November Weather

November weather in Durham UK

November 2022 – Very mild and unsettled

The Weather at Gilesgate, Durham November 2022

A very mild November at Durham, with the first half being especially so, but as usual in such a mild month it was also very wet.

The peak of the month’s warmth was on 11th November, when 16.5 degC was reached. The maximum actually reached 10 degC or more on 16 days in the month, which is quite respectable. There was only one air frost recorded (-0.3 on 29th).

The outstanding event of the month was the extraordinary total of rain on 17th November. The total of 55.7mm was recorded during the passing of a depression and although the total was a mammoth one for Gilesgate, there is no special mention of it in Professor Tim Burt’s notes for Durham University, so it seems to be a hyper-local total. The total for 17th was 31.6mm there, so it may have been split over two rainfall reporting days.

Note : The total for 16th-17th November 2022 at Durham University was 52.4mm. Their reporting retains the 0900-0900 throwback system, whereas at Gilesgate I report on a midnight-midnight system. The two totals are therefore very congruent after all. The total for 15th-17th at Gilesgate was 79.1mm (22.0,1.4 and 55.7). At Durham University Observatory it was 73.2mm (20.8,20.8 and 31.6).

Weather of November 2022 at Durham. Daily Summary 1

Weather of November 2022 at Durham. Daily Summary 2Weather of November 2022 at Durham. Temperature Summary

Weather of November 2022 at Durham. Rainfall Summary

 

From Trevor Harley

Very mild and unsettled, and very wet in places. It was the joint seventh mildest in the CET series, and since 1900 only 1994, 2011, 1938, and 2015 were milder, and the third warmest for the UK overall in records going back to 1884 (only 1994 and 2011 were milder). The month had a very mild first half with S and SW winds bringing warm air from the Azores. A new record high minimum was set for Scotland on the night of 10th-11th, with the temperature falling no lower than 14.6C at both Kinloss and Prestwick.  It was the mildest Armistice Day on record, with 15.9C recorded at Myerscough (Lancs.). The warmest ever day so late in the year, 21.2 C, was recorded at Porthmadog on the 13th (which was also the highest temperature of the month). It was cooler towards the end of the month. It was generally a wet month, particularly in the Western Isles, eastern Scotland, and southern England; UK rainfall was 130% of average  overall, and sunshine 95%, with it being particularly dull in the east. The coldest temperature was -6.0 C at Aviemore on the 30th, and 115.6 mm of rain fell in the rain day ending 9 am on the 11th at Achnagart (Ross & Cromarty). Shoreham (West Sussex) recorded 224 mm of rain for the month (compared with an average of about 90 mm).

https://www.trevorharley.com/2022.html

From Durham University Observatory

Despite three cold days at the end of the month, this was still the 5th mildest November on record, a touch warmer than last year but just a bit cooler than November 2020.

The night of 11th November is the warmest on record for the month (14.4 °C), easily beating the previous record-holder, 11th November 2015 (13.7 °C); only three days were warmer this month! That night was followed by a maximum of 16.9 °C, the 9th warmest November day since 1843. There was the 3rdhighest mean grass minimum for November since 1874, exceeded only in 2011 and 2021, with 7 fewer ground frosts than usual. It was a wet month and, whilst nowhere near as the record holder 1965 (186.1 mm), it was nevertheless the equal 19th wettest November since 1850. Not surprisingly, it was a dull month, the equal 19th dullest November since 1880.

For autumn as a whole, this was the fourth warmest on record (11.3 °C), beaten only in 2011, 2021 and 2006. The mean maximum temperature (14,5 °C) is the 5th highest on record whilst the mean minimum (8.1 °C) is 2nd equal highest. There were just 4 air frosts, 7 fewer than normal and just 5 ground frosts, 12 fewer than normal, the 2nd lowest autumn total on record. The minimum on the night of 11th November is the equal 4th highest for autumn, remarkable for so late in the year. It was a wet autumn (292.6 mm), 150% of the average, the 11th wettest autumn on record. There were 65 rain days, the 5th highest autumn total. The sunshine total (298.4 hours) was just 24 minutes below the average!

