November 2015 - New York's Mildest November on Record

 

 

Another warm weather trophy was placed in 2015's trophy case as November pushed aside November 2001 to become the mildest on record - by 0.1 degree.  It follows the warmest September, third warmest August and second warmest May.  Although the month's average high was 0.5 degrees cooler than November 2001's, it pulled ahead with an average low that was 0.6 degrees milder.  (The last day of the month was a nail-biter with a cooler than average high/low of 47°/33°.)  This November was 11.4 degrees warmer than average during the first week of the month while November 2001 was the reverse, experiencing its most unseasonably warm period during the final week of the month, averaging 13.6 degrees warmer than normal. 

 

Besides the mild temperatures both months were on the dry side, with November 2015 picking up 2.01" of rain and 2001, 1.36".  (Average amount is 4.02".)   All but 0.07" of 2015's rain came from two storms while much of 2001's came from one rain event.  

 

The following chart provides a side-by-side comparison of November 2015 and 2001:  

 

2015    2001 Mean Temperature           52.8      52.7 Average High                    59.3      59.8 Average Low                     46.2      45.6 Highest Temp                     74°       75° Coldest Temp                     32°       34°  Highs of 60°+                     14         15 Days w/Mean Temp 10°+    7          8     Above Average Days w/Below Average        5          7     Mean Temp    Total Precipitation            2.01"     1.36" Days of Precipitation            6         6

 

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Snow in November

 

 

Measurable snow has fallen in November in New York, on average, once every three years (the last time was in 2018).  And Novembers with a snowfall of an inch or more have occurred once every five years.  However, over the years the likelihood of having snow in November has decreased.  Between 1869 and 1912, an inch of snow fell in November once every three years, and in between 1913 and 1955 it fell once every four years, but since 1956 an inch or more of snow has fallen just once every ten years.  Here are some additional findings:

 

• Snow in November isn't an indicator of a snowy winter.  In the 50 winters with November snowfalls, just one out of four had snowy winters (40 inches or more).  Of the 19 winters with 50" or more snowfall, ten didn't have measurable snow in November.  And fourteen winters that saw snow in November ended up with less than 20 inches of snow (the winter of 2018-19 finished just above that, with 20.5"). 

• Three winters had their most snow in November: 1882-83 (14.0"); 1938-39 (12.8") and 1989-90 (4.7").  However, the snowiest November on record, 1898's 19.0", wasn't the snowiest month that winter, as 25.3" fell in February 1899.  

• The highest concentration of November snowfalls occurred in the twelve-year span between 1871 and 1882, when measurable snow fell in eight of them.  This was followed closely by the ten years between 1931 and 1940 when snow fell in seven of the years.  By far the longest stretch of years without measurable snow in November was the 15-year period between 1997 and 2011 (but six of the winters had 40+ inches of snow).

• The most consecutive years with an inch or more of snow in November is three: 1896 (5.0"), 1897 (2.3") and 1898 (19.0"). 

• Seven Novembers had more than one snow event; all but one were in the 19th century.  The outlier was November 1938.

• Finally, measurable snow has fallen in October in four years.  In three of those years snow also fell in November.  The only year without a November snowfall was in 2011.

 

NOVEMBERS WITH SNOW IN PAST 50 YEARS
	Snow (in Inches)
	November	Winter Total
2018	6.4	20.5
2014	0.2	50.3
2012	4.7	26.1
1996	0.1	10.0
1995	2.9	75.6
1989	4.7	13.4
1987	1.1	19.1
1978	2.2	29.4
1977	0.2	50.7
1974	0.1	13.1

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Autumn Warm Spells - When Summer Keeps Hangin' On

 

 

Although the general public often refers to warm spells in the fall as "Indian Summer," most occur before the first frost arrives (which, compared to the suburbs, comes weeks later to Manhattan/Central Park).  This analysis goes back to 1950 and looks at warm spells that have occurred mostly in October and November (with some beginning in late September).  For my purposes I focused on those that were at least four days in length.

