Even with rainfall from Hurricane Sandy, November 2012 was the second-driest November since 1895 in the U.S. Northeast, scientists said. With an average of 1.04 inches or precipitation, the region received only 27 percent of its normal level, researchers at Cornell University reported Wednesday. The record driest November was 1917 when the Northeast received only 0.88 inches of precipitation, they said. All states in the region were drier than average, the researchers found, ranging from 16 percent of normal in Connecticut to 37 percent of normal in New Jersey. The Northeast was also cooler than normal for November with an average temperature of 37.2 degrees, 2.5 degrees cooler than normal and the coolest November since 1997, the Cornell researchers said.