After a mild and wet start to November, the United Kingdom is preparing for a blast of winter weather. Forecasts suggest that temperatures will drop significantly in the upcoming days, with a cold snap expected to affect much of the country by mid-month.
Early mornings may bring freezing conditions and widespread frost as far south as Cornwall, with temperatures potentially reaching -2C in portions of Wales, the West Midlands, and South West England. The latest WXCharts map indicates that the coldest weather will be concentrated in central and western Wales, with temperatures possibly hitting -2C around 6am.
In other regions, Bath is anticipated to face similar freezing conditions, while the Midlands could see temperatures hovering around 0C. Even the south coast won’t escape the chill, as Southampton is projected to experience around 0C in the early morning hours, with Devon, Plymouth, and Cornwall expected to dip to approximately -1C as the cold air mass moves southward.
WX Charts predicts that temperatures will remain below zero at noon on Saturday, November 15. According to the Met Office, the coldest November on record in the UK occurred in 1919, with an average temperature of just 2.3C.
During that same month, Braemar in Aberdeenshire recorded a remarkable -23.3C on November 14, 1919, marking the lowest daily minimum temperature ever documented in the UK for November. The Met Office’s extended forecast for the period from Sunday, November 8 to Tuesday, November 18 suggests continued changeable and occasionally unsettled weather, with low pressure systems dominating the UK.
There may be intermittent showers of rain, particularly in western areas initially, with the possibility of overnight fog that could linger into the day. A transition to a more stable weather pattern is expected around the 11th or 12th of the month, bringing drier conditions and a shift to south-easterly or easterly winds. Any rainfall or showers are likely to be concentrated in the east, with temperatures expected to be around average during the period.