November 2014 Panhandle Weather Summary

Source:
Much of the Southeast was 4-8 degrees colder than normal for November.

Cold weather came early to the Panhandle this year.

Fawn station low temperatures for Wednesday, November 19.
Fawn station low temperatures for Wednesday, November 19.

Frost around Thanksgiving is not that unusual, but a hard freeze came on November 19th, and set record lows for the area. Satsuma citrus fruit that had not been harvested was damaged by this early freeze, and perennial pastures went completely dormant somewhat early this winter.

14 Marianna Jan-Nov weather summaryAverage air temperatures dropped 15 degrees, and average soil temperatures dropped 14 degrees in November compared to October. It seems winter has set in early this year.

National weather Service estimates for November 2014 Rainfall.
National weather Service estimates for November 2014 Rainfall.

The weak El Niño apparently has affected the Panhandle in November, providing wetter than normal conditions for the central and eastern Panhandle. Even so the rainfall was not even, with the western counties receiving less than 2″ of rainfall while a large portion in red above received 5-8″ in November.

Dec 9 14 FL Drought MonitorThis extra rainfall did ease some of the drought conditions in the region, but the latest Drought Monitor graphic shows that large sections of the Panhandle still remain abnormally dry.

14 FAWN Panhandle Rainfall Jan-NovThe UF/IFAS Florida Automated Weather Stations (FAWN) also showed the variation in rainfall for the month of November. The Marianna FAWN station recorded 5.9 inches of rain in November, while Jay the dry spot with only 1.9″. The average for all six stations was 4.4″.

Jan-Nov 2014 FAWN rainfall totalsFor the year, however, the western stations in Jay and DeFuniak have recorded the highest totals in 2014. All six stations have averaged almost 63″ in 2014, but there is considerable variation from 54″ to 73″.

15 Dec-Feb Temp OutlookThe NOAA outlook for December through February is predicting cooler than normal temperatures.

15 Dec-Feb Precip OutlookNOAA is also expecting above average rainfall over the next three months. Hopefully there will be continued drought relief for the Southeast in the coming months.

 

 

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Posted: December 12, 2014


Category: Agriculture
Tags: Panhandle Agriculture, Weather


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