By Chuck Otte
For the first time in 17 months, the Junction City area had monthly mean temperatures below normal. The last time we had below normal monthly temperatures was May, 2021. Additionally, for just the fourth month this year, we had above normal precipitation.
The average daily high in November was 52.0 degrees, 2.3 degrees below normal. The average overnight low was 33.4, which was actually 0.9 degrees above normal. But this gave us a monthly mean temperature of 42.7, 0.7 degree below normal. The area had experienced 17 consecutive months of above normal monthly mean temperatures.
The warmest temperature in November was the high of 80 on the 1st. The lowest temperature was the morning low of 16 on the 18th of the month. There were two temperature records set during the month and one record tied. The low of 67 on the 9th set a record high low temperature. The previous record was 54 set in 1949. The daily high of 30 on the 18th set a new record low, daily high temperature for that date. The old record was 34 set in 1972, Lastly, the low of 60 on the 3rd tied the record high low for that date. The record was originally set in 1983.
A cold front that settled into the area from about the 10th to the 20th brought unusually cold temperatures into the area and accounted for the below normal month temperatures. The warmest November on record was in 1999 with a monthly mean temperature of 51.8 degrees. November of last year was the 6th warmest November on record. The coldest November on record was in 1985 with a chilly monthly mean temperature of only 35.2 degrees. After very dry late summer and early fall weather it was a nice change to have above normal rainfall and even a little snow.
A rainfall event on the 4th and 5th of November delivered the monthly November normal precipitation and then some. Average November precipitation is 1.42 inches. Milford Lake received 2.07 inches of precipitation and Junction City received 2.41 inches. In the middle of that mid-month cold snap, we also received some snow with 1.0 inches of snow being recorded in Junction City which is the long-term November average for snowfall and was the first of the snowfall season.
Year to date we are still well below normal precipitation. Average precipitation through the end of November is 32.40 inches. Milford Lake has received 27.29 inches and Junction City 29.15 inches.December brings us the end of the year, the official start of winter and moves us into our driest time of the year. Expected high temperatures start December at 46 and by New Year’s Eve we are down to 39. Overnight lows range from 26 on the 1st down to 20 on the 31st. Average liquid precipitation for the month is only 1.17 inches and average snowfall for the month is 3.7 inches.