Temp/PM-10 Data for November
November 2010 was cooler than average, boasting the most snow in the last decade with over 33 inches.
“This November was a couple of degrees cooler than the average for November, considering the last 19 years of data,” said Lee Cassin, director of the Environmental Health Department. “November has been warming faster than any other month in Aspen. This was a welcome departure from that trend.”
While Aspen was cooler, that wasn’t the case for the rest of the country. The Northeast had the warmest November to date on record, and the continental U.S. as a whole was slightly warmer than normal in November. Several states had some of their wettest falls on record, while other areas were extremely dry. Lamar, Colorado, for example, had its driest November on record with no precipitation. About 17 percent of the US is considered to be under drought conditions. November also experienced some rare northern tornadoes in November in New York, Wisconsin and Illinois. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration attributes much of the November weather across the country to La Nina and similar atmospheric conditions. 
This November’s PM-10 particulate air pollution levels in Aspen were about average, except for a spike in levels that occurred on November 18 and 19. This followed several days of snow, after which temperatures warmed up and roads dried out.
“Traffic kicks up the dirt on the road, and is responsible for 83 percent of Aspen’s PM-10 on a high-pollution day,” Cassin said. “PM-10 levels followed the typical pattern of increasing through the work week -- due to traffic -- and dropping over the weekends.” 
For more information on air quality in Aspen, visit www.aspenpitkin.com/Departments/Environmental-Health. For information on Aspen’s global warming programs, go to www.aspenpitkin.com/Departments/Canary-Initiative/.
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