November was a dry month which ended with snow
November 2021 was a dry month, indeed it was the driest in Leicestershire since 1956.
At Mountsorrel I recorded just 30mm, just 48%, of my usual total with Dean in Hinckley recording 23mm, just 34 %, of his usual figure, and Dave in Cosby logging 24mm, just 38% of his expected monthly amount. It was especially dry mid month with no rain at all falling between the 12th and the 26th which was the longest dry spell in November locally since 1955.
It was a duller month than normal with Dave Mutton in Cosby recording 64 hours of sunshine in the month which was 15% below the usual figure. The sunniest day was the 2nd when 7.2 hours of sun was recorded.
It was also another slightly milder month than normal. Afternoon temperatures in Hinckley averaged 10.1c with night time temperatures logged at 4.5c. The overall mean of 7.3c was therefore also 0.1c above normal.
Steve Jackson at his station just over the border in Coventry has done some further analysis and has found that similarly to both Septembers and Octobers figures Novembers temperatures have jumped significantly in the last 10 years. Between 2011 and 2020 Novembers temperature averaged 7.4c.
This was a full 1.4c higher than it was 100 years ago when the average was 6c. Indeed four of the seven warmest Novembers have all occurred in the last decade (2009, 2011, 2015 and 2020).
This pattern was exactly the same as the story in September and October so if you are thinking that the grass now grows for longer in recent years you are correct!
November began with a few showers but it was very mild. The mildest day was recorded on the 9th when 13.9c was logged. The first 25 days saw just 8mm of rain but the 26th brought the most significant weather event of the month storm Arwin.
Storm Arwin caused significant damage to NE England and Scotland with power outages lasting 10 days in some places. Locally the storm produced 22mm of rain in Mountsorrel almost the entire months total with winds gusting up to 37mph.
The most significant thing for our region was the very cold arctic air which plunged southwards. Day time temperatures reached just 3c on the 27th and 28th with snow on both days. The Sunday snowfall was quite extensive with 3cm of lying snow across most parts of the county with the football match at the King Power having to be stopped for snow to be removed from the pitch!
That night under the snow cover the temperatures dropped to -3.9c So November ended in a cold and wintery fashion but it was mild for most of the month. Autumn (Sep to Nov) ended with a mean temperature of 12.3c in Mountsorrel 1.4c above normal continuing the pattern of recent years.
Rainfall totalled 186mm which was average with the very Wet October making up for the dry September and November.
Many thanks to Dave Mutton, Steve Jackson and Dean Whitaker for their help as always in compiling the monthly weather report. Have a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year to you all!