Be aware of these 5 fall weather trends

Fall's reputation for clear, calm days doesn't always hold true. This can particularly be the case later in the season for some parts of the country.

Given it's a transitional time of year, there can be a little taste of everything: snowstorms, tornado outbreaks and even hurricanes. Here are five fall weather threats that are possible each year.

1.) A Second Tornado Season

The greatest chance of tornadoes in November is near the Gulf Coast.

The second half of October and especially November can often be a second season for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms.

With cold fronts and jet stream winds becoming stronger in the fall and warm, moist air available at times, the atmosphere can become unstable. As a result, severe thunderstorms with damaging winds, large hail and sometimes tornadoes can develop.

Most of the time, the second-season tornado outbreaks are in the Gulf Coast states where warm and moist air is more common, but they can sometimes spread farther north.

One such outbreak that occurred well away from the Gulf Coast occurred on Nov. 17, 2013. On that day, damaging tornadoes touched down in several Ohio Valley and Great Lakes states.

The largest fall tornado outbreak struck the South Nov. 21-23, 1992. A total of 105 tornadoes touched down in the three days, killing 26 people.

(MORE: The Second Severe Weather Season)

2.) 'November Witch' Storms With Strong, Damaging Winds

Strong low pressure system that affected the Great Lakes on Nov. 12, 2015 with high winds.(NOAA)

As temperature contrasts increase from north to south across the country, storm systems that develop are stronger in fall. The more intense those low pressure systems become, the stronger the winds they can produce.

Early November – and late October, for that matter – have a long, notorious history of intense Midwest windstorms. If you live in that region of the country, you may have heard the phrase "witches of November" used to describe these storms that often pack powerful winds.

Those low pressure systems can have winds so strong that they cause tree damage and power outages. One such "November Witch" struck parts of the Midwest and Great Lakes in early November of last year, downing trees and causing power outages.

The storms are also a major hazard for shipping on the Great Lakes. One of the most well known storms sank a huge iron-ore ship called the Edmund Fitzgerald while it was on Lake Superior in November 1975.

3.) Wet Snow

Big snowstorms in fall can sometimes be destructive.

The heavy, wet nature of most early-season snowfalls can weigh down tree branches and power lines, causing them to break.

Also playing a role is the fact that many trees may still have their leaves, adding extra weight to branches already being weighed down by snow.

Add the force of strong winds to this, and you could have a widespread mess of downed trees and power outages, sometimes lasting for days.

(MORE: 5 Major Early Fall Snowstorms)

One such storm dubbed "Snowtober" struck the Northeast Oct. 29-30, 2011.

Satellite image from Oct. 30, 2011, showing the swath of snow produced by Snowtober from West Virginia to southern New England.(NOAA)

This rare, major October snowstorm dumped more than a foot of snow from northeast Pennsylvania to southern Maine. Incredibly, parts of Massachusetts and New Hampshire saw more than 30 inches.

Trees were damaged and power lines were downed by the heavy, wet snow, causing more than 3 million to lose power. In some of the hardest hit areas, power was out for more than a week.

4.) Santa Ana Winds 

Typical Santa Ana setup.

Fall is the time of year when Santa Ana winds make a return to Southern California. These wind events are most common September through March.

Strong high-pressure systems that build into the interior West help to send offshore winds from the northeast or east through the canyons and passes located in the mountains of Southern California.

These wind events can have several impacts on Southern California, including:

• Low humidity levels, which makes the danger of wildfires high.
• Wind damage that can fan any ongoing wildfires.
• Wildfire danger is typically the highest in the fall because the vegetation is dry since Southern California is coming out of its summer dry season.
• The air that descends after passing over the mountains compresses and warms up, resulting in warmer-than-average temperatures in the valleys of Southern California. This is the reason why temperatures have been as hot as the upper 90s and even near 100 degrees into early November in Los Angeles.

5.) Hurricane Season Comes to a Close, But You Can't Let Your Guard Down Yet

Hurricane Wilma makes landfall in southwest Florida on Oct. 24, 2005.(NOAA)

As we saw with Hurricane Matthew in early October, the hurricane season still needs to be closely watched in October and into November,

In recent years there have been disastrous hurricanes impact the U.S. in late October, including Sandy in 2012 and Wilma in 2005.

Though exceedingly rare, three hurricanes have struck the U.S. in November. In 1985, Hurricane Kate made landfall in Florida just days before Thanksgiving.

November as a whole averages about one named storm every two years in the Atlantic.

The Atlantic hurricane season officially ends Nov. 30, but tropical storms and hurricanes can still develop even after that date.

(Source)