Just How Warm has this November Been?

Lots of great weather to be outdoors in November 2015  (Glen Echo, MD)

Most of the southern and eastern United States has seen a warmer than average November.  Closer to home, the Nation’s Capital has had one of its warmest November’s on record.   This month’s average temperature in Washington, D.C. (combining daily highs and lows) is 53.7 degrees.  According to the National Weather Service, that makes this the 5^th warmest November record in the Nation’s Capital – where weather records go back to 1871.

This month has featured a total of six days with highs in the 70s, including one day with 80 degree warmth.  That was the first time it’s been at least 80 degrees in Washington, D.C. in November since 2003.  The warmest temperature this month in the Nation’s Capital came on November 6, when it was 80 degrees.  The coldest temperature was 32 degrees on November 23.

Thanksgiving saw a high temperature of 64 degrees at National Airport – the official weather reporting site for the Nation’s Capital.  Although three of the last five Thanksgivings have seen temperatures in the 60s in Washington, D.C., the average high on November 26 is only 54 degrees.  That made this Thanksgiving the warmest in the Nation’s Capital since 2007, when it was 77 degrees.  For Washingtonians, the coolest Thanksgiving in recent memory came on November 28, 2013 when the high temperature was only 40 degrees. 

For much of the month there has been a persistent area of high pressure that’s dominated the weather across most of the eastern United States.  That’s helped pump milder area northward from the southeastern U.S.  The same area of high pressure has helped suppress rainfall for much of the month, as November has been drier than average with only 2.1” of rain in Washington, D.C.  That’s compared to a monthly average of 3.17” of rain.

NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center is expecting a greater than 50% chance of above average temperatures to continue through the first half of December.  My colleagues and I on the WUSA9 weather team will keep you apprised of the latest weather forecasts both on-air and online.

Top Five Warmest Novembers in Washington, D.C. (in degrees Fahrenheit) 

1.  54.8 (2001)
2.  54.4 (1975)
3.  54.3 (1985)
4.  54.0 (1931)
5.  53.7 (2015)