WOKINGHAM
METEOROLOGICAL
Wokingham Climatological Station, Emmbrook,
DATA
Berkshire.
Lat/Long 5125N 0051W NGR (SU)800699 Altitude 44m ASL.
Monthly Means and Totals
NOVEMBER 2003
Anomaly
Rank
Temperature (C / F)
th
Mean maximum
12.1
53.8 +1.6
5 highest in 122 years
Mean minimum
5.5
41.9 +1.8
6th highest in 122 years
Daily mean
8.8
47.8 +1.7
5th highest in 122 years
Highest maximum
Lowest maximum
18.3
64.9 on 6th
7.0
44.6 on 23rd
th
Highest minimum
Lowest minimum
11.8
53.2 on 19
-1.7
28.9 on 28th
Mean grass minimum
Lowest grass minimum -5.5
3.3
37.9
22.1 on 28th
Mean earth @30 cm
Earth @100 cm
9.6
49.3 +0.6
11.6
52.9 +0.1
Frost duration (hrs)
Rain duration (hrs)
12.1
106.1
Rainfall total (mm / in)
138.0 5.43 226 %
7th highest in 122 years
th
Highest daily fall
30.0
1.18 on 25
Number of: Dry days (<0.2mm)
Wet
days
(>0.9mm)
days 5mm
14
14
7
Sunshine total (hrs)
Daily mean
Sunniest day
97.4
3.25 141 %
8.4
on 7th
o
N days with: Air frost
Snow falling
Snow lying
3 Ground frost
10
0
0
Thunder
Small hail/ice
Fog @09
Nil sun 9
0 Hail 5mm
0
0
2
Air pressure MSL : Mean @09 GMT (mbar/in)
1012.1
-3.1
29.89
Absolute highest
1028.9
30.38
on 7th
Absolute lowest
985.2
29.09
on 26th
Anomaly = departure from 1971 to 2000 average.
Notes: Very Mild.
Very Wet.
Very Sunny.
A rather unusual combination of categories, with all three within 10% of the extremes. In many ways, a month of contrasts. When it was
wet, it was very wet, but rainfall was less than average for the first 19 days. When it was sunny, it was very sunny, yet the month contains a
spell of 7 sunless days. Temperature. The mean maximum is highest since 1994, and before that 1939. The mean minimum, however, is
highest only since last year. Interestingly, it is also 0.8 above the mean min for October this year. The highest maximum, 18.3, is 2.8
above the median and is highest since 1946, and 3rd highest in 100 years, 2.1 below the record set in 1938. The lowest minimum, -1.7, is
1.9 above the median. The lowest maximum is 2.5 above its median, while for the highest minimum the figure is 1.4 above. Rainfall. A
November in the very wet category, with more than twice the climatological average rainfall. Despite this being the 7th wettest November in
122 years, it was actually drier than the same month in 2002 by 26.9 mm, nevertheless it is the 2nd wettest since 1974. A total of 30.0 mm
fell on the 25th, the highest daily total for the month since 2000, and before that 1951. It is also the highest fall for any day since the 31st July
2002. All time records for the highest 4, 5, 6 and 7 day totals in the past 28 years were broken by the exceptionally wet episode 21st to 25th.
These are: 4 day/81.6 mm, 5 day/95.1 mm, 6 day/99.3 mm and 7 day/100.5 mm. It is only because of the very dry nature of the autumn up
to that point that serious flooding was averted. Despite such a high total this month, the number of dry days is only 1 fewer than average.
Sunshine. A very sunny November overall, with 41 % more than average. However, all of the surplus sunshine were actually built up
during the first week, with the 8th to 11th and 17th to 23rd having little or none. There were 9 sunless days, about normal for this month.
There were 14 days with <3 hours and 8 with 6 hours. Wind. The mean speed of 6.2 mph is equal to the average for November. The
windiest day was the 14th, mean 15.1 mph, with the month's highest gust of 41 mph also on that day. The 10th was the least windy day, 1.4
mph, and there were 31 hours with a mean speed of 0.5 mph or less. Daily mean direction/number of days: N,3 NE,1 E,4 SE,3 S,8 SW,8
W,3 NW,0. Humidity. The overall mean this month was 87.8 %, while the lowest value recorded was 38 % on the 7th. The mean amount
of water vapour per kilogram of air was 6.4 g at 0900 and 6.5 g at 1500 hours. Commentary. From the 1st to the 10th. Daily temperature
anomalies for maxima ranged between -3 on the 8th to +6 on the 6th, the month's warmest day, while for minima it was -3 on the 4th to
+4 on the 3rd, giving 10 day mean anomalies of +1.5 and +0.2 for max and min resp. There were 6 dry days, and the 10 day total of 14.9
mm is 73 % of normal. Very sunny until the 7th, which was the sunniest day of the month, then dull, but the 10 day mean of 4.6 hours per
day is 200 % of normal. Moderate or fresh W'ly winds gradually backed E'ly by 7th, falling light on 6th and again on 9th and 10th, the latter
the calmest day of the month. From the 11th to the 20th, daily anomalies for maxima ranged from 0 on the 11th to +5 on the 18th, while for
minima the values were 0 on 11th to +8 on the 19th, the month's mildest night, and giving 10 day mean anomalies of +2.8 and +3.4 for
max and min resp. Once again not a great deal of rain, 5 dry days and a total of 12.4 mm, 61 % of normal. Sunshine was down, 5 days
having nil, but still managing a 10 day mean of 2.5 hours per day, 109 % of normal. Light E'ly wind on 11th became strong on 14th, the
month's windiest day, very light W'ly on 16th, then moderate or fresh SW'ly for the rest of the period. From the 21st to the 30th, temperatures
were never far from normal, with daily anomalies ranging from +3 on 29th to -3 on 23rd for maxima, and +5 on the 21st to -4 on 28th for
minima, this latter day the month's coldest night. 10 day mean anomalies were +0.5 and +1.2 for max and min resp. Rainfall was
exceptional, despite 3 dry days 110.7 mm accumulated over the 10 days, 543 % of normal, with a record breaking 95.1 mm in the 5 days
21st to 25th. Sunshine again was 13 % above normal, despite 4 sunless days. Light or moderate winds were N'ly until 24th, then S or SW,
increasing fresh on 26th and 29th.
B J Burton. FRMetS.
Hon. Met. Officer to Wokingham Town Council.