TOLEDO, Ohio — Editor's note: The attached video is from a Climate Friday story that aired online on Oct. 21, 2022.
If you're struggling to adjust to cooler weather after weeks of temperatures in the 60s and 70s, it's with good reason: through Sunday, Nov. 13, this was the fifth warmest November in Toledo history, and it was accompanied by a 24 degree drop in just one day.
Americans across the country are no stranger to dramatic weather. The highest temperature ever recorded worldwide came in at 134.1 °F in Death Valley, California. While the lowest temperature ever recorded originated in Antarctica (−137 °F), Rogers Pass, Montana holds the record for the lowest temperature in the contiguous U.S. at −70 °F in 1954.
While record-breaking temperatures can be surprising, rapid temperature changes can also count as intense weather events.
For the first two weeks of November, northwest Ohio enjoyed some unseasonably warm weather. According to Toledo Express Airport temperature data from the National Weather Service, temperature highs in five of November's first 14 days were above 70 degrees; 10 of those days were above 60 degrees.
Between Friday, Nov. 11 and Saturday, Nov. 12, temperatures dropped 24 degrees due to a cold front, bringing in significantly cooler, more November-appropriate weather for the coming weeks.
Though the 24-degree drop was drastic, the shift doesn't break any records. The WTOL 11 Weather Team provided historical weather for the largest one-day temperature changes in northwest Ohio history:
-Nov 13th 1911: 46 degrees
-Nov 28th, 1896: 37 degrees
-Nov 28th, 1897: 37 degrees
-Nov 30th, 1905: 34 degrees
The largest recorded one-day temperature change in U.S. history occurred in Loma, Montana in 1972, when temperatures rose 103 degrees from -54°F to 49°F in a 24-hour period.
Although extremes are fascinating demonstrations of weather variability, climate scientists and meteorologists use trend-based data to examine patterns over time, including how much and how quickly global temperatures have risen.
For more information on rising average temperatures, watch the video below.