Monthly retrospective for November 2015

It was a notably mild but wet month for most and very dull in the south, though sunshine was near average in the far north. The (Hadley) CET mean temperature was near 9.6C, a full 3C above the average. The record for the highest ever temperature recorded in the UK in November was broken on November 1st with 22.4C at Trawscoed, Ceredigion.

November saw temperature anomalies range from about 1-2C above average in the north to over 3C above in the central south. One of the warmest places by day was Guernsey with a mean maximum temperature of 13.7C. The coldest mean minimum by night was 2.3C at Aboyne in the Highlands. Pressure was 6mb below average in the far northern Isles but 4mb above in the Channel Isles, attesting to the strong pressure gradients at times.

November was a notably wet month in places, Shap Fell in Cumbria saw about 230% of it normal rainfall and compared to its 25% last month Edinburgh saw 215% of its normal rainfall. However, parts of the far south & SW were drier, Scilly saw just 67% of its average but mostly amounts were between 125-150% of average rainfall.

Generally, it was rather duller than average right across the UK as a whole away from the far north & Highlands, Odiham (Hants) saw just 30% of its expected average (just 22 hours all month) and much of the south of the UK saw figures between 35-60% of average.

Frost was below average everywhere and there was little snowfall on the whole away from the Highlands and far north but on the 30th Aviemore (Highlands) reported 9cm of level snow. After a quiet calm first week it was a windy month at times and three storms were named by the UKMO, using their new storm naming system: Abigail, Barney and Clodagh, of which details can be found below.

By the end of November sea temperature anomalies were still about a degree above average around most eastern UK coasts though nearer 1-2C degrees around the north east of England & E Scotland but about 1-2C below average around NW'ern coasts and slightly below average around south western coasts. Soil temperatures were almost uniformly above average everywhere away from Highland Scotland and soil moisture was generally slightly below average in parts of the SW and slightly above average more generally but in places like Wales, Scotland and the NW of England rather above average.

 

Now looking at November in more detail.

Quite a start to November! On November 1st, the UK's November temperature record was broken, with 22.4C (72.3F) being reached in Trawsgoed, Ceredigion, the previous record was also in Wales, where temperatures reached 21.7C (71.1F) in Prestatyn in 1946. A new Irish November record of 20.1 deg. C. at Dooks, Co. Kerry, was also set. The record temperature developed under a ridge of high pressure over the UK but to the south, mild southerlies and humid air had brought high partial thicknesses awaiting the days weak sunshine to bring the record warmth about. However equally under the high pressure poor visibility overnight was slow to clear & caused thick fog in many inland areas in the south & Midlands which led to the cancellation of about 50 flights at Heathrow airport. The foggy conditions across the UK and Europe caused a lot of disruption to flights. The fog returned or thickened by early evening. Bristol airport saw a visibility less than 40 metres for many hours. A five year old was injured in a crashed car alongside a dead driver in Crakemarsh near Uttoxeter, Staffordshire. A spokesman for West Midlands Ambulance Service said the car appeared to have hit a tree in very foggy conditions. Elsewhere, a man died when his car came off the road in thick fog in Barnetby Top, Lincolnshire, on Sunday morning. Humberside Police said the poor visibility had hampered their investigations at the scene.

The UK's 2nd November temperature record was broken, with 22.3C being reached in Trawsgoed, Ceredigion, almost 3C higher than the previous date record, as warm air aloft descended in the lee of mountains. Once again with high pressure dominating across the UK thick fog developed overnight and disrupted road & air travel across the UK for a second day. Heathrow airport said around 45 flights had been cancelled, and others affected include London City, Manchester, Leeds Bradford, Glasgow, Belfast and Cardiff. Fog in parts of Europe was also having a knock-on effect on UK flights. At 0700, official Met Office figures put visibility at just 100m at Leeds Bradford, Manchester and Luton airports, and only 150m at Stansted, Heathrow, Gatwick and Doncaster Sheffield. The 3rd saw another rather foggy day in parts of the north esp in Scotland, Glasgow was in thick fog much of the day, though Eskdalemuir in Dumfries and Galloway had its warmest November day on record reaching 16.3C and Braemar (Highlands) reached 17.0C with 7.6 hours of sunshine in Kinloss on the NE Scottish coast.

