Autumn 2015

[Costa Del Fal]

I had no idea it left - the weather today is virtually identical to the past week, but with the addition of light rain. I need sunshine asap.

 

Getting sick of the weather in this country. Hate it with a burning passion. I give my respect to people on the MOD thread giving such insightful detail for what is essentially the most boring outlook for anywhere in the world - I certainly don't have that dedication, and have no interest at all in what the models show until something interesting appears.

I thought you were one who appreciated the 4 seasons we had? Seems pretty big standard November fayre right now...

[cheese]

I thought you were one who appreciated the 4 seasons we had? Seems pretty big standard November fayre right now...

It isn't standard November weather to go 5 - soon to be 6 - consecutive days without a single ray of sunshine. I have no idea why people seem to be under the impression that weeks of sunless weather and grey-laden skies is somehow typical of our climate when it's not. November is nearly as sunny as March in % terms - keep that in mind. Only difference is shorter day length.

 

I repeat, a week of completely sunless weather is not normal.

 

Here is November 2013 at Church Fenton to give you an indication of what a typical November should look like: http://www.ogimet.com/cgi-bin/gsynres?lang=en&ind=03355&ndays=30&ano=2013&mes=11&day=30&hora=23&ord=REV&Send=Send

 

4 sunless days in total, none of them one after the other - and plenty of other days with sunshine, and some lovely frosty mornings. That's normal. I enjoyed that month a lot.

 

Conversely, this November has 0 hours of sun, and the past 30 days have had 10 sunless days - which is very high for any time of year - no frost, no sunny mornings, and just downright miserable. This is the worst weather - perhaps only bested by 2C and drizzle.

Edited November 5, 2015 by cheese

[Weather-history]

Well the mobility has cleared the crap of low visibility and increasing pollution. The visibility is the best it has been for a while.

[Nick L]

Sunshine will be at a premium for the coming days too unfortunately.

[jethro]

It isn't standard November weather to go 5 - soon to be 6 - consecutive days without a single ray of sunshine. I have no idea why people seem to be under the impression that weeks of sunless weather and grey-laden skies is somehow typical of our climate when it's not. November is nearly as sunny as March in % terms - keep that in mind. Only difference is shorter day length.

 

I repeat, a week of completely sunless weather is not normal.

 

Here is November 2013 at Church Fenton to give you an indication of what a typical November should look like: http://www.ogimet.com/cgi-bin/gsynres?lang=en&ind=03355&ndays=30&ano=2013&mes=11&day=30&hora=23&ord=REV&Send=Send

 

4 sunless days in total, none of them one after the other - and plenty of other days with sunshine, and some lovely frosty mornings. That's normal. I enjoyed that month a lot.

 

Conversely, this November has 0 hours of sun, and the past 30 days have had 10 sunless days - which is very high for any time of year - no frost, no sunny mornings, and just downright miserable. This is the worst weather - perhaps only bested by 2C and drizzle.

 

I lived in Church Fenton for 5 years, brilliant sunshine in the Autumn isn't the norm. CF is very low lying, surrounded with drainage dykes and as flat as a pancake as far as the eye can see. Autumn there is plagued with fog which doesn't clear for days on end, it has a tendency to be dark, dank and horrible. I'd say just suffering a week of sunless days is getting off pretty lightly there, certainly nowt unusual.

[cheese]

I lived in Church Fenton for 5 years, brilliant sunshine in the Autumn isn't the norm. CF is very low lying, surrounded with drainage dykes and as flat as a pancake as far as the eye can see. Autumn there is plagued with fog which doesn't clear for days on end, it has a tendency to be dark, dank and horrible. I'd say just suffering a week of sunless days is getting off pretty lightly there, certainly nowt unusual.

You are falling victim to a common ailment that plagues so many members of the general public, jethro, and that's selective memory. This is why I never take anyone's word for anything - because they only remember what they want. Having lived in the area for 28 years, I can assure you that a week-long sunless stretch is not normal.. ever. 5 years isn't long enough to gauge the climate of an area in any case.

 

Don't get me wrong - it's probably one of the foggiest areas of the country - but you can often expect it to clear eventually, even at this time of year.

Edited November 5, 2015 by cheese

[jethro]

You are falling victim to a common ailment that plagues so many members of the general public, jethro, and that's selective memory. This is why I never take anyone's word for anything - because they only remember what they want. Having lived in the area for 28 years, I can assure you that a week-long sunless stretch is not normal.. ever. 5 years isn't long enough to gauge the climate of an area in any case.

 

Don't get me wrong - it's probably one of the foggiest areas of the country - but you can often expect it to clear eventually, even at this time of year.

