National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

 

Thanksgiving

     PERIOD OF RECORD:   153 YEARS    (1871 - 2023)

 

Thanksgiving occurs on the fourth Thursday in November. Prior to 1942 Thanksgiving was routinely celebrated on the last Thursday of November. The highest temperature recorded on Thanksgiving is 68F degrees on November 26th 1896. The lowest the mercury has fallen to on Thanksgiving is 9F on November 22nd 2018. The high temperature averages 44F degrees, and the low 31F degrees on Thanksgiving.

The greatest amount of snow on Thanksgiving occurred November 27th, 1952 when 10.3 inches of snow was recorded at the Buffalo airport. Most portions of the city of Buffalo received between 6 and 10 inches of snow.

On Thanksgiving Day 1956, a lake effect snowstorm hit central Erie County to Wyoming County and locations southward. Up to four feet of snow was measured in Springville, NY. At the Buffalo airport, just a trace of snow occurred from the lake effect snow event.

Following a lake effect snow event, a remaining 20 inches of snow on the ground Thanksgiving morning, the 23rd of November 2000 was the greatest amount of snow on the ground for a Thanksgiving.

An early season frigid airmass dropped across the Great Lakes for Thanksgiving of 2018. The temperature under clear skies dropped to 9F degrees before midnight, this after only registering a high of 20F during the day.

 

 

 

 

Temperature (F) Data

 

Highest

68 1896

Lowest

9 2018

Average High

44  

Average Low

31  

 

 

 

 

Precipitation Records

 

Greatest Precipitation
 

0.96" 1968

 

 

Almanac Data for Recent Thanksgivings

 

Year Date High Low Precip Snow
1980
27th 38 27 0.17 1.2
1981
26th 51 28 0.23 0.0
1982
25th 38 29 0.00 0.0
1983
24th 62 34 T 0.0
1984
22nd 33 17 0.00 0.0
           
1985 28th 32 30 0.44 4.3
1986 27th 45 33 0.01 0.0
1987 26th 39 32 0.07 0.0
1988 24th 41 25 0.00 0.0
1989 23rd 24 16 T T
           
1990 22nd 59 48 0.50 0.0
1991 28th 44 32 0.58 0.1
1992 26th 55 20 0.08 0.0
1993 25th 31 21 T T
1994 24th 47 23 T T
           
1995 23rd 36 27 0.01 0.4
1996 28th 28 15 0.05 1.0
1997 27th 44 33 T 0.0
1998 26th 49 39 0.23 0.0
1999 25th 46 38 0.01 0.0
           
2000 23rd 24 12 T T
2001 22nd 52 35 0.00 0.0
2002 28th 32 21 T T
2003 27th 44 32 0.31 0.0
2004 25th 41 28 0.12 T
           
2005 24th 34 14 0.13 2.5
2006 23rd 50 27 0.00 0.0
2007 22nd 39 26 0.68 0.2
2008 27th 37 24 0.00 0.0
2009 26th 51 40 0.09 0.0
           
2010 25th 45 31 0.24 0.0
2011 24th 47 32 0.00 0.0
2012 22nd 58 33 0.00 0.0
2013 28th 27 18 0.07 2.4
2014 27th 35 28 0.10 2.0
           
2015 26th 62 42 0.00 0.0
2016 24th 45 34 0.05 T
2017 23rd 38 26 T T
2018 22nd 20 9 T T
2019 28th 42 30 0.05 T
           
2020 26th 54 47 0.13 0.0
2021 25th 48 42 0.24 0.0
2022 24th 50 29 0.00 0.0
2023 23rd 44 35 0.00 0.0
2024 28th