Weather Round-Up: November 2025

NOVEMBER WARMER, WETTER, AND SUNNIER THAN AVERAGE.  AUTUMN 2025 WARMER, MUCH WETTER, AND DULLER THAN AVERAGE

Armagh Observatory, 6th December 2025.  Armagh Observatory reports that November 2025 was warmer, wetter, and sunnier than average. The meteorological autumn (September, October, and November) was warmer, much wetter, and duller than average. This was the dullest autumn at Armagh for four years and the wettest for two years. Following a long run of largely drier-than-average months, this was the first meteorological season to have been wetter than average at Armagh since spring 2024, breaking a run of five consecutive drier-than-average seasons.

Total precipitation this month was 87.25 mm (3.44 inches) including one trace value, that is, 87.2 mm if trace values are ignored. This is approximately 18% more than the 183-year (1838-2020) long-term average November precipitation at Armagh (73.85 mm) and nearly 7% more than the most recent (1991-2020) 30-year average (81.87 mm). There was only one day (the 29th) that was completely dry. This was a cool, largely cloudy day but conveniently dry for those attending Armagh Georgian Day events.

The following day (the 30th) was by contrast the wettest day of the month with 13.2 mm (0.52 inches) of rainfall. The next wettest days were the 13th with 11.5 mm and the 26th with 10.1 mm.  Defining a ‘rain day’ as a meteorological day with at least 0.2 mm of precipitation, there were 23 rain days this November at Armagh. This was the largest number of rain days at Armagh for any month since March 2024.

There was one named storm this month, namely Storm Claudia, named by the Spanish Meteorological Service AEMET for its significant impacts in the Canary Islands continuing over a number of days beginning on the 12th. The same storm led to ‘amber’ rain warnings being issued for southern and central parts of England and Wales over the 14th and 15th.

Three rainbows were seen from Armagh this month, one on the afternoon of the 1st, another around the time of observations on the 18th, and the third during late morning on the 28th.  Sleet showers followed by snow were reported on the morning of the 19th, leading to a light covering of snow for a short time the following morning.

Bats were seen flying up and down the Observatory driveway during early evening on the 6th and 12th, and a bright fireball most likely associated with the Taurid meteoroid complex, which is debris from the unusual Comet Encke, was observed travelling south-west at approximately 20:30 GMT on the 10th.

November is usually a changeable month.  This is the month when days become noticeably shorter and when, as autumn turns to winter, temperatures fall faster than at any other time of the year.  This year the month started with nearly a fortnight of largely damp, but very mild weather, leading up to Storm Claudia. After this, the weather turned

colder, with some sleet and snow, before ending the month with fluctuating temperatures closer to the November average.

November is also the month that has seen the greatest rise in average temperatures at Armagh during the last thirty years. It is no longer surprising to see leaves on trees until quite late in the year, while those with lawns have become accustomed to cutting the often quite damp grass almost up to the end of the month.

Considering the 30-year average temperatures, the most recent (1991-2020) 30-year average November temperature at Armagh is approximately 7.33 C. This may be compared with 6.12 C for the corresponding (1961-1990) average, suggesting an increase in average November temperatures at Armagh of approximately 0.4 C per decade. With just three of the last ten Novembers cooler than the most recent 30-year average, this rate of November warming is continuing.

The mean temperature this month was 7.95 C (46.3 F), approximately 1.73 C warmer than the 225-year (1796-2020) long-term average November temperature at Armagh (6.23 C) and 0.63 C warmer than the most recent (1991-2020) 30-year average (7.33 C). The warmest days of the month, that is, days with the highest maximum air temperatures, were 17.6 C on the 6th, followed by 15.8 C on the 3rd, 15.6 C on the 5th, and 15.1 C on the 4th. Each of these warmest days, from the 3rd to the 6th, were significantly warmer than the corresponding most recent (1991-2020) 30-year average at Armagh (10.32 C). The maximum temperature on the 6th equalled the previous warmest November day on record at Armagh (11 November 2022).

These very warm November days were complemented by a run of warm November evenings and nights.  The highest minimum air temperature, notionally the warmest night, was 12.6 C, which may be compared with the most recent 30-year average of 4.3 C.  Although this occurred during the early evening of the 5th, following normal meteorological practice it was attributed to the 6th.  This warmest night was followed by 11.3 C during early morning on the 5th, and 11.2 C on the morning of the 4th, and then by 11.1 C during early morning on the 7th.

The lowest maximum air temperature, notionally the coolest day, was 5.2 C on the 19th, followed by 5.3 C on the 20th and 6.5 C on the 29th. The lowest minimum air temperature, usually the coolest night, was -2.0 C on the 21st, followed by -0.7 C on the 20th and -0.1 C on the 17th.

This month there were four nights with air frost and thirteen with ground frost. The sharpest ground frosts were -7.9 C on the 21st, -7.2 C on the 23rd, and -5.0 C on the 19th.

November is usually a dull month, but with 67.0 hours of strong sunshine this year it was sunnier than average. This November had approximately 12.5% more strong sunshine than the 140-year (1881-2020) long-term November average at Armagh (59.6 hours) and 8.4% more than the most recent (1991-2020) 30-year average (61.8 hours).

The sunniest day was the 1st with 7.1 hours of strong sunshine, followed by the 9th with 6.4 hours and the 25th with 5.3 hours.

Taking the three months September, October, and November together, autumn 2025 was warmer, much wetter, and duller than average at Armagh, although no records were broken. Total precipitation was 294.3 mm including 10 trace values, that is, 293.8 mm if trace values are ignored. This is approximately 32% more than the 183-year long-term (1838-2020) average autumn rainfall at Armagh (223.2 mm) and 29% more than the most recent (1991-2020) 30-year average (227.9 mm). This was the wettest autumn at Armagh for two years, that is, since autumn 2023 (347.2 mm), ranking 25th in the list of wettest autumns at Armagh.

With an average autumn temperature of 10.81 C, very slightly less than autumn 2024, this autumn 2025 was warmer than average, approximately 1.4 C warmer than the 225-year (1796-2020) long-term average autumn temperature at Armagh (9.41 C), and 0.4 C warmer than the most recent (1991-2020) 30-year autumn average (10.40 C). Despite autumn 2025 being warmer than average, ranking 21st in the list of warmest autumns at Armagh, this was the coolest autumn at Armagh for five years, that is,

since autumn 2020 (mean temperature 10.65 C).

There were 244.7 hours of strong sunshine at Armagh this autumn, approximately 94% of the 140-year (1881-2020) long-term autumn average (259.4 hours) and 91% of the most recent (1991-2020) 30-year average (268.1 hours).  Although autumn 2025 was duller than average at Armagh and the dullest autumn at Armagh for four years, it ranked only 50th in the list of Armagh’s dullest autumns.

These data refer to observations at Armagh Observatory, which has been recording the weather at Armagh since 1795.