November weather

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In medieval times 1 November was regarded as the start of winter, and you can still sometimes get stark temperature contrasts early in the month, going from shirtsleeves in late October to gloves, hats and scarves by Bonfire Night (5 November).

In 2022, for example, a mild second half to October culminated in hot sun and temperatures of 23 degrees as late as 29 October, but the thermometer then dropped to just 13 degrees by day and 4 degrees overnight on 4 November.

30 October 2016 was also a summer-like 20 degrees but on Sunday 6 November the temperature was just 7 degrees, with minus 1 overnight. In 2014 the last day of October saw a record temperature of 24 degrees, the climax of a month when temperatures had regularly been up in the high teens, but on 5 November daytime temperatures were just 10 degrees, falling to 4 degrees overnight.

That being said, in recent years the first half to two thirds of the month have often seen the same kind of changeable westerly weather you get in October. This was true in 2020, 2021 and 2022 and 2023. In the latter year the westerlies that set in on 18 October continued without a break up to the 19th of November, bringing plenty of rain but also some sunshine and a fair bit of wind. In 2020 the westerlies lasted till the 22nd, in 2021 to the 18th, and in 2022 to the 28th.

It is not unusual for this wet and windy weather to bring major storms. In 2024 Storm Bert produced very wet and windy weather over the weekend of 23 to 24 November, while on 2 November 2023 Storm Ciaran produced 85mph winds on the South Coast, though was actually not that damaging inland.

On 27 November 2021 a storm caused lots of disruption and produced some heavy snowfall in the north of England and Scotland. In 2019 there were 50mph winds and heavy rain in the south east on 2 November. (The month was otherwise mostly dominated by static lows, caused by a bend in the jetstream.)

2015 was another particularly windy November, with the country always in the eye of an intense jetstream. Temperatures remained mild (10-14 degrees) both day and night and the weather was particularly grey, with only brief intervals of sun. In 2012 there were also several deep lows, including a period of intensely wet and windy weather from 23-27 November which brought flooding to the West Country.

The first real blast of winter

When low pressure is in charge, temperatures can be as much as 12-14 degrees by day, dipping to the mid single digits overnight. The first half of November 2024 and much of November 2021 and 2020 all saw night time temperatures as high as 9-11 degrees, however - perhaps a sign of a warming trend.

That being said, a cold snap often comes in the second half of the month, with a change from westerlies to high pressure and northerly or easterly winds bringing the first real blast of winter - daytime temperatures down to 5 or 6 degrees and nights close to or below freezing. This happened on 19-24 November 2024, in the last week of the month in 2023, on the 28th in 2022, the 21st in 2021, and on the 26th in 2020.

Sometimes this is due to high pressure over the UK or Scandinavia, as happened in 2022, 2018 and 2016. But a more common pattern - seen in 2020, 2021, 2019, 2017 and 2015 - seems to be for high pressure to establish itself to the west of the UK, bringing north westerly or northerly airflows and changeable weather from Iceland or the Arctic.

In 2017 and 2021 this pattern dominated throughout the month, though in 2021 the north westerly winds contrived to be quite mild until the 21st, when they turned fully northerly, bringing bitter winter cold. In 2023, unusually, after a brief high ridge with northerly winds from the 24th to 26th, the cold weather came from large lows on the continent which sent easterly airflows our way.

This cold snap can produce the first snow of winter in the south east, though it is almost always very short-lived and typically not repeated until some time in January, if then. For example, on 19 November 2024 there was widespread snow to the north of London, and some settled briefly in various parts of the south east. It gave way to rain within an hour or two, however.

Meanwhile on 21 November 2021 there was a good covering in places in the Chilterns, while on 30 November 2023 continental lows meant that snow grazed the south coast. On 30 November 2017 there was snow down the east coast of England into Kent.

Even worse was 2010, when a western-centred high brought northerly winds from the 19th onwards, and then moved to Scandinavia bringing easterly winds. 30 November 2010 then saw three centimetres of snow fall in the south east, and there followed a bitterly cold and snowy December, the coldest for 100 years.

If high pressure gets established

If high pressure gets established, it can bring a lot of grey cloud. In 2024 a high first positioned over the UK and then over the continent kept skies completely cloudy, without a glimmer of sun, from 28 October to 10 November.

But there can also be days of lovely low sunshine too. In 2024 a new high from the 11th to the 18th produced a good deal more sunshine than is predecessor, and 25, 26, 28 and 29 November also saw perfect blue skies.

In 2021 there were eight sunny days and ten with some sun, while in 2017 there were 11 days of full sunshine and 10 with part sunshine. Both years had only seven days on which there was rain. In 2020 there were six days of full sunshine and 14 of part sunshine. Even in 2022, when westerly lows dominated for almost the entire month, producing lots of rain (on 17 days), there were also six full sun days and some sun on 15 others.

When the sun does shine in November it can take on an ethereal, mystical quality - but on the other hand it always seems to be shining straight in your eyes or be blocked by trees, buildings or isolated clouds. Though at the start of the month it still packs some warmth, by the end of the month it feels rather weak, not rising above the tree tops till after 10am and dipping below them again by 2pm. By this time even the midday sun seems to offer little heat.

In general, one rather loses interest in the weather in November, however – days are getting so short that it barely seems to matter anyway. The dark evenings seem to spread awfully ahead of you: it will be the end of January before it is light after 5pm again. But on the other hand, there is a cosy feel to being indoors, and the city centre with its lights and animation are a cheerful place to be.

Bonfire Night on 5 November marks the start of a kind of winter festival of light. Often this is the first time gloves, scarfs and hats come out of the cupboard, and about a week after it the Christmas decorations go up in the High Street, accompanied by the ritual complaints about how the celebrations start earlier and earlier each year (they don't: they always start towards at the end of the second week of November, just after Remembrance Day on the 11th).

If they have not already done so in October, paths revert to being muddy in November, though notable exceptions were 2016 and 2021 when they remained dry into December. In 2024 muddy paths in the second half of October dried out again completely in November due to dry (if gloomy) weather. Not till the 18th or so did they start to soften.

But even if it is muddy, the effect is mitigated by all the freshly fallen leaves. Only when these have rotted away later in the winter do paths become truly squelchy. Fallen leaves can sometimes obscure the route of paths, especially in beech woods.

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