 

LENGTHIEST

Two-thirds of the years since 1950 have had warm spells of four or more days (including the ten of the eleven years between 2010 and 2020).  Seventeen years had two or more, with 1953 experiencing four.  There have been ten warm spells that lasted ten days or more, the most recent being in the autumn of 2006.  The lengthiest was twenty-one days, which has occurred twice, in 1959 and 1984.

 

MOST ABOVE AVERAGE

There have been thirty-nine warm spells in autumn that averaged ten degrees above average or more (based on daily mean temperature).  The five-day heat wave of Sept. 22-26, 1970 was the most above average, +18 degrees, with four of the five days experiencing highs in the 90s. 

 

LENGTHIEST AUTUMN WARM SPELLS
(SINCE 1950)
		# of	Average		Degrees
Year	Dates	Days	High	Low	Above
1959	Sept 21-Oct 11	21	81	65	+11
1984	Oct 11-31	21	70	57	+ 8
1973	Sept 27-Oct 15	19	74	57	+ 6
1995	Oct 2-14	13	76	58	+ 7
1986	Sept 23-Oct 4	12	79	64	+ 8
1979	Nov 18-28	11	65	52	+14
1994	Oct 30-Nov 9	11	69	52	+ 9
1990	Oct 6-15	10	80	65	+13
2006	Nov 8-17	10	63	53	+10
1970	Oct 6-15	10	74	60	+ 9
WARM SPELLS WITH GREATEST DEPARTURE
FROM AVERAGE
		# of	Average		Degrees
Year	Dates	Days	High	Low	Above
1970	Sept 22-26	5	90	72	+18
1950	Oct 29-Nov 2	5	79	58	+17
2020	Nov 6-11	6	73	58	+16
1979	Oct 20-23	4	81	65	+16
1991	Nov 19-23	5	67	54	+16
1954	Oct 10-15	6	82	64	+15
1961	Nov 3-6	4	73	59	+15
1963	Oct 24-27	4	79	57	+15
1979	Nov 18-28	11	65	52	+14
1971	Oct 26-Nov 3	9	72	60	+14
1975	Nov 2-10	9	72	57	+14
2007	Oct 3-9	7	82	66	+14

 

 

 

 

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New York Weather History: November (1869 - 2023)

 

 

November 1

November 2

November 3

November 4

November 5

November 6

November 7

November 8

November 9

November 10

November 11

November 12

November 13

November 14

November 15

November 16

November 17

November 18

November 19

November 20

November 21

November 22

November 23

November 24

November 25

November 26

November 27

November 28

November 29

November 30

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Today in New York Weather History: November 30

 

1875 (Tuesday)

It was a bitterly cold day, with a high/low of just 14°/5° (31 degrees below average).  This was not only the earliest date for a reading in the single digits, but for a high in the teens.  It was also colder than any day of the winter to come (based on mean temperature).

 

1896 (Monday)

The City was shoveling out from a five-inch snowfall (that started the day before), three days after the high reached 72° (a record that still stands).

 

1898 (Wednesday)

Just three days after a snowstorm dumped ten inches of snow, a snowfall of six inches accumulated today.  (And three inches had fallen on 11/24.)  The nineteen inches of snow that fell in the past seven days is the most on record for November.

 

1929 (Saturday)

Today's frigid high/low of 23°/12° made this New York's coldest day in November in the 20th century (based on mean temperature); these temperatures would be well below average even in the dead of winter.

 

 

1933 (Thursday)

Today's high of 69° was not only Nov. 1933's mildest reading, it was the mildest reading of any Thanksgiving Day (a record that's still standing).  Ironically, this touch of springtime occurred during the 10th coldest November on record (now ranked 11th).

 

1941 (Sunday)

Today's high and that of the previous three days: 61°-60°-59°-58°.  (On average, highs at the end of November are typically in the upper 40s.) 

 

1962 (Friday)

Today was the only day in November with a high in the 60s (62°), making this the only November in the years since 1950 (through 2023) to have just one such day.    

 

1967 (Thursday)

Snow moved in during early afternoon and by midnight 3.2" had accumulated.  Before the snow began the temperature rose to 38° late in the morning then dropped to 32° once the flakes began flying, and into the upper 20s by late afternoon.  This was the biggest November snowfall since 1938.  (Although this would be the last time a snowfall of an inch or more occurred on this date, thru 2023, 11/30 remains the day most likely to see an inch or more of snow in November.)

