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graphs      CLIMATE-UK.COM'S  REVIEW  OF  THE  BRITISH  METEOROLOGICAL  SCENE
     MONTHLY  SUMMARY
     No. 587 For   NOVEMBER  2004
                         ANTICYCLONIC;  MOSTLY MILD, DRY AND DULL
Text Box: High pressure lay over or just to the west or southwest of the British Isles for most of the month, although there were brief northerly outbreaks around the 12th, 19th and 28th. Mean sea-level pressure was 5-10mbar above normal over the UK making it the most anticyclonic November, 2001 apart, in the last 50 years. High pressure over the UK on the 1st moved away east to be replaced by a sluggish southerly flow for a few days, but another anticyclone became anchored just southwest of Ireland from the 5th-12th with a moist west to northwesterly airflow covering the country. Most of this period was overcast and mild - especially so at night with minima typically between 8 and 12ºC - although the 4th was an isolated sunny day. Light rain fell frequently, and there were some heavier falls in northwest Scotland with Barra (Western Isles) collecting 32mm on the 5th; drizzle and hill fog were very persistent during the weekend of 6th/7th in many parts of the country. An active cold front introduced a northerly flow on the 12th/13th bringing much colder but much sunnier weather. The sun shone for 8.5 hours at Portland and Weymouth (both Dorset), on the 13th, and Benson (Oxon) recorded -5.6ºC overnight 13th/14th. However, westerlies soon returned, and it again became cloudy and mild until the 17th with highs of 13-16ºC. There was heavy rain at times in western Scotland and northwest England with 40mm at Stonyhurst (Lancs) and 39mm at Dalmally (Argyll) on the 16th. Another cold frontal zone moved southwards during the 17th/18th, stalling for a time over Wales and central England as a shallow wave ran eastward. A broad area of rain affected much of the country on the 18th with many parts of Wales, the Midlands and East Anglia collecting upwards of 25mm (32mm at Luton), and the rain turned to snow before dying out as Arctic air penetrated southwards. Up to 5cm of snow accumulated in the east Midlands and 9cm at Moel-y-Crio (Flintshire) as temperature falls of 8-9 degC in less than an hour were reported. After a sunny day on the 19th, further
Text Box: mostly light snow fell in southern England and south Wales on the 20th (although Cornwall and south Devon remained mild), while Scotland stayed fine but extremely cold. The day’s maximum at Loch Glascarnoch (Sutherland) was -3.8ºC and the minimum overnight 19th/20th at Kinbrace (also Sutherland) was -13.2ºC; both of these were the lowest in the UK in November since 1993. Other low minima included -11.5ºC at Loch Glascarnoch and -9.9ºC at Aviemore, while the lowest in England was -7.4ºC at Redesdale (Northumberland). Returning south-westerlies brought the cold spell to a rapid end on the 21st, but not before freezing rain had affected much of Scotland and northern England for several hours resulting in scores of road accidents. It became very wet in western Scotland, and the day’s rainfall totals included 50mm at Dalmally (Argyll) and 70mm at Cassley (Sutherland). A very mild but changeable spell followed until the 27th although high pressure was never far away and rainfall amounts were generally small. It turned colder on the 28th as the flow veered northerly and rain fell widely, but the last two days were mostly dry except in the northwest, with patchy frost and fog night and morning. Eskdalemuir dipped to -4.7ºC early on the 29th. Mean maxima were generally 0.0 to 1.0 degC above normal, while mean minima were 1.0-2.0 degC above. Overall, it was less mild than the last two Novembers, but it ranked 20th warmest in the last 100 years as measured by the CET. Rain fell frequently in small amounts, but rainfall totals were well below the long-term mean in most places and the England-and-Wales total of 51.8mm was just 52 per cent of the norm, and the lowest since 1988. Less than 20mm fell locally in northeast England and it was Durham’s driest November since 1958. Sunshine totals were below average except in eastern Scotland; a new monthly low was established at Valley (Anglesey) where sunshine recording began in 1946 and it was probably the dullest November in the Holyhead district since before 1913. It was also the dullest November in parts of Northern Ireland since 1962.
                                                                                                                                           
                       TEMPERATURE                                SUNSHINE                             RAINFALL                                                       
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                                          Highest and lowest totals                     Highest and lowest totals        
                                              on record for month    
Maximum fall in 24 hrs (beginning 09 h)
                    on record for month    
Days with snow or sleet
 
Days with fog (Vis <220 yards at 09 h)
 
                                                                                         
     
Difference from average
   
Difference from average
 
Highest maximum
   
Lowest minimum
   
No. of days with grass minimum below 0ºC
   
Days of no sunshine
 
Maximum duration
       
First year of record
         
Days of no rainfall (0.1 mm or less)
         
First year of record
         
Days with thunder
     
       PLACE  
Mean Maximum
   
Mean minimum
             
No. of air frosts
       
Total for month
                   
Total for month
                   
                               
% of average
                   
% of average
                 
                                                                     
                                   
Highest
   
Lowest
 
Year
             
Highest
   
Lowest
 
Year
       
             
Date
   
Date
         
Date
         
Year
         
Date
         
Year
           
                                                                     
      ºC       ºC       ºC       ºC             Hrs     Hrs         Hrs       Hrs       mm       mm         mm     mm          
                                                                                                                                           
