Autumn 2006 (September to November) saw record-breaking mean temperatures across the whole of the UK, with anomalies in most areas over 2 degC. Most areas beat their previous warmest autumn by some margin, with England beating the previous warmest autumn by over 1 degC, and Scotland and Wales both exceeding their previous records by over 0.5 degC. However provisionally, Northern Ireland only exceeded its autumn record by 0.1 degC. All three autumn months had well-above average temperatures, with September also setting new records for warmth across all areas of the UK.
Scotland recorded 126% of average rainfall over the autumn, its wettest autumn for over 20 years. England, Wales and Northern Ireland all recorded above-average autumn rainfall, but this was well below their wettest autumns, recorded in 2000 for all three areas. October was exceptionally wet over parts of NE Scotland with some stations recording over 250% of average rainfall. November also saw exceptionally above-average rainfall, but this time over SW Scotland, with some stations recording over 230% of average rainfall.
England and Wales recorded around 120% of average sunshine during the autumn, but this was not as high as the sunshine total recorded during autumn 2003. Northern Ireland and Scotland also recorded above-average sunshine, but some areas of western Scotland recorded slightly below average. November was exceptionally sunny, with many areas over England and Wales having their sunniest November in the series.
The comparisons/maps are based upon provisional data. Temperature and rainfall series from 1914, and sunshine from 1929.
See www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/index.html for updates and further information.