NOVEMBER 1995
1995 Day 1974-94 1995 Day 1974-94
Mean Maximum Temperature 8.8 8.1 Highest Max temp 11.4 6 13.1
Mean Minimum Temperature 6.3 5.4 Lowest Min temp 0.0 17 -3.0
Mean Sea Temperature 10.0 9.3 Lowest grass minimum -4.6 20 -9.0
30 cm Earth temperature 7.9 7.4 Days with ground frost 4 5.5
100cm Earth temperature 8.7 8.2 Days with air frost 0 1.1
Total Rainfall (mm) 68.8 116.0 Days with snow/sleet 6 6.0
Wettest Day (mm) 17.4 22 18.2 Days with snow cover at 09hr 1 1.0
Rain Days (> 0.1mm) 17 23.4 Days with hail 7 10.6
Wet Days (> 0.9mm) 15 19.2 Days with fog during 24hrs 1 2.0
Total sunshine, hrs 36.3 36.8 Days with fog at 09hrs 0 0.1
Sunniest day, hrs 5.0 8 5.1 Days with NIL sun 12 10.6
Mean wind speed, kts 15.4 18.7 Days with gale 2 7.8
Maximum gust, kts 49 22 63.3 Days with thunder 0 0.6
Mean Sea Level pressure 1014.3 1007.0 Days with aurora 1 4.3
Wind Direction (%) at 09.00 UTC
North 13.3 12.8 S. West 10.0 16.5
N. East 3.3 3.2 West 20.0 18.4
East 13.3 6.0 N. West 6.7 10.4
S. East 13.3 8.8
South 16.7 21.4 CALM 3.3 2.6
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November 1995
Overall a dry, mild month with about average sunshine. This was the fourth month in succession that the mean temperature on Fair Isle has above the long-term (1974-94) normal. It was less windy than normal, with gales reported on only two days. Winds were predominantly from a south-westerly direction with only one significant outbreak of arctic air around mid-month.
With pressure low over Scandinavia and an anticyclone to the west, the month began with a fresh northerly airstream established over the Northern Isles. Temperatures were below average and, apart from an isolated wintry shower, it was mostly dry. As the high pressure receded towards Greenland, a trough moving south brought more in the way of wintry showers on the 3rd.
As the low moved away east across Sweden, high pressure transferred south-eastwards across northern Britain and into the southern North Sea by early on the 4th. A ridge extending north-west across Scotland delayed the eastward movement of Atlantic weather fronts, but did bring milder south-westerlies to the Northern Isles on the 5th. The weather fronts crossed northern areas on the 6th, introducing a more unsettled westerly regime.
Though mild at first a deep depression, tracking east from Iceland towards the Norwegian coast, had temporarily introduced a cooler flow south over the UK by the 9th. After a calm, virtually cloudless night the temperature on the grass had fallen to -3.5° by the morning of the 10th. This was short-lived as, by the 11th, a deep low in Biscay had pushed weather fronts north-eastwards into England - bringing milder south-easterly winds across the whole of the UK.
High pressure again built in a belt extending from Scandinavia across to Greenland, before being weakened by depressions moving east into northern Norway. A deepening low, moving south-east from Iceland into southern Norway, brought a touch of winter with strong to gale force north-east winds bringing wintry showers to northern areas after the 14th. Three more night frosts occurred during this period. The month's lowest grass minimum of - 4.6° was recorded early in the evening on the 19th - before it began to turn milder.
By the 20th it was once again mild, as the cold northerly flow was replaced by a milder and unsettled westerly regime. Frontal troughs associated with Atlantic lows resulted in strong winds and rain at times - especially the overnight period of the 22nd/23rd.
After this, high pressure developing over Scandinavia tended to block Atlantic weather systems - preventing their eastward movement - and the month ended mild, but with strong south-east winds.
Despite several clear nights, the aurora was only observed on the evening of the 16th (a weak glow with a few short ray bundles). An extremely bright meteorite was seen at 19928 UTC on the 25th, with another - less bright - on the 27th at 1600 UTC. The intervening night was overcast.
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