Emeritus Professor Tim Burt

Department of Geography

Durham University

Storm Warning – Storm Arwen threatens North East

WEATHER WARNING !!

We don’t need to do this often here, but the North East of England is at threat from Storm Arwen, an extremely potent storm system that will affect us overnight on 26th/27th of November.

Here is the advisory. Please take heed and keep yourselves safe. No doubt there’ll be the urge to capture epic weather pics/videos, but please don’t put yourselves at risk.

I’ll be doing a special article once we get through it. Batten down the hatches and fingers crossed.

UPDATE : Aftermath Photos


UPDATE by Cllr Chris Fletcher on 27/11/2021

Dear all

I thought that it would be useful to provide a supplementary update to the Durham Winter update after what has been a difficult night.

In some locations winds have nearly reached 100mph, this combined with rain and snow on the higher ground has caused damage to buildings, flooding and a large number of trees to fall and close roads across the county.

The drifting snow and high winds have closed roads at the following locations, gritters and additional plant continue to clear these areas

Weardale Area

A689 Killhope to Cumbria County Boundary Due to Snow
B6295 Cowshill to Allenheads. Due to Snow
B6278 Stanhope to Edmundbyers. Due to Snow
B6278 Stanhope to Egglestone Due to Snow
C20. Crawleyside Stanhope Due to Snow
C21 Rookhope to Allenheads. Due to Snow
C16 Crawleyside Stanhope. Due to Snow
C77 Ireshopeburn to Rookhope. Due to Snow
C78 Westgate to Rookhope. Due to Snow
C28. Westgate to Newbiggin. Due to Snow

C75 Frosterley to Stanhope. Due to Fallen Tree
Bishops Auckland to West Auckland. (old A688) Due to Fallen Tree
C93 Witton Park to Escomb. Due to Fallen Tree

Teesdale Area

B6277 Middleton to Harwood Cumbria County Boundary. Due to Snow. Fallen Trees. And Downed Power Lines
B6276 Middleton in Teesdale to Brough Due to Snow. Fallen Trees and Downed Power Lines
C163. Cotherstone to Bowes. Due to Fallen Tree

Several Unclassified Road near Newbiggin have Downed Power Lines All Winter Maintenance Power Gritters and Trailer Gritter on routes and supplemented by additional plant including
2no Multi Hog Snow Blowers and several Loading Shovels/Loadalls and JCB clearing snow trees and debris

A67 Bowes down to 1 Lane due to Power Line down

Several other roads still partially obstructed by trees and cables but passable with care

We have been informed there are power outages in Upper Weardale/Teasdale and part of Toft Hill also damaged phone masts are hampering communications in some areas. Wolsingham depot has no power and the staff have relocated to Tindale, vehicles are refuelling from Meadowfield and Tindale, additional support staff on top of winter/eats are 4no 2man gangs dealing with flooding.

Flooding

A167 Newton Aycliffe
Tunstal Rd, Wolsingham
A689 Howden to Crook
Crook to Billy Row.

Once cleared they will continue to support with the tree clearing operation, CRM received + 200 calls throughout the night. After moving the obstructions there will be an extensive clean up operation required to clear the debris working closely with colleague in Clean and Green

Both snow blowers including nursey vehicle are working in Weardale Area and 5no loading shovels snow clearing in High Pennine & Low Pennine domains.

The forecast is sub zero almost county wide with extreme cold conditions in High Pennine domains tomorrow morning so we are trying to reopen as much of the priority network as possible during the day.

The managers will continue to update the Road Closure email list and maintain communications

November 2020 Monthly Weather Report – Mild and Dry

Forgive me for saying it, but I found the weather of November 2020 quite boring.

There were no extremes of temperature, no extremely wet days and even the normally strong and boisterous autumn winds had little to say for themselves.

