November 2021 was wetter and cooler than normal.


What You Need To Know

  • Most areas were around two degrees below normal

  • Rainfall was above average

  • Most of the rain fell on one day

  • December will start warm

November is typically one of our driest months. Other than the 5th, this November was rather dry.

On that day, a non-tropical low pressure area formed on an old cold front in the Gulf of Mexico and most areas had between two and five inches of rainfall, accounting for just about all of this month's rain.

November also typically sees its share of cold fronts. This November lived up to that. We had several dry cold fronts, which allowed temperatures to cool quite a bit. Most areas were between two and three degrees below normal for the month.

The exception was the official observation for Tampa, at Tampa International Airport. The average temperature there was 1.5 degrees below normal.

The difference happens because the airport observation typically reads several degrees warmer due to the urban heat island effect from the new construction around the area. The weather observation at Tampa International Airport is not the best representation of the area's weather because of this issue.

Here is a look at the numbers.

Tampa

Average temperature: 68.4 degrees (1.5 degrees below normal)

Rainfall: 3.52" (2.18" above normal)

Bradenton

Average temperature: 67.6 (2.6 degrees below normal)

Rainfall: 1.44" (0.30" below normal)

Lakeland

Average temperature: 66.7 (2.7 degrees below normal)

Rainfall 4.24" (2.46" above normal)

Brooksville

Average temperature: 62.4 (2.8 degrees below normal)

Rainfall: 2.57" (1.05" above normal)

Winter Haven

Average temperature: 67.3 (2.5 degrees below normal)

Rainfall: 3.07" (1.68" above normal)

Plant City

Average temperature: 66.3 (3.2 degrees below normal)

Rainfall: 4.23" (2.54" above normal)

 

Looking forward to December

During December, we typically see even more frequency of cold fronts and some very cold mornings are possible. With winter weather systems moving farther south, we can see more rain and thunderstorms with the cold fronts during December.

The average high and low go from 76 and 58 on the 1st to 72 and 54 by the 31st.

A normal December has about two-and-a-half inches of rain.

The hottest December temperature on record is 86 degrees, and it occurred on multiple occasions.

The coldest December reading of 18 degrees on Dec. 13, 1962, was also the coldest temperature ever recorded in Tampa.

During the El NiƱo winter of 1997-1998, December saw over 15 inches of rain, making it the wettest December on record. The driest was in 1984 when only 0.07 inches of rain fell.