November 2023 Climate Summary

Significant Weather Events:

As we discussed last month with October, this fall has been unusually quiet regarding storm activity. This was the case with November, as there was only 1 storm report for the whole month. This report was about the occurrence of 1.0 inch hail in Electra, Texas on November 19th. The other notable events over the month’s course were the many days experiencing record low temperatures. Here are the records below:

• November 19 - Statewide - 8 stations set new low temperature records for this date.
• November 20 - Statewide - 17 stations set new low temperature records for this date.
• November 27 - Statewide - 17 stations set new low temperature records for this date.
• November 28 - Hood and Hopkins Counties - Each county had one station set new low temperature records for this date.
• November 30 - Brewster County - A station in Lajitas set a new low temperature record for this date.

Temperature:

Although temperatures varied widely throughout the month, they averaged out to near normal for the month of November. The warmest portions had average temperatures near 70 degrees Fahrenheit with the highest average recorded at 68.1 degrees in Cameron County. The majority of the state had average temperatures between 50 and 70 degrees while parts of the Panhandle fell below 50 degrees. The coolest monthly average was 46.0 degrees in Dallam County. Overall, temperatures were within +/- 3 degrees of normal.

Precipitation:

Almost all of Texas was fortunate to see measurable rainfall throughout the month with a few portions of the Panhandle being the exception. Several areas, especially the Upper Coast and South Texas, saw high accumulations while portions of the Panhandle only saw a tenth of an inch. The highest rainfall total recorded for the month was 8.24” in Jim Wells County. Overall, precipitation anomalies varied across the state, with some areas seeing well above normal, some areas seeing well below, and others seeing near-normal precipitation accumulations for this time of year.

Drought:

Seasonable temperatures and varying rainfall resulted in widespread improvements as well as a few small areas of degradation. As of this week, 69% of the state is experiencing dryness versus 86% a month ago. The portion of the state in drought has dropped to 43% versus 65% at the start of November. The area of Texas in moderate drought is 24% (27% one month ago), 12% is in severe drought (28% one month ago), 4% is in extreme drought (9% last month), and 2% is in exceptional drought (same as last month).