November COOP Data Uploaded
1820 ViewsThe quality controlled Iowa COOP data for November 2013 has been uploaded to the IEM. These observations are kindly provided by Harry Hillaker, our state climatologist, who passes along these notes on the month:
General Summary. Iowa temperatures averaged 33.6° or 3.0° below normal while precipitation totaled 1.63 inches or 0.42 inches less than normal. This ranks as the 37th coolest and 66th wettest November among 141 years of records.
Temperatures. A string of nine consecutive warmer than normal Novembers came to an end in 2013. The season's first subzero temperature was recorded at Spencer Airport on the morning of the 12th with a low of -1°. This was Iowa's lowest temperature for so early in the winter season since November 4, 1991. There were another five dates between the 22nd and 29th with lows falling to zero or lower somewhere in the state. This equaled the number of zero degree or lower dates in the previous twelve Novembers combined. Stanley reported the month's lowest temperature with a -5° reading on the 27th. On the other end of the spectrum temperatures reached into the seventies twice. Clarinda was the hot spot with a 72° maximum on the 16th while a handful of extreme eastern Iowa locations reached 71° on the 17th. Overall this was Iowa's coldest November since 2000.
Heating Degree Day Totals. Home heating requirements, as estimated by heating degree day totals, averaged 10% greater than normal and 21% greater than last November. Season-to-date totals (since July 1) are running 3% greater than normal and one year ago.
Precipitation. The month's largest precipitation event came on the 5th-6th when 2 to 4 inches of snow fell across extreme northwest Iowa and rain fell elsewhere. Over the southwest and northwest corners of the state this one event accounted for most of the month's precipitation. Light snow fell over all but far southwest Iowa on Veteran's Day. Showers and thunderstorms brought rain to all but extreme northwest Iowa on the 16th-17th. Light snow fell statewide on the 21st-22nd with greatest amounts around two inches falling from Audubon to Boone. Finally parts of central and east central Iowa saw snow on the 25th with a narrow band of 2 to 5 inches accumulating along the U.S. Highway 20 corridor from Iowa Falls to Dubuque. Monthly precipitation totals varied from 0.30 inches at Rock Rapids to 3.13 inches at Stanley. Above normal totals were mostly confined to northeast Iowa. Monthly snow totals varied from only trace amounts at a few points in southern and western Iowa to 8.0 inches at Strawberry Point. There was a statewide average of 1.6 inches of snow. This was 1.1 inches below normal and ranks 47th lowest November total among 127 years of records.
Fall Summary. Temperatures over the three fall months averaged 50.3° or 0.1° above normal while precipitation totaled 6.53 inches or 1.50 inches less than normal. This ranks as the 56th coolest and 53rd driest fall among 141 years of records.
The following is the number of new daily records set at COOP sites based on data back to 1951.
_______________2013________________________
NOV OCT SEP AUG JUL JUN MAY APR MAR FEB
Maximum High: 18 31 364 160 13 43 169 28 0 0
Minimum High: 170 60 9 102 204 97 311 358 9 10
Maximum Low: 25 46 213 183 58 50 61 28 0 1
Minimum Low: 241 70 32 96 217 53 116 319 35 0
Maximum Precip: 123 138 82 44 51 103 302 226 74 82
The following is some bulk statistics on how well IEM's daily COOP data estimator is performing on a monthly basis versus this QC'd dataset.
______2013____________________________________
NOV OCT SEP AUG JUL JUN MAY APR
High Temp Bias 1.1 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.4 0.4 0.1 1.3
High Temp RMSE 1.3 0.7 0.9 0.8 0.9 0.8 0.8 1.6
Low Temp Bias 1.2 1.4 1.3 1.2 0.8 1.2 1.2 2.5
Low Temp RMSE 1.5 1.7 1.8 1.6 1.3 1.4 1.5 2.6
Precip Bias 0.09 0.18 -0.08 0.00 -0.08 -0.39 -0.87 -0.56
Precip RMSE 0.28 0.59 0.46 0.50 0.53 0.94 1.28 0.91