The 4th saw a wet night in parts of the south with an small area nr Groombridge seeing nearly 20mm in the 12 hours to 0900 GMT (from radar estimates) with 15mm quite widespread in parts of Essex, Kent and E Sussex. A station at Tonbridge (Kent) unofficially reported 10mm in a hour around 5am. Drier but rather colder in the north though, with thick fog still an issue in places, Braemar (Highlands) fell to -3.8C and only rose to 5.5C by day. The 5th saw a very mild night in the south with St Catherines Point on the Isle of Wight not falling below 14C. The 7th saw a very mild TM airmass cover the UK with temperatures reaching 18.3C at Hull (E Yorks). However, it was also very windy in the exposed SW and on some south coasts. Hurst Point, Milford (Hants) unofficially gusted to 71mph & Prawle Point, Devon & Rame Head in Cornwall gusted unofficially to 67mph, inland in Cornwall Landrake gusted unofficially to 65mph. In inland Devon, Yeovilton saw a gust to 57mph mid morning. Very wet in a lot of north and west Wales as well with Capel Curig (Conwy) seeing 43mm in the 24 hours to 2100, in what became a very wet month indeed for Capel.

With a rather deep low pressure to the NW and fronts running east across the northern & western UK today the 8th became wet and windy in the NW, Keswick (Cumbria) saw 43mm of rain in the 24 hours to 2100 partly due to orographic enhancement . It gusted to 67mph at Drumalbin in SW Scotland It was sunless as well almost everywhere but generally very mild. The 9th was another very unsettled day and the 2nd wettest day of year in fact with Capel Curig in Conwy, N Wales reporting 95mm  in the 24 hours to 2100, & 173mm in the 72 hours to 2100. Very mild too, Murlough ( Co Down) saw 17.3C reached but it was quite windy in the west with 69mph at Lerwick in the Shetland Isles.

The 10th was exceptionally mild and the warmest night on record was recorded in November, Murlough (Co Down) not falling below 16.1C thus beating the previous record of 15.9C in Eastbourne. This was about 12C above the November average for the area. Then, there was the mildest November 10th on record with Murlough (Co Down) also reaching 18.5C & beating the previous daily UK record of 18.1C. This also matched N. Irelands all time highest November maximum. It was very much Murlough's day.  Another wet day in Wales too with 48mm at Capel Curig (Conwy) in the 24 hours until 2100 making a total of 221mm (9 inches) of rain at Capel Curig in the 96 hours to 2100. The 11th was another very mild day in places, Hawarden ( Yorks) reached 17.2C, wet too in places prone to orographic enhancement, Bridgefoot (Cumbria) recorded 32mm in the 24 hours to 2100.

On the 12th a rather deep low moved NW of NW Scotland (dubbed 'Abigail' by the Met Office) and brought a spell of strong winds in the extreme NW. A roadside weather station on the A857 on Harris in the Outer Hebrides unofficially reported a max wind gust of 90mph in the late evening. Lerwick (Shetland) reached 81mph, Sule Skerry (60km west of Orkney) 80mph. Further south in the early morning an early squall moved east along the Devon & Dorset coasts & brought an unofficial gust of 74mph on Portland Breakwater. (Dorset). The winds affected ferries in the NW Isles, many of which were cancelled. Supplies to 20,000 properties were hit, in the Western Isles, Shetland, Skye, Colonsay, Argyll and Angus. but these were mainly due to lightning strikes & not winds.