 

1976 (Tuesday)

November ended on a very cold note as the high/low of 27°/17° was nineteen degrees colder than average.  The morning low was the coldest reported in November since 1955 (when a low of 16° was reported on the 29th).

 

1977 (Wednesday)

Off and on showers amounted to 0.38", bringing the month's total precipitation to 12.26".  This was 0.15" shy of the November record set five years earlier.  Still, it was enough to make it the fifth wettest month on record (it's since fallen to eleventh). 

 

 

1979 (Friday)

The mildest November on record (until 2001) ended on a cold note, with a high/low of 41°/29°, six degrees below average.  Skies were clear.

 

1991 (Saturday)

Today's very balmy high of 70° was twenty-one degrees above average, and a record for the date.  This came a year and a day after a record-tying high of 69°.

 

2005 (Wednesday)

1.28" of rain fell in a three-hour period between 11 PM last night and 2 AM today.

 

2006 (Thursday)

It was ironic that the last day of November was the mildest day of the month (oddly, tied with the first day of the month) as today's high/low of 69°/58° was more typical for early October - and 21 degrees above average.

 

 

2011 (Wednesday)

November was 4.2 degrees milder than average and was the eighth month in a row with above-average temperatures.  This followed nine consecutive months in 2010 with above average temps (March thru November).

 

2012 (Friday)

This November was the opposite of last year's as it was 3.8 degrees chillier than average, making it the coldest since 1996.  However, although nineteen mornings had lows in the 30s, only three were at freezing or colder (the coldest reading was 31°) - and they all occurred early in the month (11/6-8).

 

 

2015 (Monday)

The mildest November on record (passing Nov. 2001 by 0.1 degree) ended on a chilly note, three degrees below average (high/low of 47°/33°).  This would be the last day of the year with a colder than average mean temperature.  (November 2020 would top this November by 0.2 degrees.)

 

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Today in New York Weather History: November 29

 

1882 (Wednesday)

A snowfall of nine inches followed, by four days, a 4.5" snowfall.  And with a high/low of 27°/23°, today was the fourth day in a row with a high of 32° or colder. 

 

1902 (Saturday)

Today's low of 34° was the coldest reading of the month, making this the first November whose coldest low wasn't 32° or colder.  (A typical November in 1870-1900 averaged eight such readings.)

 

1903 (Sunday)

For the fifth day in a row the high was 32° or colder (average high in late November is in the mid-40s).

 

1955 (Tuesday)

With a high of only 28°/16°, this was one of the the coldest days in November this century - twenty degrees below average.

 

1974 (Friday)

For the third day in a row the high was 43°, five degrees below average.

 

1976 (Monday)

0.32" of the month's 0.34" of precipitation fell this morning (the only other day with rain was 11/10).  This became the driest November on record (breaking the 1930 record of 0.60"), and the ninth driest month overall (now ranked tenth).  It was also the first time since November 1974 that a month had less than an inch of precipitation.

Additionally, temperatures fell throughout the day, dropping from 48° to 26°.  This was the beginning of a ten-week period (thru the first week of February) of unrelenting cold, in which temperatures averaged eight degrees below average.

 

 

1985 (Friday)

It was a gray day with just two degrees separating the high (38°) and low (36°).

 

1990 (Thursday)

A cold front produced showers mostly between 1-2 AM, amounting to 0.11".  This rain brought November's total precipitation to 2.82", the tenth time a month has received this amount of precipitation - the most times of any monthly amount.

1995 (Wednesday)

2.9" of snow fell this morning, the first snowfall of what would be a record-setting 75.6" during the upcoming winter.  Today's snow was the last in November of one inch or more until 2012.

 

 

 

2016 (Tuesday)

It was a mild (high of 60°) and rainy day.  The 2.20" that fell during the 12-hour period between 9 AM and 9 PM was a record for the date, and came just two weeks after a rainstorm of 1.81".  No day in the last ten days of any November has ever had this much rain.  Today's amount was the most in a 24-hour period since Dec. 9, 2014.  Finally, with today's two+ inches, this became the wettest November in ten years (since 7.34" fell in 2006).