The month began with low pressure in charge, dropping 10.1mm of rain in the first couple of days, but it was mild, and the mildness continued pretty much until the 18th. The actual maximum temperature occurred on the 5th of the month, when 16.7 degC was reached. The minimum came at the end, with the first air frost since Spring. Temps fell to -0.9 degC on the morning of 28th and suddenly things were a lot more seasonal.

The mean temperature for November 2020 was 8.1 degC, which is well above average (6.1). It was 2.3 degrees warmer than November 2019 for example.

The month had gotten itself into a bit of a rut in the first half however. Anticyclonic weather keeps the gales away at this time of year, but the payback is that the weather can often become cloudy and gloomy, and that is exactly what happened.

Although the month was ‘damp’ as usual for November, the rainfall total only amounted to 27.4mm and the 1st was the wettest day.

November 2019 – Wet, Dull and Pretty Dreadful

Cold, Wet and Cheerless

Once again I have poor weather to report for this month. Particularly, high rainfall totals again and an incredible dullness that depressed. I know that November is sometimes a cheerless month, but this one has been really rubbish. The weather has also been cold, with depressed maxima by day, although not too cold at night until the last few days.

I have had a bad cold for most of November and I blame it almost completely on the rank weather November has served up for us all.

No sun – no moon!
No morn – no noon –
No dawn – no dusk – no proper time of day.
No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease,
No comfortable feel in any member –
No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees,
No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds! –
November!

by Thomas Hood

Rainfall

The month was very wet. The total of 129.1mm was just behind the June total for wettest month of 2019. There were 26 days with rain and 6 days had more than 10mm.

The rain put a big damper on the Durham Lumiére Festival with 5.6, 9.5, 13.7 and 2.2mm falling on the four days from 14th-17th.

The total rainfall represents about 200% of what an average November would bring.

Temperature

Because of all the rain and dullness, November maxima were depressed (like me). The average maximum was 7.5 degC, which is around 2 degC below average. Average minima were around normal at 3.7 degC.

The warmest day of the month was right at the start of the month when a modest 11.3 degC was recorded on the 2nd. The temperature remained below 10 degC from the 4th, and November’s minimum temperature was recorded on the last day, which was very frosty early on. The air temperature was -2.4 degC at 8am.



Some pics from Seaham 27th Nov 2019 (photos courtesy of Paul Levitt)

 

A Met Office Rainfall Graphic – Does it Help?

Here’s a graphic released by the Met Office, attempting to illustrate the wet weather we’ve had in the first half of November 2019.

Now, the first half of November has been pretty wet. In fact 85mm of rain has fallen on Gilesgate since the start of November, continuing the soggy 6 months we’ve had.

I looked at the map and was surprised to see that the Durham was in the white area. Usually this means ‘around average’ on Met Office maps. I checked the key and it says that white represents between 75 and 125% of average.

Now this surprised me. The mean for November in Durham is 72mm. So, I would expect the average for the first 17 days to be calculated as

(72 x 17)/30 = 41mm

So, by my calculations we’ve had 85/41 times the expected rainfall for the first 17 days. That feels about right. More than 200% of normal. Yes, it’s been wet.

Why is the graphic not showing the Durham area as Dark Blue on the map then?

Well, i’ve been having the conversation with Liam Dutton, Jen Bartram and a few others on Twitter. The graphic is showing the first 17 days of November 2019 against a whole 30 days of an average November.

What is the point? Well apparently the point is to prove that some areas have had double the rainfall in the first 17 days that November would expect in a whole month.

Does it come over that way?

My point to Liam and Jen is that I don’t think it does. It makes a great swathe of the country look average, or even below average (coloured brown) when we all know it’s been very wet. Liam points me to the small print and says this explains it all.

Isn’t the whole point of a graphic to simplify the message? To make it easy to digest the information they are attempting to put over?

We are living in an age where sadly people misinterpret things if they’re not presented properly. In my opinion, this graphic is confusing and doesn’t convey the message, which should be:

“All areas have been wet, but Nottinghamshire has been excessively wet.”

I don’t think this graphic makes that clear at all. What do you think?