 

I know I'm probably going slightly dotty, it's an age thing but the selective memory thing could equally be your ailment. I lived there 1993-98, I'm not going for peer reviewed, valid 30year climatic averages, I'm going by my personal experience and those five years often had long periods where the sun remained invisible. It was not unusual for days on end to be foggy, grey or dank. The murk rolls down off the Pennines and the moors, wafts around the Vale of York and comes to a halt in Church Fenton in what must be one of the lowest laying areas around there at a mere 9 meters above sea level. If it's not rolling down off the surrounding high areas, it's rising upwards from all those drainage dykes, a right Will O' the Wisp sitting above the ground 4-6ft.

[March Blizzard]

Don't get how anyone can like the current weather. Honestly, I don't. I'd prefer cold, but mild and dry/sunny would still get my vote over this tripe.

[Methuselah]

Don't get how anyone can like the current weather. Honestly, I don't. I'd prefer cold, but mild and dry/sunny would still get my vote over this tripe.

It's a damned site better than a howling gale and driving sleet!

[Weather-history]

[hillbilly]

You are falling victim to a common ailment that plagues so many members of the general public, jethro, and that's selective memory. This is why I never take anyone's word for anything - because they only remember what they want. Having lived in the area for 28 years, I can assure you that a week-long sunless stretch is not normal.. ever. 5 years isn't long enough to gauge the climate of an area in any case.

 

Don't get me wrong - it's probably one of the foggiest areas of the country - but you can often expect it to clear eventually, even at this time of year.

In 1992 we had 9 hours of sunshine in December in this area !

[Summer of 95]

5 sunless days here too, and no sign of much improvement. It's vile. 10C, drizzle, light rain and fog. December 1992 was quite a frosty month, and Jan 1996 had that snow at the end. This rubbish makes those months seem delightful.

[I remember Atlantic 252]

to expect sunshine in Nov and Dec is very optimistic, 2 of the dullest, wettest months of the year

[Summer Sun]

No sunshine here since Sunday very mild tonight though, and it's likely to stay mild into next week both by day and night

Edited November 5, 2015 by Summer Sun

[cheese]

I know I'm probably going slightly dotty, it's an age thing but the selective memory thing could equally be your ailment. I lived there 1993-98, I'm not going for peer reviewed, valid 30year climatic averages, I'm going by my personal experience and those five years often had long periods where the sun remained invisible. It was not unusual for days on end to be foggy, grey or dank. The murk rolls down off the Pennines and the moors, wafts around the Vale of York and comes to a halt in Church Fenton in what must be one of the lowest laying areas around there at a mere 9 meters above sea level. If it's not rolling down off the surrounding high areas, it's rising upwards from all those drainage dykes, a right Will O' the Wisp sitting above the ground 4-6ft.

That's fair enough jethro - maybe those particular years were quite cloudy. We certainly do get long sunless periods occasionally, like all of the UK, but my point is that a week without any sun is the exception to the rule, as most years won't have that kind of weather, and when we do get a week without sun, it's certainly worthy of comment, and people will remark about how cloudy it has been. Most long dull stretches will typical have some sunshine, even if it's just an hour or so. An hour isn't much but it's a lot better than 0. Even half an hour would be appreciated.

 

Like I said, 28 years around here and this is one of the cloudier spells of weather I recall. November 2011 was very cloudy too though.

Edited November 5, 2015 by cheese

[Thundery wintry showers]

At places like Church Fenton the average November sunshine is typically 70 hours (2.3 hours per day) with about 6-8 sunless days.  This is over the whole of November, implying that 5 consecutive sunless days must be unusual.  It is unlikely to be unprecedented, though- parts of Tyneside had 8 consecutive sunless days from 22 to 29 November 1997 inclusive.  

 

The most ridiculous case was 11-25 March 1996 when large areas of north-east England had 15 consecutive days without any sun at all, and this was made even more noticeable by the fact that it was surrounded by a run of sunny Marches from 1993-1997.

 

But November 2013 was unusually sunny across much of north-east England, locally up there with 2005 and 2006.  The Novembers of 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2008 and 2012 all had close to average sunshine in that part of the country.

Edited November 5, 2015 by Thundery wintry showers

[cheese]

At places like Church Fenton the average November sunshine is typically 70 hours (2.3 hours per day) with about 6-8 sunless days.  This is over the whole of November, implying that 5 consecutive sunless days must be unusual.  It is unlikely to be unprecedented, though- parts of Tyneside had 8 consecutive sunless days from 22 to 29 November 1997 inclusive.  

 

The most ridiculous case was 11-25 March 1996 when large areas of north-east England had 15 consecutive days without any sun at all, and this was made even more noticeable by the fact that it was surrounded by a run of sunny Marches from 1993-1997.

