Despite the recent cold snap, Iowa’s long string of warmer than normal weather continued in the month of November. State Climatologist Harry Hillaker says the statewide average temperature last month was 38.1 degrees. That’s two-and-a-half degrees warmer than usual, making November Iowa’s ninth consecutive warmer than normal month. November included a wide range of temperatures.

“Especially back on the 22nd, when we had an over 50-degree range in temperatures at noon,” Hillaker said. At that time, the temperature in Donnellson in southeast Iowa was 73 while Sibley in northwest Iowa recorded a temperature of 22. Sibley also had the coldest recorded temperature during the month at an even zero on the 25th.

Sioux City had the highest reading of 78 degrees on November 8th. The statewide average precipitation over the month was 1-3/4 inches, which is slightly drier than normal for November. Hillaker says much of west-central and north-central Iowa did receive a lot of precipitation.

Those areas of the state were hit by snow storm on November 12th. Emmetsburg and a few other cities recorded up to 14 inches of snow. Hillaker says, with one month left to go, this has been the fifth wettest year in Iowa over 138 years of record keeping. He says just six-tenths of an inch of rain in December will place 2010 second on the list for wettest years behind only 1993.