The 14th saw wet and windy weather move east across the UK with some high orographically related rainfall totals recorded. It was again very mild in many parts. A gust of 73mph was reported at Lake Vrynwy in Powys, N Wales late in the day. The 15th though initially clear & chilly in the far north where Kinbrace (Sutherland) fell to -3.3C saw a very windy night in exposed spots in parts of England and Wales. In Wales Lake Vyrnwy gusted to 81mph partly due to lee wave activity, Emley Moor gusted to 66mph and Aberdaron in west Wales 66mph. Prawle Point in south Devon unofficially gusted to 60mph and inland Hawarden (N Yorks) to 58mph. It was very wet too, in the 24 hours to 09Z parts of the Lake District saw over 150mm of rain, mainly due to orographic enhancement. Parts of North & central Wales and western Northern Ireland may have seen between 125-150mm as well. In Cumbria, the main A66 route was flooded at Threlkeld, some of the worst hit areas were in West and North Yorkshire. The River Wharfe burst its banks in a number of places as it surged through Ilkley, Otley and Pool, north of Leeds. Northern Trains had to cancel a large number of services after lines were flooded in West Yorkshire, including in Hebden Bridge and Leeds. It was very mild however in places, Leeming reached 17.4C.

The 16th was wet in the far north where Tyndrum (Highlands) saw 41mm in the 24 hours to 21Z and very windy too in N Wales overnight: a gust of 88mph was reported at the exposed Capel Curig site in N Wales and 81mph at Aberdaron in west Wales. The 17th was another very unsettled though mild day. Initially as a low moved away there were some strong winds in N Scotland overnight , Fair Isle gusted to 70mph & South Uist (outer Hebrides) gusted to 67mph. Then, as a rather deep low ('Barney' - the second UK storm strong enough to be named) ran across S Ireland & the Irish sea and through central northern England it gave a swathe of strong winds in the descending dry air on its west & SW flanks. Along with severe gales across Ireland, even inland, (where 45,000 were left without power and Shannon recorded its highest ever November wind gust of 81mph, along with a number of other Irish stations) this saw winds gust to 85mph at Aberdaron in west Wales, but also to a rather high strength in parts of Wales, the Midlands eastern England and East Anglia as well. Gusts of 68mph were reported at Liverpool Crosby and Bala, Shawbury, Hawarden & Wittering reached 66mph, Southend saw 65mph and Andrewsfield, Bedford, Lakenheath & Wainfleet saw 63mph, Pressure was rising 13.2mb in 3 hours at Glannanne in N Ireland at 2000. It was however very mild in parts of the south & SW, Yeovilton (Somerset) reached 17.2C. Quite wet too in parts of the far north, Cassley (Highlands) saw 33mm in the 24 hours to 2100.

Homes were left without power in Wales, the Midlands, and in southern and eastern England. Damaged train lines caused disruption to rail services . On Tuesday, about 7500 customers were without power in Wales and 2200 in Oxfordshire. Engineers worked to reconnect homes left without power, with extra staff working in north Wales and north-west England. Western Power said more than 3,000 homes - mainly in Derbyshire Worcestershire & Shropshire - were still cut off on Wednesday morning. In South Wales Fire and Rescue Service said a flat roof blew off in strong winds in Portmead and a second flat roof fell into the road on Victoria Road, Port Talbot. Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service dealt with a range of call-outs, including structural damage, loose tiles and collapsed scaffolding. Roads were blocked by fallen trees, including key A-routes in north, mid and west Wales and Arriva Trains Wales said the wind was causing disruption on the line between Llandudno, Conwy county, and Holyhead on Anglesey. Also major roads, including the M48 in Gloucestershire & M25 in Essex were affected.

On the 18th winds continued to abate as the low ran east into the North Sea bringing strong winds to NE France & the Low Countries for a time (Dunkirk, France reported 77mph & Hoorn-a-sea (Holland) reported a gust of 75mph). It was very wet in places too, Shap in Cumbria recorded 45mm in the 24 hours to 2100. Pressure was rising 11.5mb at Leeming (N Yorks) at 0000, winds were still gusting to 62mph at Wainfleet (Lincs). By the afternoon a further deep low pressure with its associated fronts was moving towards N Scotland and bringing more wet and windy weather here. It was also windy across the Peak District and Southern Pennines with a roadside weather station unofficially reporting a gust of 78mph at the high level 'Cat and Fiddle' pass, and 71mph again unofficially on the A628 at Windle Edge around midday. It also became windy again along the exposed south coast, Prawle Point (south Devon) unofficially gusted to 63mph and Hurst Castle (Hants) to 72mph about 1430.

