November 2025
SUMMARY OF THE METEOROLOGICAL READINGS AT DURHAM UNIVERSITY OBSERVATORY
November 2025
Temperatures (all temperatures in degrees Celsuis; all averages 1991-2020)
Mean daily maximum: 10.2 Difference from average: +0.6
Mean daily minimum: 4.8 Difference from average: +1.2
Mean air temperature: 7.5 Difference from average: +0.9
Absolute maximum: 16.0 (4th)
Absolute minimum: -2.1 (21st, 26th)
Mean grass minimum: 3.4 Difference from average: +1.7
Absolute grass minimum: -5.2 (21st)
Mean concrete minimum: 4.1
Absolute concrete minimum: -3.3 (21st)
Number of ground frosts: 11 Difference from average: 0
Number of air frosts: 5 Difference from average: 0
Mean soil temperature at 300 mm depth: 9.6
Mean soil temperature at 1000 mm depth: 11.2
Rainfall (all totals in millimetres; all averages 1991-2020)
Total for the month: 135.8 Difference from average: +62.4
Percentage of the average: 185%
Wettest day: 29.4 (12th)
Number of rain days (>0.1 mm): 26 Difference from average: +7
Number of wet days (=>1.0 mm): 17 Difference from average: +5
3-month total rainfall to 30th November 2025: 261.8 Difference from average: +75.2
6-month total rainfall to 30th November 2025: 372.6 Difference from average: +18.3
12-month total rainfall to 30th November 2025: 567.0 Difference from average: -114.0
Sunshine (all totals in hours; all averages 1991-2020)
Total for the month: 64.9 Difference from average: -3.2
Percentage of the average: 95%
Mean daily sunshine: 2.1 Difference from average: -0.2
Sunniest day: 6.1 (30th) Number of days with no recorded sunshine: 1
Note that the monthly sunshine total is now calculated from the UKMO E&NE regional total. Daily sunshine totals quoted here and in the data summary are uncorrected.
Wind (m/s; all data from the West Building roof, Lower Mountjoy campus)
Average wind speed: 1.7
Maximum gust: 18.3 (27th, WSW, 21:00)
Pressure (mbar)
Average: 1006.4
Maximum: 1025.6 (21st, 09:00) Minimum: 985.6 (1st, 05:15)
Comments on November and Autumn 2025
November started very mild with a maximum of 16 °C on the 4th, the 19th equal warmest November day since 1900. Some much colder days were experienced in the third quarter of the month with a maximum of only 2.5 °C on the 19th. An incursion of much milder air late on the 26th meant that the maximum temperature allocated to the 26th (12.8 °C) was actually measured at 0900 on the 27th! – a rare example of a maximum temperature not being recorded in the middle of the day. The temperature was -1.6 °C at 08:00 on the 26th, and 1.7 °C at 10:00. By 22:00 air temperature had risen to 5.8 °C but was up to 11.1 °C by 02:00 on the 27th! Overall, mean air temperature was 7.5 °C in November, the equal 16th warmest November since 1850. Nights were notably milder than normal, and both the numbers of ground frosts and air frosts were average for the month.
It was the wettest month since October 2023, the sixth wettest November on record since 1850 and the wettest November since 2009. The 3- and 6-month running totals are now above average, but the 12-month running total remains below average. The fall of 29.4 mm on the 12th is the 17th wettest November day on record. Surprisingly, the monthly sunshine total was only just below average. Despite being such a wet month, there was only one day with no recorded sunshine, although 11 days only recorded one tenth (6 minutes) of an hour’s sunshine!
The mean air temperature for autumn as a whole was 10.5 °C, 0.5 °C above average, the 14th warmest autumn on record. Autumn rainfall totalled 261.8 mm,135% of average, the 20th wettest autumn on record. Even so, the autumn sunshine total was almost exactly average (298.6 hours).
Emeritus Professor Tim Burt
Department of Geography
Durham University