Record-Breaking November Cold Follows Hottest October on Record

October 2019 was one of the hottest recorded Octobers in the US. Likewise, July 2019 was the hottest month on record, full stop, beating out July 2016. Now that the sweltering heat of this summer is gone, a whiplash-like transition to low temperatures will be occurring this week, so prepare for the intense weather.

Where Have Temperatures Been Falling?

Nearly every part of the continental US is in the wintery grip of this cold snap. The only regions feeling any respite from the cold are parts of South Florida and Southern California. Essentially all other regions in the US are contending with near- or below-freezing temperatures.

Notably, the Gulf Coast, which rarely sees freezing temperatures, is feeling the freeze. In Pensacola, the extremely cold 30-degree air floating over the much warmer ocean has produced sea smoke in large plumes. New Orleans is sitting at a frosty 33 degrees F, while Houston is seeing record-breaking lows of 34 degrees F.

Record-Breaking November Week

All said, since Veteran’s Day the nation has seen hundreds of annual low-temperature records, as well as all-time low records, completely shattered. According to The Weather Channel, at least 270 temperature records have been broken across the nation since Monday alone.

Yesterday, Norfolk, Nebraska, Cedar Rapids and Des Moines, Iowa, and Hibbing, Minnesota, all saw sub-zero temperatures that set all-time cold records. In the case of Des Moines, this was the first time the city has seen sub-zero temperatures in the first half of November since 1878 according to local records.

When Can We Expect the Cold to Back Off?

While there is some relief coming for parts of the US, like the South and Gulf Coast, the Midwest and New England aren’t seeing temperatures rise much in the next few days. Highs in the 20s or low 30s will be the rule of the day in New England, and high 20s will be the upper limit for the Midwest.

Meanwhile, the South will likely see highs in the high 40s or low 50s going into the end of the week, while the Gulf Coast could expect mid-to-high-50s for the daily highs. Then, we can expect annually average temperatures in the Southeast for the next week.