Mild November gives way to winter gloom

It has been a wet old November, but also a mild one, well suited to our current need to cut back on energy use. The arrival next week of December, however, will see a shift in the weather – not so much the temperatures, which will remain around seasonal norms at 48F (9C), but with much more mist and fog. As the days shorten, they also become duller and greyer. Not a happy thought.

This morning the weather front from the west that brought rain overnight will have blown away eastwards from most of the country. Only in the south-eastern corner is it likely to linger, making for a damp start to the day. For many it will turn out very pleasant. The wind will have dropped after yesterday’s blustery conditions – and since it is coming from the south, sweeping up warm air, it will keep away the worst of the winter chill.

Across southern England and South Wales, expect 55F (13C). East Anglia and central and northern England will manage 54F (12C), and further north again, in a band from Belfast to Edinburgh, 52F (11C) – all still above the averages for the time of year. As the day wears on, though, rain will push into western areas, especially along Cardigan Bay, and may even turn stormy.

Monday will see far more cloud cover in the south, driving the mercury down, but it will essentially be mild and largely dry. By Tuesday and Wednesday, high pressure will get stuck over the UK in a holding pattern. Everything will become eerily still under cloudy skies, with what wind there is coming from the colder east. So expect early morning fog and mist that could linger until lunchtime in many parts – and a sense of gloom descending as December makes its debut.