November 2014 Review - Jyväskylä

Jyväskylä experienced a cooler November in 2014 compared to some recent years, but figures were still above the long term average. Large portions of the month were spent hovering just above or below zero and it saw only a few minimums below -5C. Other than November 1 and 30, there was no sign of sunshine, but even with the increased cloud cover, precipitation was slightly below average.

The average minimums and maximums for November since 2008 are shown below.

November averages at Jyväskylä Airport for the period 2008-2014

November 2010 is clearly different from other Novembers since 2008. For reference, the overall average from 2010 was 2.5C below the 1981-2010 average of -2.0C. The Finnish Meteorological Institute reported that the average for November 2014 in Jyväskylä was 0.1C, 1C less than last year's 1.1C. 2014 is the fourth consecutive year with an average more than 2C above the long term figure. In fact, 2010 is the only year to record a below average figure since 2005. 2014 was, however, cooler than 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2013.

The highest temperature of the month came on both November 3 and 4. Warm and wet conditions saw 9.7C recorded either side of midnight on both days. This was the third highest temperature seen in a November since at least 2008. The first two days of November 2011 saw highs of 10.5C and 10.6C. The figures from other years sit between 7.2C and 7.9C.

November 3 also saw the highest minimum with 8.3C. Along with November 4's low of 7.4C, these were warmer than any minimum seen during a November since 2008. 2011 was the only other year to see a highest minimum that wasn't 5C or below.

As Jyväskylä headed into winter, it was strange to see that the first day of the month was responsible for the coldest temperature. It dipped to -9.5C then. Every November since at least 2008 recorded a minimum below -10C. Even the past October saw three minimums below the mark. The coldest day did come later in the month though. The 21st saw a top of -3.9C. This was still rather warm compared to other years though. Only the coldest November days from 2009 and 2013 were warmer.

As the graph below shows, temperatures fluctuated very little in the second half of the month. So while there were 22 days with a minimum below 0C, the second highest such figure since 2008, there were very few really cold minimums. There were only five minimums below -5C. Only 2012 saw fewer. On the other hand, the number of days that failed to top zero, 12, was also the second highest in the past seven years.

Daily minimums and maximums against rainfall at Jyväskylä Airport for November 2014

Cloud dominated the month (there was less than eight hours of sunshine), but the 50.6mm monthly total was below the 1981-2010 average of 54mm. FMI recorded 43mm for Jyväskylä, compared to 75mm last year. Most of the precipitation fell as rain or wet snow, but there were a few days with proper snow, especially earlier in the month. November 7 recorded a snow depth of around 8cm. The depth never went above 10cm though.

There were 17 days on which falls were recorded at Tikkakoski. November 4 and 11, with totals of 10.1mm and 10.2mm respectively, were the wettest days and accounted for 40% of the monthly total. The highest consecutive number of rain days was seven, from the 9th to the 15th, and accounted for 17.0mm. The following six day period to the 21st was the longest dry streak.

The month ended fairly warm. If we try to compare November 2014 to one from the previous six years, the closest would be either 2008 or 2012. The mildness of November 2008 carried on into December, but 2012 saw temperatures drop fairly dramatically around the turn of the month. What will happen in December this time?