The 20th was again windy in the north & cold too, Sule Skerry reached 62mph. Snow showers fell in the far north & Highlands too, by the end of the day Aviemore (Highlands) had 3cm of snow. The 21st was a cold day in a N'ly flow with snow reported quite widely across the north & Midlands but also further south as well; there was 2cm or more snow cover reported at Bingley, Albermarle, Redesdale, Sennybridge, Little Rissington and Leek at 0600 with snow lying albeit briefly as far south as Beachy Head (East Sussex). Balmoral in the Highlands only reached -0.3C and Tulloch Bridge (also Highlands) fell to -4.7C at first and -8C on the grass despite the winds - it was very windy esp on expopsed NE & east coasts in a cold northerly based flow as well, Donna Nook (Lincs) reached 71mph. The 22nd saw a drier sunnier day in the west but still some wintry showers in the east. Benson (Oxon) fell to -5.6C overnight with -8C on the grass. At 0600 Aberdeen in north eastern Scotland reported 4cm of lying snow, & Leek (Yorks) still had 2cm at 0300. The 23rd saw a cold night initially in the south & east as milder Atlantic air worked in from the west. Benson (Oxon) fell to -5.5C. On the cold ground though Fylingdales (North Yorks) only reached 2.8C by day.

A quieter spell for a time but on the 29th a deep low pressure system (named 'Clodagh' by UKMO) ran across central Scotland, at around 980mb, towards the Baltic Sea with a very tight pressure gradient on the SW'ern flank of the low with a bent-back occlusion (and possible sting jet like feature) as it developed on a very zonal 200mph upper jet. Highest winds gusts were at the exposed Capel Curig (Powys) of 93 mph, unofficially on the A644 at Queensbury (W Yorks) of 88mph (unofficially) at Prawle Point (Devon) 81mph, at Emley Moor (W Yorks) of 75 mph, at Dundrennan (Dumfries & Galloway) of 75 mph and at Drumalbin (Lanarkshire) of 73 mph. Wet too in places, Shap (Cumbria) saw 33mm in the 24 hours to 2100 but rather cold in the far north & Highlands, with some snow, Braemar (Highlands) only reached 1.2C by day. In Wales ferry services from Pembrokeshire to Ireland were cancelled, as were Irish Ferries' fast craft sailings from Anglesey and the Severn Bridge M48 eastbound and Cleddau Bridge in Pembrokeshire were closed for a time. An accident at Cockley Hill Lane, Kirkheaton nr Leeds occurred as a man and woman were rescued by firefighters after their car was blown off a country lane by strong crosswinds & the road was closed. Various other minor accidents were reported around the UK with a number of trees felled by the strong winds.

On the 30th at 0600 there was 9cm on the ground at Aviemore & 7cm at Tulloch Bridge (Highland) with a -7C grass min at ground level on the snow cover overnight at Tulloch (Highlands) however, as a low pressure area ran east, wet and windy weather worked across the south & central regions once again. Winds gusted unofficially to 71mph at Prawle Point (Devon) and to 75mph at Aberdaron in west Wales.

 

David Wiseman disclaimer – Issued as a non commercial  ‘Not for profit’ forecast. The user assumes the entire risk related to its use of this data. I am providing this data "as is" and disclaim any and all warranties, whether express or implied, including (without limitation) any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. In no event will I, David Wiseman, or any related contactors be liable to you or to any third party for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, special or exemplary damages or lost profit resulting from any use or misuse of this data . Climate stats have been compiled with the partial use and help of UKMO news page data , with thanks. Other news data was compiled from many sources including UKww reports, news papers & some BBC local news reports.