November 2021: With average temperatures 8 degrees above normal and minimal snow storms the weather was acting more like October than a typical November. Snow was only 48% of the long-term average. To make it worse we could not sustain a snow cover from the fleeting six snow events that melted off within days. Most of the snow came from fast-moving cold fronts that created more downslope than upslope. Denver’s official snow measuring site at DIA had no snow for the month.

Temperature: Warm temperatures were common throughout the month. Average high was 47F, with an average low of 31F. These averaged out to give us a month a whopping 8 degrees above normal. Highest high was 60F on November 6; lowest high was 35F on the 11th. Coldest day was 14F on the November 17. Interestingly we had no days fully below freezing.

Precipitation: Total for the month was 0.71 inches from 8.6 inches of snow. These totals were well below normal. The big event was 2.7 inches on November 7. These snows came from fast-moving cold fronts and over-the-Divide snow showers.

Winds: With intense, persistent west-northwest upper level flow we had a large number of windy days (windy day…40+ mph). Fifteen days (half the month) were windy. Peak wind was 53 mph on November 13. In a normal November we usually have 11 windy days.

Other Features: The big story was the extreme dryness in the mountains and plains. Denver has set a record for the number of snowless days starting in April and extending through November and beyond. With the winds and warm temperatures the fire danger was high through the month…..not good.

Outlook for December: A typical December day has a high of 35F and a low of 15F. We get 1 inch of liquid from 17 inches of snow. Fourteen days are windy. Given the last few crazy months these averages probably won’t hold up. The long-range models bring in a moderate storm on December 8 and an upslope event between December 11 and 12. Beyond that it looks like a warmer and drier late month with wetter conditions in western Colorado.