Texas Climate Report: November 2009

The month of November was not nearly as wet as October over most of the state, with a prolonged period of unexpected dryness the first half of the month. During November, several cold fronts moved through the state causing seemingly endless fluctuations in the temperatures all month. As November started, most of the state saw high temperatures in the 70s while high temperatures in South Texas were still in the 80s. Within the first few days the first cold front moved through the Panhandle and North Texas but this did not deter warmer temperatures from creeping back in by the 6th, when most of the state had high temperatures in the 80s. Canadian topped out at 90 degrees on the 6th after a morning low in the lower 50s. Starting on the 8th, East Texas felt the indirect effect of Hurricane Ida, with the Coastal Bend area hardest hit while receiving about 1"-2" of precipitation. As Ida moved east, warmer temperatures began to creep back over the state until the 16th, when a cold front and accompanying low pressure area moved into the state. This dropped daily high temperatures into the 50s in the Panhandle and brought wet weather to Dallas, Waco and Austin. The low pressure system and cold front quickly moved out of the state, but left behind cooler temperatures. Daily highs from West Texas to North Texas barely reached the 50s, while South Texas finally started to cool down with highs in the 60s.

Following the departure of the cold front from Texas, the entire state enjoyed beautiful weather with comfortable high temperatures in the 60s and 70s for most of the state. By the 19th, another low pressure system parked in the Gulf of Mexico bringing more showers and thunderstorms to the eastern half of Texas. A broad area received over an inch of rain, with the Costal Bend once again being hit the hardest with localized rainfall totals up to ten inches near Corpus Christi. In the days leading up to Thanksgiving, East Texas was once again showered by light rain and cloudy skies brought on by a cold front. Over the Thanksgiving holiday, a high pressure system moved over the state and brought great weather to the whole state. Much of the weather action in November took place as the month (and Hurricane season) came to a close. On the 29th, a tornado briefly touched down in New Boston, Texas causing damage to four homes and knocking down trees and power lines. In the cold sector of the storm, Amarillo reported 2 inches of snow. On the 30th, a cold front pushed across the state, cooling down temperatures and finally bringing a taste of wintry weather to the state. El Paso saw high temperatures barely reaching the 30s and received 2.5" of snow on the 30th, while the rest of the state saw wet weather with high temperatures in the 40s and 50s.

Monthly Summary for Selected Cities

Monthly Extremes

New Monthly Records

Climatic Averages for December