Monday 1st December
Sunday was another day when the temperature dropped away in the evening before rising again as another weather front arrived. The maximum of 8.3C was logged at 13.16, after a bright morning, before the temperature began to slowly drop to reach a low of 4.7C at 19.56. Thereafter the temperature began to rise again to reach 10.3C at 08.00 on Monday. The daylight hours were dry but rain began to fall just before 01.00 early Monday and that signalled the arrival of a very wide rain band.
Monday struggled to come alive under the very thick, low cloud. The rain will ease off a little during the afternoon, not stop, with heavier falls after midday.
November 2025 Review
The first week of November was memorable for the flow of very warm and moist air that was drafted across the UK from around Iberia and just north of the Azores, This was due to the combination of high pressure to the east, with its airmass circulating clockwise and a depression to the west with its air mass circulating anticlockwise, as they do. The low pressure was the result of the disturbed weather that was the tail end of ex-hurricane Melissa.
The diurnal range of temperatures, the difference between maximum and minimum, was exceptionally low during this period, with a variation of less than 3C on two nights. This was due to minimal sunshine by day limiting the rise in temperature by day and thick, low cloud cover overnight that limited the loss of warmth into the atmosphere.
The maximum of 15.7C on the 4th was a significant 5.4C above my long-term average whilst the minimum of 12.8C was logged later that day in the evening, rather than during the early hours of the following morning and was an even more significantly 8.8C above average.
The flow of very warm, moist air brought across the UK on a southerly air flow, continued into the second week with a maximum of 16.0C on the 13th being a significant 5.7C above my long-term average. Likewise, the following night gave a minimum of 11.6 C being an exceptional 7.6C above average.
The latter exceptional weather was due to Storm Claudia arriving from the Atlantic, named by the Spanish Meteorological Service having made a major impact on the Canary Islands.
The first air frost of the autumn was recorded in the early hours of the 18th when the thermometer fell to -3.8C, being a significant 7.8C below average, which made it the coldest night since 4th March (-4.2C).
The following week saw a distinct change in the weather pattern. Gone was the warm, moist flow of air from the south to be replaced with a flow of much cooler air from an area of high pressure that had developed near Iceland. Temperatures dropped into single digit temperatures, thanks to the flow of Arctic air with a maximum of just 4.0C on the 20th, making it the coldest day since 13th February, being a significant 6.3C below average. Brief sleet and light snow showers were observed at 08.45 on the morning of the 19th
There was a significant change in the weather pattern that began during late afternoon of the 21st. The recent ridge of high pressure toppled away over the Continent allowing low pressure systems to edge in from the Atlantic, cutting off the flow of Arctic air. The wind began to back from the northwest to southwest than south overnight of the 21st/22nd.
Once again, the topsy turvy pattern of cold and dry days then warm and moist weather arrived on the 25th that produced a sharp air frost in the early hours of the 26th when a minimum of -4.7C was logged being a significant 8.7C below the late November average.
The month finished with warm moist days and significant rainfall.
The average temperature for November was 1.1C above my long-term record whilst the rain totalling 148mm was 161% of my 42-year record or +56mm. This made it the wettest November since 2009 but far short of the record wet November in 2002 when a total of 203.5mm was logged.
A note regarding the two distinct rainfall gauges and differing 24-hour recording periods.
For 42 years I have maintained the daily rainfall at my weather station in Marlborough using the Met Office recognised 5” copper rain gauge, the standard for many years, and of course before electronic automatic rain gauges were developed, which are now widespread. It was introduced in the 1940’s as the Meteorological Office design, which was recommended as a standard device in the 1860’s by the British Rainfall Organisation.
My rainfall data has been, and will be, updated using that source of information to maintain my 42-year record. The minimum amount recorded in the measuring jar is 0.1mm, thus quite accurate for small amounts of precipitation.
My weather instruments since 1984 have been read at 08.00, a standardised time for the data I send to a national weather organisation, linked to the Met Office.
My Davis automatic rain gauge has a diameter of 6.5”, which is displayed on the live feed on my website. This rain gauge is designed to meet the guidelines of the World Meteorological Organisation for accurate rainfall measurement. No data for the introduction of this type of gauge can be found. The gauge has a greater minimum measurement of 0.2mm, compared to the copper rain gauge of 0.1mm.
An automatic rain gauge has the advantage that it can be accessed remotely so doesn’t need a person to read the daily rainfall, it is also useful to have a live read of the rate of rainfall.
The data from the live feed on my website uses a different twenty-four-hour period, from midnight to midnight, this sometimes will obviously show a variation between data for the previous twenty-four hours.
I keep both sets of very useful data.
Another image from the Christmas display at the Avebury National Trust House a few years ago.