Does severe weather occur in November ?

 

hail as observed by Kristen Leitch

Some notable November severe weather outbreaks have occurred in recent years, including two last November.  The National Weather Service defines a “severe” thunderstorm as containing one or more of the following: hail 1”/+ in diameter; wind gusts of at least 58 mph or a tornado.  The strongest thunderstorms sometimes have more than one of those.

November 29-30, 2022: A two-day severe weather outbreak occurred in the Deep South.  There were a few dozen confirmed tornadoes from Louisiana to Georgia with four confirmed fatalities.  The strongest tornadoes in this outbreak were two low-end EF-3 tornadoes (one each in Louisiana and Alabama), according to NOAA.  Such an outbreak underscores the importance of staying “weather aware” and heeding the advice of meteorologists to ensure your safety when weather watches and warnings are issued in your area. 

November 4-5, 2022: Over 60 tornadoes occurred over a two-day stretch from Texas to Illinois, along with a slew of severe wind and hail reports.  This event was unusual for the sheer number of intense tornadoes that occurred relatively late in the season, including multiple EF-3 and EF-4 tornadoes.  Six confirmed fatalities were reported by NOAA, along with dozens of injuries. 

November 12-13, 2021:  What stands out about this severe weather outbreak is where it occurred.  An eye-popping total of 16 tornadoes developed over a two-day period in New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island.  Long Island, N.Y. was particularly hard hit with tornado damage and severe wind gusts.  A wind gust of 79 mph was recorded in Suffolk County on November 13.  Despite occurring in densely populated areas, no injuries or fatalities were reported during this outbreak.

November 10, 2020:  There were numerous severe weather reports over a relatively concentrated area in Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan.  More than a dozen confirmed tornadoes occurred in Illinois alone, with multiple severe wind gusts.  Most notable were wind gusts of 78 mph on Chicago’s Navy Pier, as well as 79 mph in Sugar Grove, IL.  Fortunately, no injuries or fatalities were reported.  Severe weather is unusual in the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes Region in November.

November 16, 2010:  This event was concentrated on the east coast from South Carolina to New York.  The dominant type of severe weather on this day was severe wind gusts.  There was, however, a confirmed EF-1 tornado in Baltimore, Maryland.  Three injuries were reported from the tornado, which had wind speeds between 86-110 mph.

November 5-6, 2005:  Similar to the November 2010 outbreak, the overwhelming majority of severe weather reports during this outbreak were for high winds.  This event covered a large area from Arkansas to New York.  On November 5, a deadly tornado claimed 22 lives and caused over 200 injuries in the town of Evansville, Indiana.  It was rated an F3 tornado on the original Fujita Scale with estimated wind speeds of 158-206 mph.  The Fujita Scale, originally created in the 1970s, was updated and became the "Enhanced Fujita Scale" or “EF Scale” in 2007.