MET Office - Meteorological Office

12/02/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 12/02/2024 08:33

November 2024: a month of two halves

November 2024: a month of two halves

Author: Press Office

12:39 (UTC) on Mon 2 Dec 2024

November 2024 feels like a month of two halves. Mild, dry and gloomy at first, then storms, snow and heavy rain to close.

Although no significant UK records have been broken, there's been plenty going on with the weather this month.

A mild, dry and gloomy start

We started the month talking about the 'anticyclonic gloom'. Two weeks of grey skies caused by high pressure trapping a low-level layer of cloud meant that some parts of the country recorded no sunshine at all during the first week of November. It wasn't doom and gloom for everyone though, with northern and eastern Scotland experiencing more sunshine than others.

And along with the sunshine, Scotland also experienced far higher than average temperatures at the start of the month, with the village of Kinloss in Moray reaching 17.9°C on 7 November thanks in part, to the Foehn effect.

Northern Ireland too had a particularly mild start to the month. The daily minimum temperature at Magilligan, County Londonderry on the 7 November was just 0.3°C short of the highest minimum temperature for Northern Ireland ever recorded in November, which stands at 14.5°C.

The first half of the month was indeed mild for all, with the UK recording a provisional average mean temperature of 8.8°C, which is 2.3°C above the long-term meteorological average, by the 16th.

For this period, Scotland and Northern Ireland were particularly warm, recording anomalies of 3.0°C and 3.2°C above the November average respectively.

Along with sunshine, rainfall too was in short supply, with none of the UK's countries recording more than 10% of their average rainfall by mid-month.

The below map shows the very dry start to November 2024, followed by heavy rain later in the month.

A cooler, wetter and windier end

By mid-month, lower pressure moved in bringing an Arctic maritime airmass and a major change in weather type. Temperatures fell and an unsettled period with snow and heavy rain followed.

Snowfalls on the morning of the 21 November to southern coastal counties resulted in lying snow as far south as Exeter, while there was already fairly extensive cover across Wales, the south Pennines and parts of central England. This brought the most significant spell of November snow to the UK since November 2010.

Storm Bert brings heavy rain and winds

A deep area of low pressure, which was named Storm Bert, then brought a spell of extremely wet and windy weather to large swathes of the country from 22 to 25 November. Although some impacts were reported from the strong winds and snow, the heavy rain brought the greatest impacts, with localised flooding in all regions of the UK.

The weekend was exceptionally wet across South Wales and south-west England, with more than 150mm falling in the wettest upland areas. Around three-quarters of the whole-monthly average rainfall fell in a swathe from Gwent to Wiltshire to Northamptonshire. The UK recorded its wettest calendar day - as an average across the whole country - since 3 October 2020.

Read more about Storm Bert in our event summary.

Averages across the month

Average Temperatures

The average mean temperature across the UK was 6.6°C. This is 0.1°C above the long-term meteorological average. Northern Ireland has been particularly warm, with a mean temperature of 7.5°C, which is 0.8°C above its long-term November average.

Below average rainfall

The average rainfall for the UK was 83.9mm, which is 32% below the long-term meteorological average. England, and specifically the south of England, has seen the most rain, with England seeing 75.5mm, 18% below average. To compare the north with the south, northern England saw 58.9mm, 42% below its average, whereas southern England saw 84.3mm, which is just 3% below its long-term meteorological average.


Scotland on the other hand, has seen the driest conditions, with 84.3mm of rainfall, 49% less than its November meteorological average.

Below average sunshine

The average sunshine hours for the UK were 51.8 hours, which is 11% below the long-term meteorological average. Scotland had the sunniest month, recording near-average hours, with 47.3 hours, 99% of the average November sunshine

Provisional November 2024 stats

Max temp (°C)

Min temp (°C)

Mean temp (°C)

Rainfall (mm/%)

Sunshine (hours/ %)

Actual

91/20 anom

Actual

91/20 anom

Actual

91/20 anom

Actual

91/20 anom

Actual

91/20 anom

UK

9.6

0.2

3.7

0.1

6.6

0.1

83.9

68

51.8

89

England

10.1

-0.1

4.3

0.2

7.2

0.1

75.5

82

57.4

88

Wales

10.2

0.3

4.4

0.3

7.3

0.3

134.3

83

43.3

78

Scotland

8.5

0.5

2.3

-0.2

5.4

0.2

84.3

51

47.3

99

Northern Ireland

10.2

0.6

4.8

1.0

7.5

0.8

86.3

71

37.3

69

Meteorological Autumn 2024

Meteorological Autumn has concluded to be fairly average for the UK in terms of rainfall, temperature and sunshine hours. There have been huge regional differences however, with rainfall the biggest story. Gloucestershire for example, has had its wettest Autumn since the series began in 1836.

