Man, November was a wild ride. If you felt like the weather for November 2024 was basically gaslighting you, you aren't alone. One day you’re pulling out the heavy parka because a "bomb cyclone" is rattling your windows, and the next, you’re looking at record-high temperatures that feel more like late September than the doorstep of winter. It was a month of massive contrasts.
Basically, the planet was stuck in this strange tug-of-war. On one side, we had the leftover heat from a massive El Niño year. On the other, a "will-they-won't-they" La Niña that just couldn't quite get its act together. Throw in some record-breaking storms, and you’ve got a recipe for a November that atmospheric scientists are going to be talking about for a long time.
The Month of the Second Bests
The data is in from the heavy hitters like NOAA and Copernicus, and the verdict is pretty staggering. November 2024 officially clocked in as the second-warmest November ever recorded globally. It was just a hair behind November 2023.
Honestly, it’s getting a bit repetitive, isn't it?
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We’re living through a streak where "second warmest" or "third warmest" is the new floor. Globally, the average surface air temperature was 14.10°C. That’s about 0.73°C above the 1991-2020 average. If you want to go way back to pre-industrial levels, we were sitting at 1.62°C higher. That 1.5-degree "limit" we hear about in news reports? We’ve been blowing past it on a monthly basis for over a year now.
But it wasn't warm everywhere. That's the tricky part about "global averages." While folks in eastern Canada and the central USA were wondering where the snow went, people in the western United States and parts of Antarctica were actually dealing with below-average chill. It was a classic "haves and have-nots" situation for winter weather fans.
That Massive Bomb Cyclone and the Atmospheric River
If you live in the Pacific Northwest, "warm averages" probably weren't on your mind around November 18. You were likely too busy worrying about your power staying on.
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A monstrous extratropical cyclone—what the meteorologists call a bomb cyclone—slammed into the coast. It wasn't just a regular storm; it underwent "bombogenesis," which is a fancy way of saying its central pressure dropped like a rock in a very short time. It tied record lows at 942 millibars. To put that in perspective, that’s the kind of pressure you usually see in a Category 4 hurricane.
- Wind Speeds: We saw gusts hitting 101 mph in some spots.
- Power Outages: Over 953,000 people lost power across Washington, Oregon, and California.
- Rainfall: Parts of the region saw over 22 inches of rain.
This beast was fueled by a massive atmospheric river—basically a fire hose of moisture coming straight from the tropics. It’s why Northern California went from "kinda dry" to "flash flood warning" in the blink of an eye. Two people tragically lost their lives in Washington due to falling trees, and two more in California due to flooding. It was a stark reminder that even in a warming world, winter can still pack a devastating, icy punch.
The Tropical Hangover
Usually, by November, the Atlantic hurricane season is winding down, or at least taking a nap. Not in 2024.
We saw 12 named storms globally this November, which ties the record for the most ever in that month. In the Atlantic, Hurricane Rafael reached Category 3 strength. It was weirdly late-season activity. Most of this is because the ocean temperatures are just... hot. Even as the air cools down, the sea surface temperatures (SSTs) are holding onto heat like a giant thermal blanket.
The World Meteorological Organization pointed out that seven hurricanes formed in the Atlantic since late September, which is a record for that specific late-season window. The "season" doesn't really seem to follow the calendar anymore.
Where was La Niña?
Everyone was bracing for La Niña. We expected that cool tongue of water in the Pacific to take over and maybe bring some relief from the record heat. But by the end of November, it was still "neutral."
The experts at NOAA and the WMO were scratching their heads a bit. The water under the surface was cool, but the surface itself just wouldn't stay chilled. Some think it’s because the rest of the world's oceans are so incredibly warm that they’re basically overwhelming the local cooling in the Pacific.
This "weak" or delayed La Niña meant that the typical patterns—like a super wet North and a bone-dry South in the U.S.—weren't as predictable as usual. It left the door open for other climate drivers to run the show.
Regions That Broke the Scale
It’s worth looking at who got hit the hardest by the weirdness:
- Asia: Had its warmest November on record. Think about that—the biggest continent on Earth just had its hottest November in 175 years of record-keeping.
- The Philippines: Got absolutely pummeled. They had six typhoons hit in a 30-day window, with several overlapping in November. It was a "clustering" of storms that has never been seen before in that region.
- Europe: A bit of a mixed bag. Central Europe was actually cooler than average, while northern Russia and the southwest were way above.
- Antarctica: Sea ice extent hit an all-time record low for November. It’s a grim milestone that scientists are watching with a lot of anxiety.
What This Means for Your Winter
So, what do you do with all this? Weather for November 2024 proved that we can't really rely on "old normals" anymore. The 1991-2020 average is already much warmer than the 20th-century average, and we’re still blowing past it.
Actionable Steps to Stay Ahead of the Weather:
- Audit your "Bomb Cyclone" Prep: If you’re on the West Coast or the Northeast, these rapid-intensification storms are becoming more common. Ensure your gutters are clear (to prevent the flooding seen in CA) and that you have a backup power plan that doesn't rely on the grid.
- Watch the "Relative" La Niña: Even if a full La Niña isn't declared, the relative cooling in the Pacific can still trigger atmospheric changes. Keep an eye on local forecasts rather than global trends for your weekend plans.
- Adjust Your Planting/Gardening: If you’re in the eastern U.S. or China, the extended warmth might tempt you to plant early or keep things growing. Be careful; the "snap" back to cold can be more violent when the atmosphere is this energetic.
- Energy Budgeting: With "second warmest" becoming the norm, your heating bill might be lower than expected, but your cooling bill in the shoulder seasons is likely rising. Factor this 1-2 degree shift into your annual home costs.
The weather for November 2024 wasn't just a fluke. It was a glimpse into a climate that has a lot more "energy" in the system—meaning higher highs, deeper pressure drops, and a tropical season that doesn't know when to quit.