November 2011: This month will be remembered for its warmth, lack of rainfall, many overcast days and 6 foggy mornings mid-month. The mean temperature was 9.0°, which is 2.5ºC above the long-term average with a maximum of 15.4º on the 3rd. There were 29 days with a maximum above the mean maximum. The mild conditions also applied to the night-time temperatures with the mean minimum 2.3º above the long-term average. There were just three air frosts when the thermometer dropped to -0.2º, -3.8 and -3.6º on the 23rd, 28th and 29th respectively. The rainfall was only 43.2 mm being 47 % of the long-term average and the third successive month with significantly below average amounts.
Autumn 2011: The statistics give a similar picture of mild weather with below average rainfall. The mean temperature was 1.8° above the long-term average and the 2nd warmest that I have recorded after 2006. The rainfall total produced a more dramatic variation from the mean, as the total of 131.3 mm was only 54 % of the long-term average, being a shortfall of over 100 mm from my 27-year average.
Annual Rainfall: The total rainfall of 603mm, for the twelve month period ending in November 2011, was the driest since June 1997 (584mm). The record low is for the period ending in April 1997 with just 513mm.