 

 

 

2023 (Wednesday)

With a high of 38°/27° this was the coldest day since 2/25.  These cold temperatures were fitting for tonight's  lighting of the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center.

 

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Today in New York Weather History: November 28

 

1880 (Sunday)

This was the eighth day in a row with a high of 32° or colder.  The average high during this unseasonably cold streak was 29°/18°.

 

1901 (Thursday)

Today would have been quite cold even by the standards of mid-winter as the high/low was only 26°/19°, making this the coldest Thanksgiving Day of the 20th century (based on mean temperature). 

 

1905 (Tuesday)

Today had the first significant rainfall of the past 38 days, a period in which just 0.20" fell.  0.56" fell during the PM hours and continued the following day, with an additional 1.01" measured.

 

1930 (Friday)

Similar to 1901, today would have been quite cold even by the standards of mid-winter as the high/low was only 27°/15° (21 degrees below average).  During the morning, wind chills were in the single digits.  Four days later would be equally cold, with a high of 26°/16° (and winds gusting to 37 mph produced sub-zero wind chills).

 

  

 

1937 (Sunday)

For the second time in the past fifteen days the City had a rainstorm that produced more than two inches of rain.  (And the two days' high/lows were nearly identical, at 61°/49° and 61°/50°.)  These two storms accounted for 4.52" of the month's 4.73" in precipitation.

 

1979 (Wednesday)

Today was the ninth day in a row with a mean temperature 10 degrees or more above average.  The average high/low during these nine days was 66°/53°, sixteen degrees above normal - more typical of late April.

 

1980 (Friday)

1.05" of rain fell between 10 AM and 1 PM.  1.68" fell during the entire rain event.

 

 

1985 (Thursday)

It was a raw and rainy Thanksgiving Day.  The high/low was just 41°/37° and 1.15" of rain fell, mostly during the afternoon and evening.  At the time it tied 1935 as the rainiest Turkey Day (which also fell on 11/28).  This amount was later topped in 2006.  

 

1993 (Sunday)

It rained for most of the morning (3 AM-noon), but well over half of the 1.45" total, 0.89", fell in just 60 minutes (10:09-11:09 AM) - and of that amount, 0.44" poured down in a 15-minute period.   

 

1994 (Monday)

1.05" of rain fell today, ending by 5 PM.  This was the fifth time an inch or more of rain fell on this date since 1980.  (It hasn't happened since.)  And on Nov. 28, 1988, also a Monday, 1.05" of rain fell as well.

 

1996 (Thursday)

It was a very cold Thanksgiving Day as the temperature stayed below freezing the entire day (high/low of 31°/23°) - the first time in seven years this happened in November.  Additionally, the first measurable snow of the season dusted Central Park with 0.1".  (The next snowfall wouldn't be for another six weeks, on Jan. 9.)

 

2011 (Monday)

Today's high of 70° was twenty-one degrees above average and a record for the date.  It was the warmest reading in seven weeks, since a high of 73° on 10/11.  In the past three weeks temperatures were six degrees above average, with eight days having highs of 65° or warmer.

 

 

2013 (Thursday)

This was the third consecutive Thanksgiving to fall on 11/28 with a subfreezing temperature at the start of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  This year it was 30° at 9 AM (in 2002 it was 27° and in 1996 it was 26°).

 

 

 

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Today in New York Weather History: November 27

 

1896 (Friday)

With a high/low of 72°/60°, today's mean temperature of 62.0 was the mildest since 9/30.  (Three days later there would be a five-inch snowfall.)

 

1917 (Tuesday)

For the third day in a row the high was colder than 32° (average high at the end of November is in the upper 40s).  Highs/lows of the three days: 30°/21°, 31°/21°, and 31°/19° (today).

 

1924 (Thursday)

Sunny skies and temperatures in the upper 30s greeted parade goers who lined the streets for Macy's first Thanksgiving Day Parade.  The day's high and low were a seasonable 49°/34°. 

