The most significant weather event of November was the arrival of Storm Ciarán on 2nd November. We all soon learned that it’s pronounced ‘Kieron’ and that it carried very severe winds for much of the north and west of Britain. For us, however, it was most notable for delivering our lowest ever recorded barometric pressure, 954.7 hPa, as the centre of the depression passed more or less directly over Epping. It’s worth noting that detailed pressure records only cover ten years (before that, readings were taken manually just once a day), but even so it is a very low pressure.

It wasn’t a particularly windy event for us, but it was wet: the 2nd was our wettest day of a generally wet month, with 22.6 mm, just short of an inch of rain, and our 4th wettest November day on record. The month’s total was 93.6 mm, well above the average for November of 62.1 mm, making it our 8th wettest November in our 39 years of records. Overall there were 20 days on which rain fell, again above the long term average (17.5 days).

There were a few more low pressure systems passing through later in the month, but these also brought winds round to a more northerly direction resulting in falling temperatures towards the end of the month. Our first proper frost (air temperature falling below zero), and the first of four frosts in the month, arrived on 25th, which is to the day our average first frost date! Overall the month’s mean temperature, at 7.4 °C, as slightly warmer than our long term average of 7.4 °C. The average daily maximum at 10.5 °C was also warmer than average (9.6 °C), but the average daily minimum at 4.6 °C was cooler than average (7.9 °C). Extremes for the month as a whole were 14.2 °C and -2.5 °C – both cooler than average, and in the latter case our 5th lowest November temperature.

So as we head towards Christmas, we’ve already had the average December rainfall! How wet can it get? Check back with us in the New Year!

Season’s Greetings from Epping Weather