Whilst the theme to November's weather remained unsettled and changeable, it was in some respects on the quiet side with rainfall below average despite falling on most days but which was rarely heavy. It certainly continued the trend of warmer than average months and was the tenth month of the year to be warmer than average.

   Overall November was the warmest since 2011 and the wettest since 2012 and for the autumn as a whole it was the warmest since 2011 and the driest since 2007 (although 100mm wetter than 2007).

   At Newton Rigg (Penrith) in a series back to 1914 November was the 17th warmest with 3 other Novembers having the same mean temperature (7 yrs of missing data). And this autumn ranks as the 7th warmest in that time (with 6 Autumns unaccountable). In terms of rainfall this autumn is the 56 wettest, ie: 55 were wetter and 41 were drier (4 missing) and this Autumn was just slightly drier than average.

   MSLP of 1005.3 Mb was -5.5 Mb below average but with an anomalous south-easterly flow which drew up milder air resulting in the warmer than average temperatures. But with that came variable amounts of cloud and whilst there was some sun it tended to be weak and hazy, but coupled with some dull days especially towards the end of the month.

   Overall a mean minimum of 4.10°c and a mean maximum of 10.02°c saw the temperature some 1.1°c above the 1981-2010 average, making it the warmest November since 2011. The highest maximum temperature recorded was 13.5°c (1st), the lowest minimum -1.2°c (6th).

   It was the wettest November since 2012 and here at Maulds Meaburn was 67.1% of average for 2007-13 and locally it ranged from 74% of average (Kirkby Thore) to 97% (Seathwaite). At Newton Rigg (86.6 mm - Met'Office gauge) in a series back to 1914, 49 Novembers have been wetter (1 year of incomplete data).

   Figures from the Environment Agency’s rainfall sites were, (figure in brackets being the monthly average for 1961-90)   ‘Data kindly provided by the Hydrometry and Telemetry team of the Environment Agency (Penrith)’:

   Kirkby Thore 60.2 mm (80.9 mm)

   Brothers Water 217.1 mm (271 mm)

   Nunwick Hall 73.6 mm (79.5 mm) and

   328.8 mm at Seathwaite Farm (Borrowdale - 338 mm).

  1st - 3rd    The month opened on an unsettled note with low pressure (LP) (973 Mb) to the south of Iceland pushing frontal systems over the UK. But the majority of that rain fell during the evenings or overnight and the days did get to see some watery sunshine. It remained mild, especially by night.

  4th - 5th    It then turned cooler as the pressure gradient slackened and we sat within a broad area of LP (983 mb). This saw the winds ease to a still calmness and the 4th started with thick fog (the first 'Day of fog' in 2014) and a frost of -0.6°c with a chilly day following at just 7.1°c. That fog persisted through the morning, remaining grey until the afternoon when an occluded front northwest of Cumbria moved slightly south east, giving a spell of light rain.

   Whilst remaining chilly, the 5th in a light northerly flow was perfectly sunny and the best day of the month.

  6th - 8th    The 6th began within the slack pressure gradient and saw the month's coldest temperature of -1.2°c, but a frontal system arrived off the Atlantic bringing rain of 11.2 mm from mid-day and overnight into the 7th.

   The 7th slowly cleared to something brighter in the afternoon with more rain overnight into the 8th which after a sunny start saw more light rain.

  9th - 10th    Back to a slack pressure gradient and two quiet days, brighter on the 9th with the 10th having a slight frost.

  11th - 14th    A large area of LP (962 Mb) sitting out in the Atlantic and becoming semi static brought a few days of dull and wet weather, although rainfall totals were only small up to the 13th.

   A cold front moved south-north during the morning of the 14th bringing spells of heavy rain, totalling 12.0 mm, before clearing in the afternoon.

  15th - 20st    It all then became a little flat with variable amounts of cloud and weak sunshine, heavy dews and occasional rain. At first (15-16th) we sat within a slack pressure gradient with a nominal NE'ly flow, followed by an ESE'ly flow with no dominant system in control.

   The ESE'ly resulted mainly due to HP over the continent and Spain and it kept LP in the Atlantic at bay.

  21st - 22nd    The 21st started the same as the previous few days but became murkier as the LP in the Atlantic now made progress east. A weak warm front followed by a pair of cold fronts saw the rain slowly become heavier during the evening, but once again the majority of the 17.5 mm fell overnight (into the 22nd), making the 21st the month's wettest day.

   Generally dull to during the 22nd with a little more rain in the afternoon.

  23rd - 25th    HP (1025 MB) ridged in from the south west during the 23rd for the next few days and the days were calm, cooler with a little more in the way of brightness.

  26th - 27th    LP to the south east of the UK tracked along the north east coast of the Uk, pushing a warm front ahead of it which gave a spell of heavy rain in the early hours of the 26th with more rain and murk during the day.

   The next few days would also remain murky and damp as that LP broadened out.

  28th - 30th    With that LP broadening and slackening, the days again fell calm but the air was drawn up from the south east and the murky theme continued but now with milder air, the last three days of the month all attaining the 10°c mark.

   HP would ridge in on off the Atlantic on the 30th and the day saw some weak sunshine.

   Rainfall totalled 91.5 mm for the month, with rain recorded on 24 days of which 17 were 'Wet days' (1.0mm +).

   The Mean Temperature for the month was 7.06°c      --      The Mean Max' was   10.02°c     --      The Mean Min'   4.10°c.

   We had 3 Air Frosts in the month (year 16)                  --      Grass frosts totalled 13 (year 69).

   The 1 foot soil temp ranged from a low of 7.3°c on the 26th        to      a high of 12.0°c on the 1st     --      with a monthly mean of 8.9°c

   The 1 meter soil temp ranged from a low of 9.2°c on the 28-30th     to      a high of 11.5°c on the 1st - 4th     --     with a monthly mean of 10.3°c

COMPARISONS:-

   * November 2014 rainfall was 67.1% of the November average for 2007 - 2013

   * November 2014 was 1.36°c warmer than the November average for 2009 - 2013 and 1.1°c warmer than the local long term average 1981-2010

 * The 3 month mean for September/October/November 2014 is                    TEMP'    10.40°c         --          RAIN    291.0 mm


  *                     September/October/November 2013 was                   TEMP'     9.27°c         --          RAIN    326.5 mm

  *                     September/October/November 2012 was                   TEMP'     8.10°c         --          RAIN    430.9 mm

  *                     September/October/November 2011 was                   TEMP'    10.69°c         --          RAIN    347.7 mm

  *                     September/October/November 2010 was                   TEMP'     8.37°c         --          RAIN    305.4 mm

  *                     September/October/November 2009 was                   TEMP'     9.67°c         --          RAIN    411.2 mm

  *                     September/October/November 2008 was                                            --          RAIN    428.3 mm

  *                     September/October/November 2007 was                                            --          RAIN    198.7 mm


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                                     * 2014         To Date                   TEMP     10.08°c         --         RAIN   1250.9 mm

                                     * 2013  Jan - November                   TEMP'     8.75°c         --         RAIN    961.4 mm

                                     * 2012  Jan - November                   TEMP'     8.74°c         --         RAIN   1175.7 mm

                                     * 2011  Jan - November                   TEMP'     9.60°c         --         RAIN   1125.3 mm

                                     * 2010  Jan - November                   TEMP'     8.29°c         --         RAIN    678.6 mm

                                     * 2009  Jan - November                   TEMP'     9.50°c         --         RAIN   1171.5 mm

                                     * 2008  Jan - November                   TEMP'                    --         RAIN   1290.0 mm