Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Record Warmth in Western Europe/Record Cold and Snow in Eastern U.S.

By: Christopher C. Burt , 8:54PM,GMT on November 3,2014





Record Warmth in Western Europe/Record Cold and Snow in Eastern U.S.

The first weekend of November has brought an interesting contrast of weather regimes between the Eastern U.S. and Western Europe. All-time November warmth enveloped portions of Western Europe while the Eastern U.S. endured an early season snowstorm and some daily record low temperatures (in the Southeast).

Western European Warmth

An anomalously strong upper-level high-pressure dome has brought record warm temperatures to parts of Western Europe the past few days. In the U.K. on October 31st, Gravesend, Kent (just east of London) saw its temperature peak at 23.7°C (74.7°F), the warmest temperature ever observed so late in the year for the nation. The warmest October temperature on record for the U.K. is 29.9°C (85.8°F) at Gravesend on October 1, 2011 and the warmest November reading just 21.7°C (71.1°F) at Prestatyn on November 4, 1946, so we see how unusual was last Friday’s figure from Gravesend. In France temperatures peaked at 30.1°C (86.2°F) at Biscarosse and Dax in the southwestern part of the country and an amazing 30.5°C (86.9°F) at Arachon, truly phenomenal warmth for this time of the year (keep in mind that the latitude of these three sites is around 44° N!). These are the warmest temperatures ever recorded so late in the year for France: as reported here on the Meteo France web site.

On Saturday, November 1st, the warmth expanded eastward over the Low Countries, Germany, and Scandinavia. In Norway, Orsta-Volda/Hovden (62° 11’ N) reached 19.2°C (66.6°F), not too far from the Norwegian November national record of 21.8°C (71.2°F) set at Tafjord on November 6, 2003. In France all time November heat records were set at four of Paris’s weather stations:

Paris Montsouris: 21.4°C (70.5°F) previous record 21.0°C/69.8°F on Nov. 2, 1899

Paris Roissy: 20.7°C (69.3°F) previous record 19.7°C/67.5°F on Nov. 8, 1983

Paris Le Bourget: 20.6°C (69.1°F) previous record 20.3°C/68.5°F on Nov. 6, 1955

Paris Orly: 20.5°C (68.9°F) previous record 20.1°C/68.2°F on Nov. 6, 1955 and Nov. 3, 1933

Holland broke its all-time national heat record for November when the temperature peaked at 22.0°C (71.6°F) at Ell on November 1st. The previous national record was 21.1°C (70.0°F) at Maastricht on Nov. 4, 1994. Maastricht reached 21.4°C (70.5°F), obviously its new November record along with Eindhoven with 20.6°C (69.1°F), Amsterdam with 18.2°C (64.8°F), Rotterdam 18.3°C (64.9°F), Einhoven 20.6°C (69.1°F), and others.

In Germany, all-time November warmth was observed at Dusseldorf Lohausen : 20.4°C (68.7°F), Kohl Bonn Airport: 20.2°C (68.4°F), and Bremen: 20.1°C (68.2°F).

In Belgium, Spa La Sauveniere saw its November record broken with a 19.5°C (67.1°F) reading.

Of course, the above is just a partial list. Literally hundreds of records were set in the region (this following an exceptionally warm October as well).

Eastern U.S. Cold and Snow

In sharp contrast to Europe, the Eastern U.S. has seen an early-season cold wave and snowfall. In the Southeast 22” of snow accumulated near the summit of Mt. LeConte in Tennessee.



LeConte Lodge crew member Jeanie Lawley outside the dining room of the hotel during the big snowstorm on Saturday, November 1st. 22” of snow was measured at the lodge. Photo courtesy of the LeConte Lodge.

Newfound Gap, in North Carolina also received 22” of snow and amounts over 6” were common above the 2,000-3,000’ level. Snowfall in the Appalachians is not rare for this time of the year but what was unusual were the low-elevation reports of snowfall.



Snowfall map for the Appalachian region of the Southeast on November 1st. Map from NWS-Greenville.

Columbia, South Carolina officially received a trace on November 1st, its earliest snowfall on record (POR back to 1887) beating the previous record by a full week (November 9, 1913 being the former date of the earliest trace of snow). What is truly remarkable is that just four days earlier, on October 28th, Columbia recorded a record daily high temperature of 87°F (30.6°C) and it was 84°F (28.9°C) on Wednesday, October 29th! A smattering of daily record lows were set in Florida on November 2nd with Melbourne falling to 44°F (6.7°C)—previous record was 46° (7.8°C) in 1993. Miami had a record low of 52°F (11.1°C)-previous record 54°F (12.2°C) also in 1993. The high temperature at Key West was a record low maximum of just 70°F (21.1°C) beating the previous 72°F (22.2°C) set back in 1887. So it was cooler in Key West, Florida than some places in northwestern Europe this past weekend.

The same storm that brought the cold and snow to the Southeast also brought deep early-season snowfall to Maine on November 2nd where up to 21” fell at Cary in the northeastern part of the state.



Snowfall totals for northern and eastern Maine on November 2nd. Graphic by stormchaser4850.

The 10.1” snowfall at Caribou was its heaviest snowfall for so earlier in the season (and its earliest double-digit snowfall on record). The heavy wet snow brought down power lines and trees and, at one point on Sunday, over 130,000 utility customers were without elextricity.



Map of snowfall totals in the Northeast for November 2-3. Map from NWS-Taunton in the Boston area where measureable snowfall also was reported.

KUDOS: Thanks to Maximiliano Herrera for European temperature data and records and blog reader cRRKampen for the Dutch national record information.

Christopher C. Burt
Weather Historian

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