November outlook and our first fall freeze

Following the 10th warmest October on record, November started with high temperatures in the lower 80s and a record high temperature on the 2nd. Although a cold front brought rain and cooler temperatures by the 3rd, we still came in 8 degrees above average with a high of 68. As of November 3rd, we have not had our first freeze of the fall season and it looks like we will stay above freezing through the middle of November.

Since 1890, the average date of the first freeze in Columbia is October 21st but last year we didn’t hit the freezing mark until November 20th which is the latest first freeze data on record. The earliest first freeze occurred on September 18 in 1901.

Medium range forecast models indicate that we will stay in a mild and dry weather pattern for the next 2 weeks as the jet stream stays north of us, but are hinting at a cooler pattern for the last week of the month. Right now, it looks like our first freeze will hold off until after the 15th of November.