Favourite Novembers?

[damianslaw]

I find November the most miserable of months weatherwise. Mainly on account of how dull it is with little sun. It can be a very wet month, sometimes early winter chill arrives, but seldom extreme, though 2010 proved it can pack a punch in this respect.

I'd be interested in knowing people's views on their favourite Novembers.

Most recently I enjoyed 2016, lots of frosty sunny cold weather.

Favourite has to be Nov 2010 on account of the exceptional cold late on, it was a sunny dry month in the Lake District, a rarity. November 08 was very seasonal too.

 

Edited November 1, 2023 by damianslaw

[LetItSnow!]

November 2016 by far. It seemed to have a bit of everything but dominated by crisp weather. The autumn colours that year were breathtaking, at least locally. I remember chilly weather early in the month, then a brief spell of mild, cloudy and drizzly weather around the 15th, then one of the few stormy spells of weather during the whole season on the 20th. That got out the way quickly and the end of the month was very, very cold under a crisp high. Skies were clear throughout and I recorded maxes barely above freezing and some very cold sub-zero nights. A shame the winter that followed was poor, though January 2017 was seasonably chilly here in the southeast and I saw heavy snow on the 13th.

[trickydicky]

Can only be 2010. I’d pay a decent amount to have that November/December ‘back end’ this year. 

[A Face like Thunder]

Any in my childhood in Surrey in the 1950s and 1960s when we had real firework displays in the back garden followed by (charred) food straight from the bonfire, and then a dry trip on the 1st Sunday to see the Veteran Cars coming through our town centre on their way to Brighton!

[Summer8906]

As you say, "favourite" is a bit tricky in this month of dull, wet weather and ridiculously short days.

Nonetheless, over the years a few have stood out as providing weather conditions which helped to banish the gloom:

1988 - cold, frosty and sunny.

1989 - very sunny. Mild or warm at first, becoming cold. Looking back on this month I had no perception whatsoever of pervading darkness, though probably helped that I was very much younger than I am now.

1993 - cold and wintry, some light snow, never amounted to much, but not bad for the season.

1996 - cold. Rather wet but also sunny with a NW-SE low track and frequent frosty high pressure interludes. Some places got snow though not down here.

2011 - unlike most of these, mild or very mild but also frequently sunny. A benign month which, together with the similarly warm and sunny weather in the second half of Feb, dramatically shortened the winter that year. And, as a bonus, that short winter contained a significant cold and snowy spell in early Feb and a long dry, sunny settled spell in Jan.

2016 - another cold, frosty and rather sunny month, if not quite to the extent of 1988.

2017 - another sunny and rather cold and frosty month. Notable for all four Sundays providing dawn-to-dusk sunny conditions.

Looking at the MWR for the month, 1985 would be another one, but bizarrely I don't have strong memories of that month, despite remembering most of 1985 clearly.

Edited November 2, 2023 by Summer8906

[MP-R]

I’d have to go with 2005, 2010 and 2016. I did also enjoy the benign nature of 2017 and 2021 too. 

[cheeky_monkey]

i don't mind November because my birthday is in the middle of the month..both 1980 and 1985 had a cold early easterly spell with some snow 

[I remember Atlantic 252]

'96

[hillbilly]

Has to be November1985,a covering of snow for much of the month,12 air frosts and a very wintery end,the coldest November since 1919,respect!

[JordanH859]

Would be 2010 for me.. I was 13 years old, terrified of thunder. Experienced my first thundersnow on the 28th. If it wasn't for that day, I probably would never have got over my fear.

I also remember I got a free trial of some lightning tracking software a few days before, didn't think I'd actually get the chance to try it out, but yep.. 

Loved storms ever since!

[Scuba steve]

Usually ones when I’m out of the country

[SqueakheartLW]

Any Novembers with snow events or early tastes of winter within them so as follows:

1993

 

1996

 

2001

 

2005

 

2010

 

2017

[damianslaw]

9 hours ago, SqueakheartLW said:

Any Novembers with snow events or early tastes of winter within them so as follows:

1993

 

1996

 

2001

 

2005

 

2010

 

2017

Other cold blasts in recent Novembers include tail end of 2008, a northerly. Storm Arwen after effect here gave a surprise snowfall. Localised snowfalls in 2016 despite not especially cold uppers.

