Dry autumn across the UK

As autumn draws to a close, provisional figures from the Met Office
show that the season is on course to be one of the driest on record
across the UK.

One of the main themes of the weather this autumn was the higher
frequency of dry and settled conditions, often with fog and frost.
These types of weather were brought out in the Met Office seasonal
autumn forecast, which also predicted a distinct absence of wet and
stormy weather.

Richard Graham, seasonal forecaster at the Met Office said: "Although
these long range forecasts are still very much in their infancy, they
do provide valuable guidance to businesses and the government.
Further research will ensure that on-going improvements in seasonal
forecasting accuracy are achieved."

The provisional rainfall total for the whole of the UK, between 1st
September and 25th November is 206.3 mm, well below the long term
average of 335.4mm, although further rain is expected over the next
few days.

The UK-wide rainfall record dates back to 1914 and the driest autumn
was 1922 with 192.9mm of rain. This autumn is currently the driest
across the UK since 1972 when 206.0mm of rain fell.

Despite some sharp frosts during November, the provisional mean
UK-wide temperature for autumn is 10.1 C, around 1 C above the long
term average.