Dry November of 2012

November 2012 went down as one of the driest Novembers on record. Fort Wayne recorded its second driest November on record with below normal temperatures. South Bend recorded its driest November on record and 4th driest month ever with below normal temperatures.

Fort Wayne

Normal precipitation for the month of November at Fort Wayne is 3.09 inches. Fort Wayne recorded 0.60 inches which ranks as 2nd driest on record. Below is a table with the Top 5 driest Novembers on record. Records for Fort Wayne date back to 1912.

Rank	November Precip	Year
1	0.23"	1917
2	0.60"	2012
3	0.62"	1976
4	0.68"	1980
5	0.73"	1939

Fort Wayne had only 3 days this November with measurable precipitation (0.01" or greater) with 0.53" of the monthly total falling on one day, November 12th. With only 3 days of measurable precipitation, November 2012 ties the record for fewest number of days in any month with measurable precipitation. The only other months on record with only 3 days of measurable precipitation are September 1940, November 1963, November 1964, August 1969, August 1970, and September 1979.

Another note of interest: Fort Wayne has received 26.38 inches this year, through November 30. This ranks as the 9th driest year-to-date on record at Fort Wayne. The driest year to date was 1941 with 23.79 inches.

The chart above compares the Fort Wayne year to date precipitation for 2012, the 1981-2010 normal values, and the precipitation for the wettest year on record (1990) and the driest year on record (1962). For the first few months of the year, the precipitation was near normal. The year to date precipitation values slipped below normal and below the driest year on record during the onset of the 2012 drought. Late summer rainfall pushed the precipitation back above 1962 values, however the recent dry snap should keep the yearly precip values well below normal, but slightly above the driest year on record.

South Bend

Normal precipitation for the month of November at South Bend is 3.27 inches. South Bend recorded 0.26 inches in November 2012 which ranks as the driest November on record. Below is a table with the Top 5 driest Novembers on record. Records for South Bend date back to 1893.

Rank	November Precip	Year
1	0.26"	2012
2	0.37"	1917, 1904
4	0.82"	1924
5	1.24"	1998
6	1.25"	1910

Incredibly, November 2012 also ranks as the 4th driest month of any month on record.

Rank	Monthly Precip	Month, Year
1	0.01"	Sept. 1979
2	0.02"	July 1946
3	0.23"	Sept. 1897
4	0.26"	Nov. 2012
5	0.31"	Jan. 1919

South Bend has received 31.26 inches this year, through November 30. This ranks as the 41st driest year to date on record.

The chart above compares the South Bend year to date precipitation for 2012, the 1981-2010 normal values, and the precipitation for the wettest year on record (1990) and the driest year on record (1917). For the first few months of the year, the precipitation was near normal. The year to date precipitation values slipped below normal during the onset of the 2012 drought, but stayed above the driest year on record throughout the entire year. Late summer rainfall pushed the precipitation back near normal from early August through October, however the recent dry snap should keep the yearly precip values below normal.

Updated 12/1/2012
By CEO/NG