National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

 

Turkey
VALENTINE
THANKSGIVING DAY CLIMATOLOGY
Turkey

 

Thanksgiving Day is observed nationally on the fourth Thursday in November. Some speculate the holiday dates back to the day of thanks ordered by Governor Bradford of Plymouth Colony in New England in 1621. Currently there are seven days in which Thanksgiving Day is celebrated, ranging from November 22nd to November 28th, however this was not always the case. Before 1941, Thanksgiving Day was celebrated on the day proclaimed by the president in a Presidential Proclamation, typically the last Thursday of November. This changed the seven days Thanksgiving Day was celebrated to November 24th to November 30th. In 1939 and 1940, there were exceptions to the "typical" date of Thanksgiving. Retailers lobbied for more days of shopping between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and won. Thanksgiving Day was celebrated on the 23rd in 1939 and on the 21st in 1940. Following the 1940 debate on which day Thanksgiving would be celebrated, Congress stepped in and designated the current fourth Thursday of November to be the day to celebrate Thanksgiving Day. This study uses the observed day that Thanksgiving Day was celebrated.

 

THANKSGIVING DAY IN VALENTINE
PERIOD OF RECORD 128 YEARS: 1889-2016

TEMPERATURE DATA

Highest 75 degrees
(November 24, 2011)
Lowest -18 degrees
(November 28, 1985)
Lowest Maximum 2 degrees
(November 28, 1985)
Highest Minimum 36 degrees
(November 24, 1949)
Average High 42.5 degrees
Average Low 17.6 degrees
30 Year Normal High 44 to 41 degrees
30 Year Normal Low 18 to 15 degrees
Average Temperature Range 24.9 degrees
Largest Range
between High and Low
50 degrees
High 61, Low 11
(November 26, 2009)
Smallest Range
between High and Low
5 degrees
High 30, Low 25
(November 24, 1892)

 

High Temperature by 10 Degree Ranges

0s 10s 20s 30s 40s 50s 60s 70s
5 3 14 27 37 31 9 2
3.9% 2.3% 10.9% 21.1% 28.9% 24.2% 7.0% 1.6%

 

Low Temperature by 10 Degree Ranges

-10s -0s 0s 10s 20s 30s
1 11 13 35 60 8
0.8% 8.6% 10.2% 27.3% 46.9% 6.3%

 

PRECIPITATION DATA

Maximum Precipitation 1.55 inches
(November 26, 1896)
Maximum Snowfall 15.5 inches
(November 26, 1896)
Number of Times Precipitation 45 Occurrences or 35.2%
Number of Times
Measurable Precipitation
(more than a Trace)
20 Occurrences or 15.6%
Number of Times Snowfall 40 Occurrences or 31.3%
Number of Times
Measurable Snowfall
(more than a Trace)
19 Occurrences or 14.8%
Number of Times No Precipitation 83 Occurrences or 64.8%

 

SNOW DEPTH INFORMATION IN VALENTINE
PERIOD OF RECORD 117 YEARS: 1900-2016

(snow depth rounded to nearest whole inch or trace if 0.4 inches or less)

Number of Years - 1 inch or
more snow on ground (117 years)
21 Years (17.9%)
Number of Years - 1 inch or
more snow on ground (last 25 years)
4 Years (16.0%)
Number of Years - 1 inch or
more snow on ground (last 10 years)
0 Year (0.0%)
Number of Years with trace or
more snow on Ground (117 years)
39 Years (33.3%)
Number of Years with trace or
more snow on Ground (last 25 years)
4 Years (16.0%)
Number of Years with trace or
more snow on Ground (last 10 years)
0 Years (0.0%)
Consecutive Years 1 inch or
more snow on ground
3 Years (2 times)
(1929 - 1931)
(1991 - 1993)
Consecutive Years without
1 inch or more snow on ground
20 Years (1953-1972)
Current Streak
Consecutive Years without
1 inch or more snow on ground
16 Years

 

1 Inch or More Snow Depth Occurrences by Decade
* incomplete decade

1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s
2 1 4 2 1 1
1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s
0 3 2 4 1 0*

 

DAILY WEATHER SUMMARIES PAST 5 THANKSGIVING DAYS

Date High Low Precip Snow Snow Depth Remarks
Nov 22, 2012 56 21 T 0.0 0  Partly cloudy, isolated sprinkles,
 windy (peak gust 43 mph)
Nov 28, 2013 30 20 0.00 0.0 0  Cloudy, mostly sunny late
Nov 27, 2014 45 20 0.00 0.0 0  Cloudy morning, mostly sunny
 afternoon
Nov 26, 2015 25 10 T T 0  Cloudy, morning flurries
Nov 24, 2016 42 24 0.00 0.0 0  Mostly cloudy, breezy (peak gust 29
 mph)

 

YEAR BY YEAR WEATHER FOR PAST THANKSGIVING DAYS
CLICK ON GRAPH FOR LARGER IMAGE

Temperatures - High & Low with Averages

Precipitation

Temperatures - High & Low with Averages

Precipitation

 

VALENTINE RECORDS FOR POTENTIAL THANKSGIVING DAYS
(RECORDS SET ON CELEBRATED THANKSGIVING DAYS HIGHLIGHTED)

Date High Low Low Max High Min Precip Snow
Nov 22 74/2006,1998 -15/1898 8/1985 36/1933,17
     1899
0.28/1897 4.0/2003,1909
Nov 23 70/1988 -16/1985 6/1985 40/1899 0.48/2001 4.4/1993
Nov 24 75/2011 -13/2003 4/1993 37/1923 1.14/1944 3.2/1895
Nov 25 76/1960 -7/1975 8/1993 45/1960 0.46/1944 4.3/1975
Nov 26 72/1998 -19/1975 5/1919 39/1949 1.55/1896 15.5/1896
Nov 27 75/1998 -18/1985 0/1896 38/1949 0.68/1905 3.3/1983
Nov 28 71/1932 -18/1985,76 2/1985 40/1904 0.45/1905 2.7/1929,05

 

ALSO VISIT NORTH PLATTE THANKSGIVING DAY CLIMATOLOGY

For more holiday climate studies see the main menu
Holiday Climate Studies for North Platte and Valentine

 

  Page composition by
Matthew Masek
  Update includes 2016