November felt down right balmy in New York City this year. With an average temperature of 52.8°F in Central Park, which is a staggering 5.1°F above average, it was the city’s warmest November on record! The previous record was set in 2001.

Overall, we had twenty-two out of thirty days with high temperatures above average. Five of those days posted readings in the 70s, including November 6th when the mercury soared to 74°F in Central Park, tying the record high for the date that was set in 1948. Nine days saw temperatures in the 60s. Overnight lows were also mostly above normal. Historically, our average temperature for the month is 47.7°F.

November’s unseasonable warmth was produced by a fairly persistent ridge in the jet stream over the eastern US. It allowed warm air from the south to flow further north than it normally would at this time of year.

In terms of precipitation, November was unusually dry and marked the fifth consecutive month that NYC received below average rainfall.  In all, we received 2.01 inches of rain, which is 2.01 inches below normal. More than half of this modest total fell on a single day. The city, according to the latest report (11/24) from the US Drought Monitor, remains in a moderate drought.