Of the above, Nov 93 perhaps the most exceptional, very cold uppers from a direct easterly, usually takes until Dec nowadays for a direct easterly to have same depth of cold.

2010 was different, a long drawn NE flow, the coldest synoptics on offer in early season, colder than northerlies and easterlies. 

[HafrenLMP1]

November - the month that rarely delivers; instead we usually get grey, wet & windy murk - and with the leaves usually gone, a rather colourless month.

However, I'm glad a few people have mentioned 1985; as well as an evening paper round, I did a few days in the morning as a stand in for a friend; and ended up getting another round permanently - and my memory is of a cold month - and only weeks after doing evening rounds in just a t-shirt.

 

Both 1988 & 1993 had snow mid month; which coincided with the RAC Rally, and 1996 was similar - though at the end of the month.

More recently, and already mentioned, 2016; from my cycling stats I had a healthy amount of activities - so a decent amount of usable weather - and frost at the end of the month.

[SunSean]

I enjoyed 2021 for the amount of crisp sunny days. The middle of the month was a bit dull but overall, very good for November! January 2022 followed which was very similar to the preceding November and in turn made the dark season feel very short!

I am sure I would have enjoyed November 1996, 2005, 2006 & 2016 too but they all happened when either I wasn't into weather as much or too young.

[StretfordEnd1996]

Well, my November knowledge is a little sketchy but there are a few that I remember - 

2005 - memory sketchy but I think the first half or so was mild and wet and the last was dominated by northerly winds, my area happily receiving some of the heavier falls and accumulations. Just a nice month of two halves. 

2016 - perhaps one of the more 'different' Novembers - a bit frosty and on the chilly side (in comparison to recent times anyway) and some settled weather albeit I did record some very severe localised flooding near me 

2010 - most unusual to get such a deep spell of cold weather in the final week or so of the month which continued well into the following month

Then there are some which aren't my 'favourite' by any stretch but still stand out head and shoulders above others - 

2009 - very mild (CET 8.6) with large amounts of flooding. Akin to this one so far I suppose. Yes I understand it's a horrible type of weather and flooding is very dangerous but from a weather fan perspective it doesn't mean it's not of interest. (But yes I understand it's not in keeping with the thread's title "favourites)(!)

2015 - Can't remember if this month saw a huge amount of rainfall or not but it was ridiculously mild (albeit I still had a brief cold snap towards the end). Following month Dec CET freightingly even milder

One more which is not really within my memory but I've read upon - 

2001 - a cold snap occurred around 8th/9th, which, if I'm right (and someone may want to correct me), did see snowfalls down to low levels even in the south. Could this be the most recent November with such occurrence so early on in the month? As in I don't think there's been a November since with a cold snap as early as that or earlier. Someone may want to correct me. (Oct 08 an exception, though I'm specifically focusing on Novembers). 

[Harry's House]

1 hour ago, StretfordEnd1996 said:

Well, my November knowledge is a little sketchy but there are a few that I remember - 

2005 - memory sketchy but I think the first half or so was mild and wet and the last was dominated by northerly winds, my area happily receiving some of the heavier falls and accumulations. Just a nice month of two halves. 

2016 - perhaps one of the more 'different' Novembers - a bit frosty and on the chilly side (in comparison to recent times anyway) and some settled weather albeit I did record some very severe localised flooding near me 

2010 - most unusual to get such a deep spell of cold weather in the final week or so of the month which continued well into the following month

Then there are some which aren't my 'favourite' by any stretch but still stand out head and shoulders above others - 

2009 - very mild (CET 8.6) with large amounts of flooding. Akin to this one so far I suppose. Yes I understand it's a horrible type of weather and flooding is very dangerous but from a weather fan perspective it doesn't mean it's not of interest. (But yes I understand it's not in keeping with the thread's title "favourites)(!)

