Autumn Recap - Third Warmest on Record

news image
Special Stories
20 Dec 2021 1:00 AM
[Flooding in Bellingham, WA during the middle of November. From the City of Bellingham via Storyful] [From NOAA and NOAA NCEI]  The numbers have been crunched for the past few months and the year so far. Here's the latest climate information from this past fall and the year-to-date.

Meteorological Autumn (September, October, November)

It was a warm meteorological autumn (September through November) across the contiguous U.S. The average autumn temperature was 56.7 degrees F (3.1 degrees above average), making it the third-warmest meteorological autumn in the historical record. Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming ranked second warmest, with 14 additional states ranking among their five warmest autumns. The total autumn precipitation was 6.81 inches (0.07 of an inch below average), which ranked in the middle third of the seasonal record. Precipitation was above average across parts of the West, northern Plains, Ohio Valley, Northeast and Southeast. Washington state ranked sixth wettest for this three-month period. Precipitation was below average across portions of the Southwest, northern Rockies, central to southern Rockies, southern Plains, Lower Mississippi River Valley, western Great Lakes and the Carolinas and Virginia.

Year-to-date (January-November)

With just one month left in 2021, the year to date (YTD, January through November) is the seventh-warmest on record — with an average temperature of 55.9 degrees F (2.1 degrees above average). Year-to-date temperatures were above average across the western U.S., central and northern Plains, Great Lakes and East Coast with Maine ranking second warmest and 11 additional states across the Northeast, Great Lakes, northern Plains and West ranking among their five warmest such periods. Temperatures were near average across portions of the southern Plains, central Gulf Coast and Tennessee Valley with pockets of below-average temperatures embedded across the South. Despite the drier-than-normal autumn, the U.S. continued a wet YTD, with a precipitation total of 28.06 inches (0.47 of an inch above average), ranking in the middle-third of the climate record.  January-November precipitation was above average from the Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes and into portions of the Northeast. Mississippi ranked eighth wettest on record. Precipitation was below average across much of the West, northern Plains and portions of New England and the Carolinas. Montana ranked fourth driest on record for this January-November period.
All Weather News
More
Stormy Pattern Ahead for the Northern Plains

Stormy Pattern Ahead for the Northern Plains

NORTHERN PLAINS - Severe weather is in the fo

8 Jul 2026 1:20 AM
After Flooding in the NE, Strong Storms Stick Around

After Flooding in the NE, Strong Storms Stick Around

NEW JERSEY - Heavy rainfall rates of around 2

8 Jul 2026 1:10 AM
Warm Weather Returns Out West

Warm Weather Returns Out West

A ridge of high pressure is building in our w

8 Jul 2026 1:10 AM
Babylon Fire Surpasses 100,000 Acres

Babylon Fire Surpasses 100,000 Acres

The Aspen Acres fire continues to burn in Sou

8 Jul 2026 1:05 AM
Muggy and Stormy in the South

Muggy and Stormy in the South

SOUTHEAST - It's been muggy and stormy in the

5 Jul 2026 8:40 PM
Slow-Moving Front No Longer Expected to Develop Tropically, Monitoring Eastern Pacific

Slow-Moving Front No Longer Expected to Develop Tropically, Monitoring Eastern Pacific

Early in the season, we watch closer to the c

1 Jul 2026 12:15 AM
'MCS' Season Brings Severe and Flooding Threats Across the Southeast

'MCS' Season Brings Severe and Flooding Threats Across the Southeast

As Summer settles in across the Central U.S.,

28 Jun 2026 2:10 AM