High winds are highlight of Wick's weather record for November
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Weather Watch by Keith Banks
The most common features of weather like clouds, rain, snow and fog arise when, because of cooling, the water vapour condenses to liquid, or sometimes to solid form.
Water vapour, although it is in quantity only a small constituent of the atmosphere, is nevertheless the most important in terms of the weather.
Water vapour gets into the air by evaporation primarily from the oceans, and to a lesser extent other bodies of water such as rivers, lakes and lochs. Vegetation also provides a large amount of water vapour from its leaves. This supply is sourced from the soil, through the roots.
The physical process responsible for this is called transpiration. Most of the water is returned to the Earth from the troposphere as rain or snow. The continuous process of exchange of water between the land, oceans and atmosphere is called the Earth's water cycle.
Wick's historic record for mean air temperature for November revealed that November 2021 was the coolest since that of 2019. However, a closer look at the archive attested that it is currently the 16th mildest in a series starting from 1910.
In terms of precipitation, November 2021 was the most wet since that of 2019, and is currently the 29th wettest in a series stretching back to 1910.
Wick experienced three "days of gale" during the month.
Autumn 2021 was Wick's mildest since that of 2014. Mean air temperature was 10.04C (50.07F). The burgh's mean air temperature for autumn, in terms of the averaging period 1981-2010 is 8.82C (47.88F).
Autumn 2021 was Wick's wettest since that of 2017. The precipitation total was 307.8mm (12.12 inches). The long-term average for autumn, in terms of the averaging period 1981-2010, is 258.7mm (10.19 inches).
Meteorological autumn is the calendar period commencing September 1, and ending November 30.
Wick's mean air temperature for November 2021 was 7.08C (44.74F). The long-term average for November, in terms of the averaging period 1981-2010, is 6.05C (42.89F).
Wick's average maximum daytime air temperature for November 2021 was 8.95C (48.11F), 0.35C higher than the current long-term average. The highest temperature was 14.1C (57.4F), recorded on November 18. Lowest maximum was 2.8C (37.0F), observed on November 27.
Wick's average overnight minimum air temperature for November 2021 was 5.21C (41.38F). The long-term average for November is presently 3.50C (38.3F).
The highest overnight minimum for any 12-hour recording period ending 6am (GMT) was an exceptionally mild 11.5C (527F), logged on November 19. There were two air frosts. Lowest ambient temperature was minus 2.0C (28.4F), noted on November 29.
The temperature fell to 0.0C (32.0F), or lower at 5cm over the grass on four dates. The lowest temperature recorded over the grass was minus 3.9C (25.0F) on November 29.
Precipitation was measurable on 31 dates. The total quantity for the month was 109.2mm (4.30 inches), or 121.2 per cent of the long-term average for November. The wettest day was November 19. The amount for the 24 hours commencing 9am (GMT) was 15.2mm (0.60 of an inch).
Wind velocities reached or exceeded gale force 8 (39.0mph/33.9knots) on 11 dates. "Days of gale" occurred on November 7, 26 and 27 respectively. The strongest wind velocity was logged during the hour ending 12am (GMT) on November 26, when a severe gale force 9 northerly wind gusted up to 73.7mph/64.1knots, almost hurricane force 12 on the Beaufort scale.