2015 - Can't remember if this month saw a huge amount of rainfall or not but it was ridiculously mild (albeit I still had a brief cold snap towards the end). Following month Dec CET freightingly even milder

One more which is not really within my memory but I've read upon - 

2001 - a cold snap occurred around 8th/9th, which, if I'm right (and someone may want to correct me), did see snowfalls down to low levels even in the south. Could this be the most recent November with such occurrence so early on in the month? As in I don't think there's been a November since with a cold snap as early as that or earlier. Someone may want to correct me. (Oct 08 an exception, though I'm specifically focusing on Novembers). 

In November 2015 when I was living in Pagham, I mowed the lawns quite late in the month as it was so mild. The strong SW wind was helpful in drying the exposed front lawn whenever we had any period of dry weather.

[TSNWK]

On 02/11/2023 at 08:15, trickydicky said:

Can only be 2010. I’d pay a decent amount to have that November/December ‘back end’ this year. 

Agree.. nights still drawing in and snow and cold to new year.

[ANYWEATHER]

Probably my most least favourite month is November, but 1993 that November was very cold on the 22nd with widespread frost and wintryness with a sprinkling of snow . November 2010 comes to mind has being bitterly cold especially the second half , where I recorded for the first time since I started taking daily weather records since 1986, a temperature of minus 10 c , so the coldest November I can remember, we rarely get that temperature in deep Winter let alone late Autumn! 2021 had some back edge snow on the last two days of November and it settled and lasted for a couple of days which again is unusual  around these low lying parts!

[sundog]

November 88 is one of my favourites. Some nice dry crisp frosty weather about that month. Think it was easily the month with the most amount of cold weather that particular autumn/winter season which otherwise was very poor. 

It was  one of the last times I remember smog being an issue in Dublin. 

Edited November 8, 2023 by sundog

[Frigid]

November 2010, 2016 and 2021 all had spells I enjoyed. Nov 2010, well.. what's more to say. 2016 was a chilly, and at times quite sunny month. Can vividly remember waking up to a frosty morning on the 8th. Through to the 12-19th it was quite wet but saw some flurries around the 18th. The final 10 days was what I can describe as bitterly cold and frosty. Nov 2021 was quite forgetful, though it did contain a pretty good snow event courtesy to Storm Arwen. It was the last time we'd see snow until December 2022. Snow cover is quite rare in November, the last time it happened was in 2021, and then 2010. 

[Marcus_surfer]

November 2005.. Towards the end of the month. Heavy snow showers lead to over 6 inches of snow that laid around the 25th in Swansea, with Bitterly Cold northwesterly winds.

November 2010.. Dry, with deep cold, sunny days and widespread hard frosts.

Edited November 9, 2023 by Marcus_surfer

[damianslaw]

November 2017 brought episodic colder interludes, turning generally cold late month. Nov 12 did the same with a cold end, ditto Nov 08. I found those Novembers more interesting than most since, bar 2010 and 2016.

Storm Arwen was exceptional event here, many forests are still impenetrable in places as a result, with trees left and not cleared. It gave an unusual snowfall after.

I don't have memories of Nov 85 nor 88 really - though faint recollections of the frosty weather, but more clearly the cold and snowy latter part to Nov 93.

When I think of November I just think chilly dull wet skies. It is easily my least favourite month weatherwise hands down.

 

[Sun Chaser]

Don't like November but the ones that I can remember thinking were pretty good most recently were 2016, 2017 and 2021. If I was older I would've enjoyed 2010, and especially 2005 as my area at the time had a rare snowfall!

On the other hand... dishonourable mention to Nov 2019 which was very wet, windy and dull. It was COLD but not to a level of any interest, often reaching 2-3 overnight and barely scraping 7-8c in the day, the absolute worst temperature wise when combined with rain as it's cold enough to be extremely unpleasant. Nov 2022 was also horrible as the torrential rain didn't stop all month (wettest month since 2009 where I was at the time) but it was saved by the freak mild weekend of 17-18c and clear blue skies mid month which I really enjoyed.

[Iceaxecrampon]

20th November 1988

Parlick Fell Bowland Lancashire 

Seem to recall being in Grizedale Forest on the Lombard RAC Rally a few days later resembling the Scandinavian 1000 Lakes