November continued Alabama’s streak of warmer than normal conditions, marking the 10th consecutive month of this trend. Statewide, the average temperature was 8.1°F above the long-term November average of 53.5°F, warmest November on record. Additionally, Alabama broke the 2024 pattern of alternating wetter and drier months, as October and November became the first consecutive dry months of the year, but just barely. The state recorded 3.77 inches of rainfall, 0.08 inches below the long-term average.

Unseasonably warm weather that began in late October persisted through most of November, with many stations reporting daily high temperature ranging from the upper 70s to upper 80s. The highest daily extreme of 87°F was observed on November 2nd at the Andalusia Opp, Airport and Evergreen Middleton Field Airport, and on November 4th at the Open Pond station in Conecuh National Forest. During the final days of the month, a cold snap brough the month’s lowest temperature of 19°F, recorded on November 30th at the Russellville 4SSE and Scottsboro 2NE stations. By the end of November, most stations in Alabama had recorded their first freeze of the season, with the exception of a few coastal locations.

From a rainfall perspective, as previously mentioned, the state was slightly drier than normal. Precipitation varied across the state with some areas wetter than normal and other areas drier than normal, as shown in Figure 1. The Foley 2.8NE station recorded the most rainfall in November, with 8.99 inches, most of which occurred during the middle of the month. In contrast, the Muscle Shoals Airport recorded the least amount of rainfall of the month at 2.12 inches with no missing days of observations.

Drought conditions persisted throughout November, with some Southwest and North Central counties reaching Extreme Drought levels (Figure 3). Mid-month beneficial rain and cooler temperatures brought slight relief to certain areas. By the end of the month, Extreme Drought was eliminated in Southwest Alabama, and Moderate Drought conditions improved in Central Alabama.

November is typically the secondary peak of the severe weather season. However, this year was uncharacteristically quiet, with no reports of tornados, severe hail, or severe winds. Amid this calm November, we at the Alabama Office of the State Climatologist would like to take a moment to remember the 35th anniversary of the Huntsville Airport Road Tornado in northern Alabama. This devasting F4 tornado claimed the lives of 21 people, injured 463 others, and caused approximately $250 million dollars in damages. More information this event is available through our partners at the National Weather Service (https://www.weather.gov/hun/hunsur_1989-11-15).

With the conclusion of climatological fall (September, October, November), let’s look back at how Alabama fared this fall. Statewide, this fall was the 4th warmest on record, with an average temperature of 67.8°F, which is 3.8°F warmer than normal. Numerous stations reported one of their top five warmest falls on record. From a precipitation standpoint, this fall ranked as the 58th wettest on record, with 10.64 inches of precipitation--0.18 inches wetter than normal.

Monthly summaries are provided by Dr. Rob Junod, Lee Ellenburg and Dr. John Christy.