  *Hampstead   10.3   +0.4   05.2   +0.9   13.9   04   -01.3   20   06   00   07   07.2   13   054   086   1910   109   1989   030   1932   13   17.7   18   043   063   1910   183   2002   05   1945   00   02   00  
  Thorney Island   11.4   +0.2   06.6   +1.0   14.7   12   -00.1   15   07   01   13   08.0   13   059   075   1958   125   1989   038   1994   12   07.4   20   029   037   1941   205   1970   07   1945   00   01   00  
  *Coltishall   10.2   +0.2   05.8   +1.6   14.3   03   -04.9   21   07   03   11   07.5   14   * 041   063   1979   103   1989   050   1983   14   13.6   18   049   074   1964   150   1970   21   1994   00   02   00  
  Wittering   09.9   +0.8   05.4   +1.3   13.5   22   -02.2   20   08   04   13   08.5   13   060   092   1950   110   1996   038   1968   13   22.9   18   041   071   1945   131   1970   11   1945   00   02   00  
                                                                     
  Lyneham   09.9   +0.2   05.4   +1.3   13.2   12   -01.0   14   10   01   11   08.1   13   050   071   1952   105   1971   026   1994   11   13.6   20   037   047   1945   145   1951   10   1945   00   02   00  
  Ross-on-Wye   10.8   +0.8   05.4   +0.8   15.0   03   -01.0   14   09   01   11   08.2   04   048   075   1914   108   1923   025   1945   15   06.1   20   031   043   1859   227   1929   11   1945   00   02   00  
  *St Athan   11.1   +0.9   06.8   +1.2   13.8   03   01.3   13   07   00   08   08.1   04   046   068   1954   106   1971   034   1994   12   28.6   20   072   070   1954   215   1970   32   1956   00   00   00  
  St Mawgan   11.6   +0.5   08.4   +1.5   13.8   24   03.3   29   00   00   07   07.8   29   062   085   1945   115   1989   036   1994   09   14.0   27   043   039   1944   236   2002   34   1945   00   00   01  
                                                                     
  *Edgbaston   09.6   +0.6   06.1   +1.7   13.4   12   00.4   19   08   00   13   05.5   13   037   060   1887   099   1977   014   1912   13   22.2   18   039   056   1887   198   1951   17   1920   00   02   00  
  Valley   11.0   +0.2   08.0   +1.2   13.5   16   01.9   19   02   00   14   06.6   10   * 032   050   1946   089   1989   034   1946   08   17.2   18   072   069   1941   219   2000   27   1983   00   00   00  
  Ringway   10.2   +0.9   05.7   +1.2   13.3   03   -02.7   14   08   06   13   07.6   13   035   061   1945   089   1975   024   1946   06   16.6   18   080   102   1942   179   2000   11   1945   00   01   00  
  *Watnall   09.8   +0.7   05.5   +1.4   13.3   22   -01.8   21   07   03   10   07.7   13   043   067   1948   100   1988   031   2002   11   14.2   18   035   062   1942   145   1951   07   1945   00   02   00  
                                                                     
  Leeming   10.3   +1.0   04.5   +0.7   14.9   17   -06.5   21   10   06   07   07.7   04   058   105   1945   111   1947   027   1946   12   05.6   18   016   027   1944   149   1951   10   1945   00   02   01  
  *Boulmer   10.4   +1.3   05.3   +1.2   14.9   07   -02.3   21   07   01   09   07.8   04   056   080   1945   109   1947   025   1968   10   07.4   27   026   040   1945   163   1984   13   1973   00   02   00  
  Eskdalemuir   08.4   +0.9   03.6   +1.6   12.7   06   -04.7   29   13   07   18   07.2   13   046   087   1911   089   1925   020   1946   07   11.6   30   089   057   1911   297   1938   18   1945   00   04   01  
  *Bishopton   09.9   +0.8   05.3   +2.0   13.3   07   -03.4   21   07   04   12   07.4   10   048   097   1921   090   1996   023   1941   08   15.2   21   066   063   1921   205   1938   08   1945   00   02   01  
                                                                     
  Leuchars   10.0   +1.1   04.3   +1.0   13.9   07   -04.9   21   08   04   09   08.1   04   082   116   1922   109   1947   033   1968   19   11.2   16   042   068   1922   194   1963   11   1942   00   02   00  
  Dyce   09.7   +1.2   04.4   +1.6   15.9   11   -08.3   21   08   04   07   06.7   04   058   093   1941   097   1996   023   1941   08   07.0   21   043   054   1941   268   1984   19   1964   00   04   00  
  *Stornoway   09.3   +0.3   05.9   +1.6   12.3   01   -01.8   20   04   03   13   04.2   30   031   071   1880   073   1968   019   1881   02   33.2   21   118   091   1943   228   1981   24   1945   00   02   00  
  *Aldergrove   09.9   +0.6   06.5   +2.2   12.9   12   -01.6   19   04   01   13   06.2   28   036   068   1927   083   1986   026   1962   08   06.2   18   041   057   1927   158   2002   15   1942   00   01   00  
                                                                     
                                                                                                                                           
  Stations marked with an asterisk record sunshine electronically; comparisons      
  with earlier records are therefore somewhat speculative. Thorney Island's   * New low record    
  sunshine figures are made at a nearby site.