NATIONAL STORM SUMMARY

NOVEMBER 2025

1-8: A strong frontal system triggered severe thunderstorms stretching from the Ohio River Valley down to the Gulf Coast on the 7^th.  These storms brought heavy rain, gusty winds, and possible hail, though no widespread tornadoes were confirmed.  The system marked one of the more active days of early November, contrasting with the quieter start to the month.

On November 10, 2025, featured significant early-season winter weather across the northern U.S. and record-breaking cold in the South. Multiple states were under winter weather advisories, and heavy lake-effect snow impacted the Great Lakes region. The Great Lakes experienced a powerful lake-effect snowstorm that dropped up to 14 inches in parts of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois.

9-15: On November 11, 2025, featured record-breaking cold featured across Florida and the Southeast, with ongoing lake-effect snow in the Northeast.

Notable weather events on November 12, 2025, but no widespread extreme weather disasters were reported. The day featured lake-effect snow, record-breaking cold in Florida, and a developing storm system on the West Coast. Lake-Effect Snow in the Northeast.  Snow continued to fall around the Great Lakes region due to lingering lake-effect bands. This was not classified as a major blizzard but did contribute to localized travel disruptions.

16-22: Active weather prevailed in the Pacific Coast States and the Southwest, with a separate area of significant precipitation stretching from the central and southern Plains into the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys.  Pockets of flash flooding extended northeastward from central Texas. Flash flooding also occurred in California and the Southwest, while snow accumulated at high-elevation sites. Despite the wetter pattern, drought covered 46 percent of the Lower 48 States on November 18, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. In drought-affected areas, impacts included poor rangeland and pasture conditions, as well as limited moisture for the establishment of fall-sown crops.

A pair of similar storms affecting California and the Southwest delivered multiple days of significant precipitation. The second storm, with more effective cold air entrainment, produced substantial high-elevation snow. From November 15-20, Flagstaff, AZ, received precipitation totaling 3.94 inches. Snowfall in Flagstaff reached 6.7 inches on November 19-20. Death Valley, CA, received 1.76 inches of rain from November 14-21. Previously, Death Valley’s wettest November on record had occurred in 1913, with 1.61 inches. A monthly rainfall record was also established in Santa Barbara, CA, where 8.42 inches fell from November 13-17. An additional 0.48 inch dampened Santa Barbara on November 20. Prior to this year, Santa Barbara’s highest November total had been 6.05 inches in 1965. Significant, early-week precipitation fell as far north as central California, where daily-record totals included 1.66 inches (on November 16) in Stockton and 1.16 inches (on November 17) in San Francisco. During the second half of the week, precipitation lingered in the West and developed from the southern half of the Plains into the mid-South. November 20 featured daily-record rainfall totals of 3.95 inches Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX, and 3.26 inches in Texarkana, AR. For Dallas Ft. Worth, it was also the wettest November day on record, surpassing 3.45 inches on November 27, 2015. By November 21, lingering precipitation in the Desert Southwest resulted in a daily-record sum of 0.96 inch in Yuma, AZ. A separate area of precipitation in Kansas led to daily-record amounts for the 21st in Concordia (1.36 inches) and Topeka (1.11 inches).

23-29: The first major Midwestern winter storm of the season struck during the post-holiday travel period, with major accumulations noted on Saturday, November 29, just 2 days after Thanksgiving. Accumulations extended to other regions, including the northern Plains, interior Northeast, and higher elevations of the Northwest. A less consequential system preceding the post-Thanksgiving storm produced snow across the nation’s northern tier, including snow squalls in the vicinity of the Great Lakes. The earlier storm also helped to draw an initial surge of cold air southward, setting the stage for the late month snow event.

Significant precipitation was noted across portions of the central and southern Plains. In fact, Colorado Springs, CO, experienced its wettest November day, with 1.10 inches on the 23rd (previously, 1.07 inches on November 4, 1946). Lawton, OK, netted a daily-record sum (1.53 inches) for November 23. Precipitation soon shifted eastward, resulting in record-setting rainfall totals for November 24 in Shreveport, LA (3.42 inches), and San Angelo, TX (1.96 inches). In Alabama, daily-record amounts for November 25 included 3.06 inches in Tuscaloosa and 1.64 inches in Anniston. Meanwhile, snow blanketed parts of the North, with Sisseton, SD, collecting a daily-record sum (5.6 inches) for November 25. Soon, Marquette, MI, received record-setting precipitation (1.89 inches) and snowfall (12.0 inches) for November 26. Downwind of the Great Lakes, snow continued through Thanksgiving Day, November 27, when Gaylord, MI, reported a daily-record total of 13.1 inches. Snow squalls persisted into November 28 in Syracuse, NY (downwind of Lake Ontario), where 10.3 inches fell. Farther west, a new Pacific storm system deposited 1.65 inches of rain, a record for November 27, in Olympia, WA. Snow quickly overspread the Midwest on November 29, resulting in daily-record totals of 9.3 inches in Madison, WI, and 8.4 inches in Chicago, IL. For both cities, it was also the snowiest November day on record. Previously, Madison’s snowiest November day had been November 27, 1995, with 7.6 inches, while Chicago’s had been November 6, 1951, with 8.0 inches. Elsewhere, daily-record snowfall topped 6 inches on the 29th in locations such as South Bend, IN (9.0 inches); Springfield, IL (8.9 inches); Rochester, MN (7.6 inches); St. Louis, MO (6.4 inches); and Milwaukee, WI (6.1 inches).

Jim G. Munley, jr.
http://www.jimmunleywx.com