November 2021 Weather Recap
Warm Fall for Northern California
Northern California saw above-normal temperatures in November with record-breaking temperatures reported across the region throughout the month. Listed below, you’ll see the Record Event Reports from the official National Weather Service reports, with multiple locations reaching over 80 °F (26.7 °C): Salinas reported 86 degrees on November 14, Gilroy reported 81 degrees on November 22, and Redding reached 80 degrees on November 30.
2021 definitely saw a warmer-than-normal November as these locations throughout Northern California usually see high temperatures in the mid-60s to lower-70s throughout November. For example, the Climatological “Normal” Temperature for my closest NWS location at Livermore reports a Normal Temperature of 69 degrees early in the month, which drops gradually throughout the month to 60 degrees by the end of the month. Compared to the record reports above, the last day of the month was one of the warmest for the region, well above “Normal” or expected temperatures!
Compare Record Temperatures to My Backyard Weather Station
My AcuRite Atlas® home weather station broke 80 °F (26.7 °C) twice in November. Once on November 3, and again on November 13, with the majority of the days reaching into the 70s. While this beautiful weather was very much welcome, we would have rather seen some storms bring some rainfall to the region to help us continue our trend on getting out of the drought conditions and contributing to the much-needed California snowpack. As reported by My AcuRite®, we received only 0.75 inches of rainfall this past month, all of which occurred early in the month. An atmospheric river rainfall event brought abundant moisture, strong and gusty winds, and even some isolated thunderstorm activity to Northern California November 8-9. Snowfall was reported across the highest elevations of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, with snowfall totals ranging from 5 to 10 inches above 7,000 feet. You’ll see the screenshots below from My AcuRite charts and details captured the lightning and rainfall with this system, but not the gusty winds that were mostly seen at higher elevations. Later in the month, we saw some breezier conditions with distant dry lightning strikes, but no rainfall occurred with this activity.
National Drought Monitor
While Northern California experienced very little November rainfall, a few low pressure systems continued to bring plenty of rainfall and high elevation snow to the Pacific Northwest throughout the month. This gives us another chance to look at the national drought monitor to keep an eye on the West Coast fire risk. By comparing the last week in November to the last week in October, even at a quick glance, we can see much-improved conditions, especially with a significant reduction in the areas categorized under Exceptional Drought (dark maroon)!
Share and Discuss Your Local Weather
Report on the extreme temperatures, heavy rainfall, or strong winds your weather station received throughout November. Is anyone reporting from California that beat my maximum temperatures for the month? Share and discuss your local weather data and weather stories below!