 

1931 (Friday)

Light snow during the daylight hours accumulated 2.0", which would be the biggest snowfall of the winter, a winter that saw just 5.1" of snow.  During the hours when the snow fell the temperature was in the low 30s.  Today's snow was the most to fall in November since 1898, when there were snowfalls of ten, six and three inches.  This was also the 1,000th time since record-keeping began in 1869 that measurable snow fell in Central Park.  (The 2,000th snowfall would occur 73 years later, on 12/28/04).

 

1932 (Sunday)

The morning low of 12° at 6 AM was a 40-degree drop from 26 hours earlier.  Winds gusting between 15-25 mph produced a wind chill around -5°.  This low tied Nov. 29, 1929 as the  coldest reading reported in November during the 20th/21st centuries. 1938 (Sunday)

Just six weeks after the latest 90-degree reading on record (which still stands), back-to-back snowstorms dropped nearly 13 inches of snow in four days.  The first, on 11/24-25 (beginning the night of Thanksgiving Day) amounted to 8.8", while the snowfall that ended before dawn today (after beginning late last night) brought an additional four inches.  The high/low during these four days was 32°/20°, which was 18 degrees below average.  This would be the snowiest month of the winter, and the third snowiest November on record (after Nov. 1898 and 1881).

 

 

1975 (Thursday)

0.45" of rain fell between 5 AM-1 PM, making for a damp Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

 

1976 (Saturday)

With a high/low of 61°/54°, today was the mildest day of the month (18 degrees above average).  The high of 61° was the coolest maximum reading in the month of November since 1947 (also 61°).  It would also be the last 60-degree day for more than three months (until March 5).

 

1977 (Sunday)

The first measurable snow of the winter, 0.2", fell between 9-10 PM.  It was also the coldest day of the month, with a high/low of 33°/29°, eleven degrees below average.

 

 

1978 (Monday)

For the second year in a row the season's first snowfall occurred on this date - but this year's was more substantial.  It fell mostly between 9 AM and 1 PM and amounted to 2.2".  However, it was largely washed away during the evening when the snow changed to rain as the temperature rose into the mid-30s (but still 13 degrees colder than average).

 

1990 (Tuesday)

Today's and the previous three days' lows were: 44° (today)-43°-44°-43° (five degrees above average).  The day's high temperatures didn't exhibit a similar pattern.

 

1999 (Saturday)

Today was the eighth day in a row in which temperatures were 10 degrees or more milder than average.  The average high and low during these days, 63°/52°, was 12 degrees above typical late November temperatures.

 

2013 (Wednesday)

The 2.49" of rain that poured down from a nor'easter that moved in last night (when 0.51" of the storm's total fell) was more rain than what fell in the previous 11 weeks (since 9/12).  Winds gusted between 30 and 40 mph.  The high temperature of 62° occurred shortly after daybreak and fell steadily through the day.

 

 

 

2014 (Thursday)

It was a raw and gray Thanksgiving Day, with temperatures in the 30s (high/low of 38°/34°).  Snow flurries fell during the Macy's parade.

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Today in New York Weather History: November 26

 

 

Since 1970, along with Oct. 28, Nov. 26 is the date most likely to have reported an inch or more of precipitation.  It's happened in six years: 1979, 1986, 1996, 2000, 2007 and 2014 (and in 1998, 0.97" of rain fell).  

 

1940 (Tuesday)

For the sixth year in a row the first measurable snow of the winter fell in November.  This year's amounted to 1.7" and fell after dark; at times the snow was mixed with sleet.

 

 

1979 (Monday)

It was a mild (mid-60s) and very windy day (gusts to 40 mph), with periodic downpours through early evening that amounted to 1.26".

 

1981 (Thursday)

Between 11/20 and today, each day's low temperature was colder than the previous day, dropping from 50° on 11/19 (ten degrees above average) to 29° today (nine below average).  Today's reading was also the coldest of the month.

 

1986 (Wednesday)

A 12-hour rainstorm between 9 AM-9 PM dumped 1.72" of rain, with 0.51" falling in a 60-minute period shortly before the rain came to an end (6:46-7:46PM).

