Climate summaries

Overview of weather across the UK for previous months, seasons and years

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UK last month

November 2019

November began with low pressure close to the west of Britain, giving mild and wet weather. It continued unsettled until the 14th, and turned colder after the first few days, with sleet and snow falling quite widely on high ground and locally to low levels on the 8th/9th and 13th/14th. There was a quieter interlude from the 15th to 20th in most areas with temperatures remaining below average, followed by a milder, wet spell from the 21st to 27th. The month ended with a northerly outbreak which brought colder brighter weather. The jet stream was frequently further south than usual which meant that north-west Scotland tended to be relatively dry and sunny.

The provisional UK mean temperature was 5.3 °C, which is 0.9 °C below the 1981-2010 long-term average. Mean maximum temperatures were mostly between 1.0 and 1.5 °C below average, but up to 2 °C below in parts of Scotland. Mean minimum temperatures were between 1 and 2 °C below average in western Scotland, but generally much closer to normal elsewhere, and up to 0.5 °C above average in some eastern coastal parts of England. Rainfall was 97% of average, and it was exceptionally wet in parts of the Midlands, Lincolnshire, north-east England, and eastern fringes of Scotland, with more than twice the normal rainfall in places. In contrast, it was exceptionally dry in parts of north-west Scotland. Sunshine was 84% of average, and was generally somewhat below normal except in western Scotland and Shetland.

The UK monthly extremes were as follows: A maximum temperature of 16.9 °C was recorded at North Wyke (Devon) on the 1st. A minimum temperature of -9.9 °C was recorded at Braemar (Aberdeenshire) on the 19th. In the 24 hours ending at 0900 GMT on the 8th, 63.8 mm of rain fell at Sheffield (South Yorkshire). A wind gust of 95 knots (109 mph) was recorded at the Needles (Isle of Wight) on the 2nd. A snow depth of 6 cm was recorded at Cromdale (Morayshire) on the 8tha warm showery day in the south, and while colder air quickly spread from the north followed by a transient ridge of high pressure, low pressure and associated fronts returned by the 4th. Until the 20th the weather was unsettled with frequent low pressure systems and rain belts crossing the country, and the jet stream was further south than normal, resulting in frontal systems often especially affecting the south and east of England. There was a quieter interlude from the 21st to 23rd, and then after a very wet spell on the 24th to 26th. The weather turned cold, dry and sunny for most of the country from the 27th to 30th, although the far south-west remained very wet at times.

Regional values for November 2019