Wednesday 4th November
Tuesday was a great day with no fog to dull the morning and bright sunshine for many hours, which resulted in a maximum of 11.1C at 13.58, being 0.8C above average. The cloud by late afternoon and overnight meant a less cold night with a minimum of 7.5C at 07.21 early Wednesday, which was 3.4C above average.
Wednesday struggled to come alive under a cover of thick, low cloud that had thickened overnight. The brisk breeze from the east-northeast or northeast today will continue to make it feel cool outside again, that combined with cloudy conditions for probably much of the day will restrict the maximum temperature to probably below average.
We are now suffering under anticyclonic gloom. The cloud that has drifted across from the east will likely be with us for a few days, trapped under the dome of the high pressure. The forecast pressure charts indicate that this situation might continue well up to and over the weekend with minimal sunny intervals over central England, although from Thursday onwards the wind is likely to drop in strength as the area of high pressure extends down towards the Mediterranean and northwards to Scandinavia with the local pressure easing downwards a few millibars.
The recent Met Office press release clearly explains the situation.
The weather phenomenon, which can bring days of grey skies, mist, fog and drizzle, occurs during the autumn and winter months when a high-pressure system becomes established over the country.
This creates a stable atmosphere that suppresses vertical air movement and as a result, traps moisture and low-level cloud, preventing the conditions that would normally help disperse fog and allow sunshine to break through.
Rather than bringing the bright, sunny weather often associated with high pressure, anticyclonic gloom can leave a “blanket of dull, grey weather that can persist for days, particularly in inland areas and valleys where cold air pools and fog becomes entrenched”, the Met Office explains.
A textbook example of anticyclonic gloom occurred during the first half of November 2024, when a strong area of high pressure over continental Europe extended across the UK, trapping a stagnant air mass for more than ten days.