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graphs      CLIMATE-UK.COM'S  REVIEW  OF  THE  BRITISH  METEOROLOGICAL  SCENE
     MONTHLY  SUMMARY
     No. 647 For   NOVEMBER  2009
EXCEPTIONALLY WET; OFTEN RATHER WARM, AND QUITE SUNNY IN THE EAST
Text Box: November was relentlessly cyclonic, an almost unbroken series of depressions passing over or close to the British Isles. Ridges of high pressure were few and transitory. Overall, this was the second most cyclonic month (of any name), after February 1990, in a record stretching back to 1873. A rapidly deepening depression tracked northeast across the UK on the 1st bringing strong winds and widespread heavy rain which led to serious but short-lived flood in Huntly and Stonehaven in northeast Scotland; 68mm of rain fell in 48h at Keswick (Cumbria) and 52mm in 24h at Aberdeen airport, and Mumbles (near Swansea) reported a maximum gust of 66kn. It was a warm day in southern districts with 17.8°C at Teignmouth (Devon). After a bright day - 8.7h of sunshine at Herstmonceux (Sussex) - a further belt of rain crossed the country overnight 2nd/3rd, and there were less organised outbreaks of rain over the next few days, with hail and thunder in places, and a tornado was reported near Romsey (Hants) on the 3rd. Following another frontal system and associated rain on the 6th, the gradient slackened and fog developed over parts of eastern and central Scotland early on the 8th, and more widely overnight 8th/9th. The temperature fell to -8.6°C at Braemar (Aberdeenshire) early on the 9th, climbing to just -0.1°C at Aberfeldy (Perthshire), where fog persisted, that afternoon. The weather remained grey, damp and rather cold for the next few days. A vigorous southwesterly airflow covered the British Isles from late on the 11th until the 24th. Heavy rain affected all parts of the country at frequent intervals, and it was very windy at times too. The depression of 13th/14th brought the first gale of the season to southern Britain with peak gusts of 69kn at Capel Curig (Snowdonia), Manston and Langdon Bay (both Kent), and 67mm of rain fell in 48h at Capel Curig. Between the 18th and 20th a ‘warm conveyor’ originating deep in the sub-tropics, south of the Azores, delivered prolonged heavy rain to upland
Text Box: western districts; the downpour was heaviest over Cumbria, triggering destructive floods in the county. At Seathwaite in Borrowdale 378mm of rain fell in 34h. the equivalent total at nearby Honister Pass was 368mm; new national rainfall records for all periods from 24 hours to a week were established. Serious flooding was also reported from north Wales and from southwest Scotland. Meanwhile East Anglia and the Southeast remained fine and rather warm. Renewed surges of tropical air brought further widespread rain, heaviest over west-facing slopes, on the 21st and 24th/25th including 109mm in 48h at Cluanie Inn (Lochaber) on the latter occasion. On the 21st the temperature reached 17.3°C at Gravesend/Broadness (Kent). The airflow veered westerly on the 25th, and for the next three days all areas had sunshine and showers. The showers were frequent and sometimes heavy in northern and western regions, but central and eastern England stayed largely dry. A deepening depression moved into the Southwest Approaches on the 28th, slowly crossing southern England on the 29th, and in its wake a severe gale hit Cornwall on the 29th. This time rain was heaviest in southern, central and eastern districts (70mm in 48h at Fylingdales, N.Yorks), and it was cold enough for snow over high ground in north Wales and northern England. Scotland had wintry showers and night frosts and the day’s max on the 29th was just 1.1°C at Dalwhinnie (Inverness-shire). It became brighter from the west on the 30th, but with a cold north wind. Mean temperature ranged from 1.0-1.5degC above normal in Scotland and Northern Ireland to 2.0-2.5degC above in central and southern parts of the country, and over England and Wales it was the warmest November since 1994. Long-standing November rainfall records were broken at many sites in the western half of the country, but over England and Wales as a whole there were three wetter Novembers in the last 100 years - 1929, 1940 and 1970. Monthly sunshine totals were well above average in eastern regions, but well below in western Britain.
                                                                                                                                             
                       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   11.5   +1.7   06.8   +2.6   15.9   01   00.1   09   02   00   03   06.1   07   065   100   1910   109   1989   030   1932   04   29.5   29   155   218   1910   183   2002   05   1945   01   00   00  
  Thorney Island   12.5   +1.4   08.0   +2.5   16.1   01   01.9   10   01   00   03   06.4   07   073   101   1958   135   2006   038   1994   01   22.0   12   173   210   1941   205   1970   07   1945   02   00   00  
  *Wattisham   11.4   +2.2   06.2   +2.7   16.4   01   00.3   10   03   00   05   07.8   02   083   126   1968   114   1989   041   1983   05   14.6   29   106   202   1960   156   1970   19   1978   02   00   00  
  *Wittering   11.3   +2.3   06.1   +2.1   16.6   01   02.1   10   04   00   06   06.8   04   092   137   1950   114   2006   038   1968   05   11.4   01   072   122   1945   131   1970   11   1945   01   00   00  
                                                                     
