 73° and Reno, NV: 71°.

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