Brief comments on the climate statistics for Coventry
during November 2005

This really has been a month of contrasts, with almost unparalleled
warmth for this time of year early in the month, followed by the
coldest spell of November weather in our region since 1996.

However statistically, the main weather headline, as we look back on
November 2005, has nothing to do with temperatures, as this past month
has become the sunniest November in Coventry on record (back to 1894).


Temperature

Early month, the weather community was widely predicting the warmest
November on record, with average daytime temperatures of 13.2C during
the first 15 days, this being some 3C above normal for this region.

However the second half of the month couldn't have been a greater
contrast with a frost every night from 17th through to the end of the
month, and the coldest spell of November weather in Coventry and
Warwickshire since 1996.

Looking at the month as a whole, this has been the coolest November
(6.1C) since 1996 (5.7C).

Looking back at the records, we find that only 4 November months have
been colder than 2005 in the past 28 years (1985, 1988, 1993 & 1996),
quite an extraordinary fact when you consider how warm the first half
of the month was.

There were some notable contrasts too in the temperature extremes of
individual days;

· 2nd This was the warmest November day (18.3) since 1969 (20.6C)
- with daily records dating back to 1892, only 3 November days have
ever been warmer, namely in 1938, 1946 and 1969.

· 3rd With an overnight minimum temperature of 12.5C, this was the
warmest November night since 1996 (13.7C).


· 20th This was the coldest November night (-5.1C) since
1983 (-6.9C).
· 25th/28th These were the coldest November days (3.3C) since 1993
(-0.6C).

There were 11air frost during November 2005 - this is the highest
number of November air frosts in the city since 1996 (12). This is by
no means a record however, as we find that there were 16 air frosts
locally during Novembers 1910 & 1923.

We recorded 17 ground frosts in Coventry last month, the highest such
incidence since 1993 (18). Just for the record, the highest incidence
of ground frost at this time of year was 22 in 1915.

Rainfall

With a monthly rainfall total of 64.0mm, this has been the wettest
November since 2002 (93.8mm), though out of interest 77% of this fell
in the first 9 days.

Snow fell on 2 days during the month (28th & 30th); this is the highest
number of November snow days since 1996 (3). The record books tell us
that 5 snow days is the most in November, and this was in 1910 and
1985.

Snow was lying on the ground at 0900hr (2cm deep) on 1 day (29th) -
this is the first incidence of this since November 1996, though we find
4 snow-lying days as recently as 1993.

Sunshine

With sunshine records dating back to 1894, this has been the sunniest
November on record with 98.6 hours of sunshine.

This exceeded the previous record of 96.1 hours set in 1989.

Interestingly however, 58% of the monthly total sunshine was recorded
in just 9 days mid-month (12th to 20th inclusive) in a period in which
skies were unusually cloud free at this time of year.

Steve Jackson
Bablake Weather Station
Coventry
www.bablakeweather.co.uk