A wet Autumn for England

Rainfall totals for the UK this Autumn have fallen slightly below average, with 301.5mm falling across the period, 10% less than the long-term meteorological average for the season. England, however, has seen the most rainfall compared to average, with 300.3mm, which is 20% above its average. Scotland on the other hand, has seen a drier than average Autumn, with 284.0mm, 38% less than its average.

Autumn started off wet, with a succession of low-pressure systems bringing exceptionally heavy rainfall to southern and central England in the latter part of the month, and ten English counties experienced their wettest September on record. For Bedfordshire and Oxfordshire, September 2024 was the wettest calendar month the counties have experienced, in a series dating back to 1836.

Although there was some reprieve in October and an exceptionally dry start to November, heavy rain brought by Storm Bert helped to bring totals back up, especially to the south of the UK. Many places in the central/south of England, already with high totals from September, experienced more heavy rainfall.

Gloucestershire for example, has had its wettest Autumn since the series began in 1836, with 415.1mm, which is 74% more than its long-term meteorological average. Oxfordshire had its second wettest Autumn, with 348.6mm (72% more) and Bedfordshire its third with 304.5mm (70% more).

In comparison, seven places in Scotland, including Perth and Kinross, Angus and Stirling and Falkirk, have all recorded statistics within their top 10 driest Autumns since 1836.

Above average temperatures for the UK

Temperatures for the Autumn for the UK have been above average, with a mean temperature of 9.92°C, which is 0.20°C above the long-term meteorological average.

As well as the variations in location (Scotland was closest to average, 0.13°C above its average and Northern Ireland was furthest away, at 0.41°C above its average), there have been large variations in temperatures, with several notable cold spells and a prolonged mild spell.

Met Office scientist Emily Carlisle explained: "The UK's highly variable weather means we've seen exceptionally warm conditions in Scotland, virtually no sunshine for half a month, as well as lying snow in Exeter and severe flooding during Autumn 2024. All of this illustrates the huge variability in the UK's climate, and this is consistent with the ongoing pattern which is emerging as our climate continues to change."

The below map shows the 2024 variable mean temperature in the UK for 2024 over the 1991-2020 averaging period.

Around average sunshine

Sunshine hours have been around average for the UK, although a clear north/south split can be seen. The UK experienced 263.9 hours of sunshine, which is 5% less than its long-term meteorological average. England and Wales have both been duller than average, with 9% and 11% less than their average sunshine hours recorded.

Scotland and Northern Ireland however, have seen more than their Autumn average of sunshine, with 6% and 2% more respectively.

Three named storms

The first named storm of the 2024/25 season Storm Ashley arrived in October, bringing heavy rain and wind across northwestern parts of the UK. Storm Bert arrived in mid-November and was a multi-hazard storm which brought heavy rain, strong winds and snow across many parts of the UK. Storm Conall was then named by the Dutch met service on 26 November, bringing its main impacts to the Netherlands.

Provisional Autumn 2024 stats

Max temp (°C)

Min temp (°C)

Mean temp (°C)

Rainfall (mm/%)

Sunshine (hours/ %)

Actual

91/20 anom

Actual

91/20 anom

Actual

91/20 anom

Actual

91/20 anom

Actual

91/20 anom

UK

13.26

0.15

6.60

0.26

9.92

0.20

301.5

90

263.9

95

England

14.19

0.04

7.37

0.40

10.78

0.22

300.3

120

279.8

91

Wales

13.44

0.08

7.15

0.35

10.27

0.21

415.9

96

244.8

89

Scotland

11.67

0.33

5.12

-0.05

8.36

0.13

284.0

62

243.1

106

Northern Ireland

13.24

0.29

6.91

0.58

10.05

0.41

239.1

74

257.3

102