 

But November 2013 was unusually sunny across much of north-east England, locally up there with 2005 and 2006.  The Novembers of 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2008 and 2012 all had close to average sunshine in that part of the country.

Looking at the forecast, it's likely to be 7 or 8 consecutive sunless days - today was completely sunless so that's 6 in a row. And like I said, 10 sunless days over the past 30 days - and just 2.3 hours for the past 10 days. It's very cloudy.

 

November 2012 was cloudy here, with about 56 hours, but even that didn't manage 6 consecutive days without sun.

 

November 2010 was close to average with 73 hours and 6 sunless days, but only 3 in a row.

 

November 2009 was below average with 63 hours but only 2 sunless days, about 2 weeks apart.

 

November 2008 was the same as 2010, 73 hours, 6 sunless days, 3 in a row.

 

So it's not 'normal'.

Edited November 5, 2015 by cheese

[Thundery wintry showers]

Looking at the forecast, it's likely to be 7 or 8 consecutive sunless days - today was completely sunless so that's 6 in a row. And like I said, 10 sunless days over the past 30 days - and just 2.3 hours for the past 10 days. It's very cloudy.

 

 

The stat in bold is very remarkable.  Either side of the aforementioned November 1997 spell, Tyneside generally had more than 2.3 hours of sunshine on both the 21st and 30th.

 

It's been pretty grim down in Exeter since the turn of the month- probably just half an hour's worth of sunshine in the first five days, although Saturday (Halloween) was sunny and warm here.

 

I must admit that I was talking generally about Yorkshire- I don't have the sunshine stats for Church Fenton immediately to hand, I can certainly believe that November 2012 was duller than average there.

Edited November 5, 2015 by Thundery wintry showers

[Nick L]

It's that horrible type of mild as well. Where it's drizzly so you have to wear a coat, but in doing so you sweat buckets. 

[cheese]

The stat in bold is very remarkable.  Either side of the aforementioned November 1997 spell, Tyneside generally had more than 2.3 hours of sunshine on both the 21st and 30th.

 

It's been pretty grim down in Exeter since the turn of the month- probably just half an hour's worth of sunshine in the first five days, although Saturday (Halloween) was sunny and warm here.

In fairness, the 2.3 hours was on one day, and that one day was actually reasonably pleasant and reached 19C.

 

But other than that, rubbish.

 

Here's the sunshine levels for Leeming over the past 10 days.. well, it shows 9, but today registered 0 hours of sun, so 10 applies (on ogimet.com the sunshine for the previous day doesn't appear until 6am - but you can check sunshine hour by hour on weathercast.co.uk).

 

 

 

Admittedly it's not that close, but I can personally vouch for there being no sun at all since the 30th of October.

 

It ain't unprecedented, but nevertheless it's vile and depressing, and fairly unusual.

Edited November 5, 2015 by cheese

[MP-R]

could be worse, howling winds and lashing rain, temps around 9C, instead of 15C

 

I'd take the 9C over 15C - at least then the coat would be justified and it would be slightly less ridiculous having the heat on in the car to stop the screen fugging up.

[Summer Sun]

Less mild from mid month with longer, drier spells and an increasing risk of frost

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/features/34741548

[Summer of 95]

Some sunless spells I can remember:

Late January 2013, there were 7 consecutive sunless days from the 19th. However with snow lying throughout it didn't feel so gloomy. This spell was most notable for its lack of temperature variation: between 6pm on the 19th and midnight on 25/26th the lowest temp was -2.5 and highest +1.5. From the 17th to 26th it was -4 and +2.5. That winter was remarkably poor for really low minima, considering how many days of snow lying it had (18).

March 1996, yes this month did have a very long cloudy spell in the middle. There was a berry sunny and frosty end, and a few bright days at the start, but about the 8th-24th was almost sunless as I remember. Again though, there was snow lying from the 11-13th which broke it up.

January 1996 was the dullest month on record around here, but strangely I remember it more for the cold snap at the end.

Honourable mention to August 2008, July 2010 and June 2012. Summer months should not record below 100 hours, especially at these latitudes with 16 hour days. Certainly not 3 times in 5 years.

Now my benchmark for vileness: November and December 2002. I was living up in Newcastle then (in Shrewsbury it might have been better) and these two months were both cloudy almost throughout. November had rain almost every day and no frost, December began with one of those cloudy failed easterlies (cloud and 5C day and night for a week) before turning horribly mild and manky at Christmas, similar to 2011. However Jan-March 2003 were then very sunny.

[cheese]

Jan and Mar 2013 were very cloudy but the snow brightened it up as you say. I liked it.

[March Blizzard]

Don't normally think of March as a dull month, although I guess it is a month prone to extremes, so it can get a lot of almost anything, weather-wise.