 

1996 (Tuesday)

1.91" of rain fell this morning, a record amount for the date (breaking the previous record from 1900 by 0.01").

 

1998 (Thursday)

Two-thirds of the month's below-average rainfall fell today (0.97"), most of it between 7 AM-noon. Today was also Thanksgiving Day, and half of the day's rain poured down during the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade.  Until today, it appeared this was going to be the second driest November on record (but it ended up being 18th driest - now 19th). 

 

2014 (Wednesday)

A coastal storm on this day before Thanksgiving brought 1.25" of rain.  It also produced the season's first snowfall, but it was just 0.2", as the temperature never got colder than 34°.  However, significant snowfall (six inches+) piled up in northern NJ, eastern PA, NY State and New England.  This early winter storm came just two days after the temperature reached 69° in Central Park.

 

2018 (Monday)

Rain fell from late afternoon onward, and 0.85" was measured (thru midnight).  This amount brought November's total precipitation to 7.57", making it the wettest November since 1988 (and seventh wettest of all Novembers).  It also brought the year's total precipitation to 58.99", making it one of the ten wettest.  Lastly, this became just the ninth year to have three or more months with seven or more inches of precipitation (later joined by 2021).

 

 

2020 (Thursday)

A pre-dawn deluge (0.79" fell) was a distant memory by this afternoon when the sun came out and the temperature rose into the mid-60s.  Not only was today's high of 65° tied for third warmest on Thanksgiving Day (behind 1933's 69° and 2007's 66°), the low of 55° was the mildest of any Turkey Day, as was the mean temperature of 60.0°.  

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Today in New York City Weather History: November 25

 

1926 (Thursday)

For the second year in a row the high/low on Thanksgiving Day was 43°/32°; skies were clear in both years as well.

 

1950 (Saturday)

One of the strongest nor'easters of the 20th century lashed New York on what was the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  Howling winds gusted as high as 70 mph, and 1.58" of rain fell between 6 AM and 8 PM.  Temperatures dropped steadily during the day, from 59° to 36°.  This storm produced very heavy snowfall in Pennsylvania and the Appalachians, including 27.4" in Pittsburgh (over the course of three days).

 

 

 

1971 (Thursday)

Beginning late last night and continuing through this morning, a nor'easter lashed the area.  1.06" of rain fell, making this the rainiest Thanksgiving Day since 1935.  Besides the wind and rain, it was also cold, with a high/low of 39°/33°.  Ferocious winds, with a peak gust of 63 mph in Central Park, produced wind chills that were in the low 20s.  The high winds forced parade officials to ground the famed balloons of Macy's parade - the only time this has happened.   

 

1972 (Saturday)

This was the twelfth day in a row with below average temperatures.  During this stretch, temperatures were eight degrees below average. 

 

1974 (Monday)

The first measurable snow of the season, albeit a minuscule 0.1", fell between 10-11 PM.

 

1978 (Saturday)

It was a windy day, with slowly falling temperatures.  The mercury dropped to 32° after 11 PM, the first freezing temperature of the fall (about a week later than usual).

 

1979 (Sunday)

Today's morning low was a balmy 63° and the afternoon high reached a May-like 72°, resulting in a daily mean temperature that was a whopping 25 degrees above average. 

 

 

 

2000 (Saturday)

Today was the sixth day in a row with a low of freezing or colder, the longest such streak in November in the years since 1940 (later equaled in November 2008).

 

2001 (Sunday)

Half of the month's paltry rainfall fell in two hours this evening (6-8:00 PM), when 0.72" was measured. 

 

2004 (Thursday)

It was a mild Thanksgiving Day, with temperatures in the 60s during the morning hours, but after peaking at 65° in the early afternoon, a cold front moved through and the mercury fell 30 degrees by midnight.

 

2009 (Wednesday)

There was just a two-degree variation between today's high (51°) and low (49°).  Although the high was average for the date, the low was ten degrees above average.

 

2023 (Saturday)

The low of 30° was the first reading of 32° or colder this season,  a few days later than the average date.  (But it was the latest date since 2016.)  Today's reading was the coldest low temperature since 3/19. 

 

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