NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information
During November, temperatures across the contiguous U.S. ranked in the coolest third of the historical record. This, in combination with above average precipitation for the month, contributed to a November snow cover, which ranked third highest on record. It was an early start to the snow season across parts of the Lower 48. An active storm track mid-month produced snowfall from the central and northern Great Plains into the Great Lakes. A Thanksgiving weekend snowstorm made it challenging for travelers from the intermountain West, across the northern and central Plains and into the Northeast. By the end of November, snow cover was in place across most of New England extending westward through the Great Lakes and into the northern Great Plains. According to NOAA's National Snow Analysis, at the beginning of November, 6.2 percent of the contiguous U.S. had snow on the ground — across parts of the Rockies and New England. The monthly snow cover peaked at the end of November, with 31.2 percent of the contiguous U.S. covered in snow from the Rocky and Sierra Nevada Mountains, across the northern Great Plains, Great Lakes and throughout much of the Northeast.
According to NOAA data analyzed by the Rutgers Global Snow Lab, the monthly snow cover extent across the contiguous U.S. was approximately 831,000 square miles, about 356,000 square miles above the 1981-2010 average. This was the third largest November snow cover extent in the 53-year period of record. The Alaska snow cover extent during November was approximately 540,000 square miles, slightly below average, with below-average snow cover in southwestern parts of the state.