  Lyneham   10.6   +1.0   06.3   +2.3   16.0   01   01.6   09   03   00   08   07.2   15   064   088   1952   105   1971   026   1994   06   21.6   21   142   175   1945   145   1951   10   1945   01   00   00  
  Ross-on-Wye   11.5   +1.6   06.7   +2.2   16.7   01   02.9   09   01   00   09   04.9   07   062   094   1914   108   1923   025   1945   01   21.4   13   168   230   1859   227   1929   11   1945   01   00   00  
  *St Athan   11.9   +1.8   08.0   +2.5   17.0   01   02.3   09   02   00   10   04.8   17   050   071   1954   106   1971   034   1994   04   15.6   22   150   143   1954   215   1970   32   1956   00   00   00  
  Culdrose   12.4   +1.1   08.6   +1.9   14.6   13   01.8   09   02   00   10   07.0   05   069   093   1960   119   1990   034   1981   03   20.4   28   161   137   1960   259   2002   37   2004   00   00   00  
                                                                     
  *Edgbaston   10.5   +1.0   06.4   +1.6   15.0   01   03.1   30   02   00   04   05.4   02   059   093   1887   099   1977   014   1912   04   13.2   12   107   155   1887   198   1951   17   1920   01   00   00  
  *Valley   11.3   +0.6   07.9   +1.2   14.0   21   01.5   09   02   00   05   05.7   30   050   075   1946   089   1989   032   2004   06   33.2   13   199   186   1941   219   2000   27   1983   00   00   00  
  *Woodford   10.6   +1.8   05.1   +1.4   16.3   01   -02.3   09   10   01   06   07.1   09   050   081   1945   089   1975   024   1946   01   14.2   23   131   163   1942   179   2000   11   1945   01   00   00  
  *Watnall   10.8   +1.8   05.9   +1.9   16.2   01   02.3   07   06   00   06   06.7   07   081   121   1948   101   2005   031   2002   02   17.2   12   117   199   1942   145   1951   07   1945   02   00   01  
                                                                     
  *Leeming   10.5   +1.3   05.0   +1.3   15.0   19   -02.0   09   09   03   06   05.3   11   070   124   1945   111   1947   027   1946   03   32.4   29   * 161   255   1944   149   1951   10   1945   02   00   01  
  *Boulmer   10.4   +1.4   05.5   +1.5   15.3   19   01.3   07   05   00   06   04.5   07   063   087   1945   109   1947   025   1968   05   47.8   01   147   219   1945   163   1984   13   1973   00   00   00  
  *Eskdalemuir   08.1   +0.7   03.5   +1.6   11.5   19   -01.9   06   13   04   12   05.8   08   028   051   1911   089   1925   020   1946   05   76.4   19   * 432   272   1911   297   1938   18   1945   01   01   01  
  *Bishopton   09.2   +0.2   04.6   +1.4   13.4   19   -02.1   09   10   03   05   08.0   08   053   103   1921   090   1996   023   1941   03   37.0   19   251   232   1921   303   2006   08   1945   01   00   01  
                                                                     
  *Leuchars   09.5   +0.7   03.6   +0.4   14.1   19   -02.7   09   18   04   07   07.0   08   078   107   1922   109   1947   033   1968   07   48.2   01   138   217   1922   194   1963   11   1942   00   00   01  
  *Dyce   09.6   +1.2   03.9   +1.2   13.2   02   -03.3   09   15   02   07   07.3   04   071   112   1941   097   1996   023   1941   07   52.4   01   149   181   1941   268   1984   19   1964   00   00   00  
  *Stornoway   09.7   +0.8   05.2   +1.0   12.1   19   00.2   11   08   00   07   06.4   11   046   101   1880   073   1968   019   1881   01   19.8   01   173   130   1943   228   1981   24   1945   00   00   00  
  *Aldergrove   09.7   +0.5   05.2   +1.0   14.4   19   00.2   30   06   01   06   06.3   20   062   114   1927   083   1986   026   1962   02   19.8   19   130   176   1927   158   2002   15   1942   00   00   00  
                                                                     
                                                                                                                                             
  Stations marked with an asterisk record sunshine electronically; comparisons      
  with earlier records are therefore somewhat speculative. Thorney Island's     * New highest  
  sunshine figures are made at a nearby site.