Unusual November Weather

 

The first week of November has been a weather roller coaster in the Nation’s Capital.  Following the very cold and wet first two days of the month, there has been a dramatic shift in the weather pattern.  Record warmth occurred at Dulles Airport and a record-tying high temperature of 77° also occurred at BWI Airport on Saturday.  The Nation’s Capital has also come close to its record highs the last few days. 

When DC’s high temperature reached 70° on Friday, it was the first 70° November day in more than two years, since November 3, 2018.  DC’s warmest November average high temperature is 63° at the start of the month.  So, any temperatures in the 70s become increasingly rare as the month progresses and average temperatures fall. 

The Nation’s Capital has averaged between three and four November days in the 70s dating back to the early 1990s.  What is truly rare in DC during the month of November are highs in the 80s.  In fact, there has been a combined total of only four such days since 1993.  There were two 80° days during the first week of November in 2003, but none again until 2016.  That was the last time any 80° November warmth occurred in the Nation’s Capital.

There have been many more days with highs in the 30s in the Nation’s Capital during November, then there were highs in the 80s.  Since 1993, there have been 13 such days, with the most recent being last November 13, when DC had a January-like high of 39°.  Last November was an unusually cold month, with an average monthly temperature of only 46.1° (3.5° below average).  That made November 2019 DC’s coldest since 1996.

High temperatures today and tomorrow will reach the 70s, with plenty of sunshine in the DC Metro Area.  However, Wednesday will feature clouds and the increasing prospect of rain.  But, Wednesday will still be a mild day and could become DC’s sixth consecutive day in the 70s.  While unusual, that isn’t record-setting.  According to NOAA, DC’s longest stretch of consecutive November days with highs in the 70s is nine, which occurred in 1975 and 1979. Those months finished tied for DC’s second warmest November on record. 

While highs late in the week are expected to be cooler in the 60s, that’s still above average.  NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center expects warmer than average temperatures to continue for at least the next two weeks.  My colleagues and I on the WUSA9 Weather Team will keep viewers apprised on the latest weather forecasts.