Weather History For November 11
1911
The central U.S. experienced perhaps its most dramatic cold wave of record. During the early morning temperatures across the Central Plains ranged from 68° at Kansas City to 4 above North Platte NE. In Kansas City, the temperature warmed to a record 76 degrees by late morning before the arctic front moved in from the northwest. Skies become overcast, winds shifted to the northwest, and the mercury began to plummet. By early afternoon it was cold enough to snow, and by midnight the temperature had dipped to a record cold reading of 11 degrees above zero. Oklahoma City also established a record high of 83 degrees and record low of 17 degrees that same day (11/11/11). In southeastern Kansas, the temperature at Independence plunged from 83 degrees to 33 degrees in just one hour. The arctic cold front produced severe thunderstorms and tornadoes in the Mississippi Valley, a blizzard in the Ohio Valley, and a dust storm in Oklahoma.
(Ref. See Wx. Map - In 1911 Cold Fronts were not Shown on Weather Maps - Look at Isotherms)
(Ref. See The 100 year Anniversary of the Great Blue Norther)
(David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel) (The Kansas City Weather Almanac)
Janesville, Wisconsin : The same intense winter storm spawns a tornado (later classified as F4 on the Fujita Scale) that strikes a community near Janesville. Within an hour of the tornado, the residents must deal with blizzard conditions and temperatures near 0°F (-18°C).
(Ref. WxDoctor)
(Ref. Wilson Weather History)
1940
An Armistice Day storm raged across the Great Lakes Region and the Upper Midwest. A blizzard left 49 dead in Minnesota, and gales on Lake Michigan caused shipwrecks resulting in another 59 deaths. Up to seventeen inches of snow fell in Iowa, and at Duluth MN the barometric pressure reached 28.66 inches. The blizzard claimed a total of 154 lives, and killed thousands of cattle in Iowa. Huge snowdrifts isolated whole towns.
(Ref. AccWeather Weather History)
(David Ludlum)
1955
An early arctic outbreak set many November temperature records across Oregon and Washington. The severe cold damaged shrubs and fruit trees. Readings plunged to near zero in western Washington, and dipped to 19 degrees below zero in the eastern part of the state.
(Ref. Wilson Weather History)
(David Ludlum)
1980
On this date through the 12th, More than 23 inches of rain fell on Key West. This is their greatest 24-hour amount ever recorded. Widespread flooding caused heavy damage to about 300 cars and 500 homes and businesses. Five waterspouts were sighted during the next afternoon.
(Ref. Wilson Weather History)
1987
The Veterans Day Snowstorm --
On the weekend preceding the storm, November 7th through the eighth, the region experienced beautiful 70 degree Fahrenheit weather. The snow began during the early morning of November 11th with a quick burst of snow that produced 1 to 2 inches across Washington, DC. But snowfall quickly ended, leading many to believe the storm was over. For a few hours in the morning no snow fell and people headed off to work, school and shopping. A second low system quickly intensified. By noon, a very heavy, nearly stationary, band of snow had set up through the eastern half of the area. Localized within this band, snow fell at a whiteout rate of 3 to 4 inches per hour for several hours, accompanied by lightning and thunder. This was the earliest snowstorm ever to hit the Washington area. The 11.5 inches of snow that fell at National Airport easily broke an old November record of only 6.9 inches that fell on November 30, 1967. The next earliest date for a snowstorm of that magnitude occurred well into the month of December when 12 inches of snow fell on December 17, 1932. National Airport was in the heavy snow band that reached its maximum of 14 to 16 inches in western Prince George's County. Snowfall amounts were much less to the Northwest with Gaithersburg reporting only 3 to 4 inches of snow. Both Boston and Providence received 10 inches of snow early also setting new season records. On November 12th, a high temperature 48 degrees F allowed for a quick return to normal road conditions for the area.
(p. 92-93 Washington Weather Book 2002 by Ambrose, Henry, Weiss)
(Ref. Wilson Weather History)
Veterans Day snowstorm-record 11.5 ins. at DCA after a high of 72° on 9th----A deepening low-pressure system brought heavy snow to the east central U.S. The Veteran's Day storm produced up to 17 inches of snow in the Washington, DC area snarling traffic and closing schools and airports. Afternoon thunderstorms produced five inches of snow in three hours. Gale force winds lashed the Middle and Northern Atlantic Coast. Norfolk VA reported their earliest measurable snow in 99 years of records.
(Ref. Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)
The dates 11/11/87 and 10/10/79 will both be remembered as early snows but ll/11/87 was not only early but a major sn
1988
Low pressure brought snow to parts of the Rocky Mountain Region. Totals in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado ranged up to 10 inches at Summitville. Evening thunderstorms produced large hail in central Oklahoma and north central Texas.
(Ref. The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
1989
Veteran's Day was an unseasonably warm one across much of the nation east of the Rockies. Temperatures warmed into the 70s and 80s from the Southern and Central Plains to the southern half of the Atlantic coast. Thirty-four cities reported record high temperatures for the date, including Saint Louis, MO with a reading of 85 degrees. Calico, AR and Gilbert, AR reported record highs of 87 degrees.
(Ref. Wilson Weather History)
(Ref. Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)
1991
Unseasonable severe thunderstorms brought large hail up to golf ball size in parts of Connecticut during the pre-dawn hours.
(Ref. AccWeather Weather History)
1995
Strong downslope winds gusted to 124 mph at the National Center for Atmospheric Research on the mesa in Boulder, CO. Utility poles and power lines were downed leaving several hundred homes without power in Boulder, where windows were also blown out of cars. Other reports of strong wind gusts included: 104 mph atop Squaw Mountain, west of Denver, 99 mph in Golden Gate Canyon, 85 mph on Rocky Flats, and 69 mph at the Jefferson County Airport.
(Ref. Wilson Weather History)
1996
Heavy snows fell across the Great Lakes. Cleveland, OH, Erie, PA and Syracuse, NY were blanketed under incredible snowfall. Three-day storm totals included 68.9 inches at Chardon, OH, 54.8 inches at Edinboro, PA and 50 inches at Shaker Heights, OH. 41 inches fell in downtown Erie, PA with 27 inches at the Erie Airport and 20.8 inches fell at Cleveland, OH.
(Ref. AccWeather Weather History)
2002
Tennessee and Ohio Valley Region on the 10th & 11th of November:A late-season, major outbreak of tornadoes causes damage in 13 states. A total of 75 tornadoes touch down on Sunday (10th), resulting in at least 36 deaths.
(Ref. WxDoctor)