The Weather Finally Changed

By Russell Russ 

The weather during the first three weeks of November was an extension of the weather we had seen in September and October. Above-normal temperatures and very (very) little precipitation was the theme. The weather patterns finally changed on Nov. 22, when Norfolk finally said goodbye to the unusual warmth and lack of precipitation – and the high fire danger that was so common since September. The pattern change brought welcomed rainfall and Norfolk’s first snowfall of the season. The final week of November and all of December were still not overly winter-like, but they at least attempted to look somewhat normal. Most smaller local ponds began icing over on Nov. 30 but were not iced for the season until Dec. 13. Tobey Pond and Wangum Lake iced over for the season on Dec. 14. All remained ice covered through December. It is difficult to say what normal is anymore, but these dates are historically about normal for our local water bodies.

November’s average temperature of 42.4 degrees was 5.3 degrees above normal. This November was tied with 2001 as the third warmest November over the last 93 years. Temperatures ranged from a high of 74 to a low of 21 degrees. Record high temperatures of 74 degrees were observed on both Nov. 1 and 6. Norfolk’s warmest November was in 2006 with 43.2 degrees, the coldest was in 1933 with 30.7. Total precipitation for the month was 3.20 inches, 1.38 inches below normal. Up to Nov. 21, with only 0.19 inches measured, it was ranking as the driest November on record. The precipitation during the final week brought it up to a more respectable amount. Even with September and October being very dry, Norfolk had been above normal for total precipitation from January all the way through October. After November, the yearly precipitation deficit was 1.29 inches. Norfolk’s driest November was in 2012 with just 0.84 inches and the wettest was in 1950, with 10.03 inches. November’s snowfall total of 3.9 inches was 2.7 inches below normal. The first snowfall of the season came on Nov. 22 with 1.6 inches. Norfolk’s snowiest November was in 1968 with 24.7 inches. 

December’s average temperature of 26.6 degrees was 0.8 degrees above normal. Temperatures in December ranged from a high of 57 to a low of minus four degrees. Two mornings were cold, but nowhere near record cold temperatures. It was minus one on Dec. 22 and minus four on Dec. 23. It felt like winter finally arrived. Norfolk’s warmest December was in 2015 with 39.5 degrees and the coldest was in 1989 with 11.5. With a monthly total precipitation amount of 4.89 inches, it was 0.32 inches above normal. The monthly snowfall total of 11.0 inches was 5.8 inches below normal. Perhaps not at every house in town, but with a snow cover of two inches on Christmas morning, it was officially a white Christmas, at least at the weather station. Norfolk’s least snowy December was in 1943 with a monthly snowfall total of just 0.6 inches. The snowiest was in 1969 with 44.2 inches. 

Weather observations are recorded by the Great Mountain Forest at Norfolk’s National Weather Service Cooperative Weather Observer Station, Norfolk 2SW.