Weather watcher Norman Brooks gives his view on Norfolk's weather during November.

Often a dismal month weatherwise, November 2019 was particularly dull, drab, and wet, with a marked deficit in hours of sunshine.

Rain falling on 23 days accumulated a monthly total of 90.8mm, nearly 130pc of the long-term average. An impression that this autumn has been wet is justified.

The average rainfall for the combined months of September, October, and November is 182.6mms - this year, the total was 305.5mm, showing an excess of 66pc.

By comparison, using data supplied by Neil Evans the record wet autumn in the Norwich area was in 1841 when the three-month total was 394.2mm.

Overall the month was slightly colder than normal, and although there were no unduly low temperatures, ground frost occurred on 12 nights. Leaf fall was late, the delay probably due to an absence of strong winds.

An interesting guide as to whether autumns have become milder, in central London at least, is the study of the plane trees in Whitehall around the time of the annual Armistice Day.

The first celebration, on the 11th November 1919, was conducted in bitter cold with the trees virtually leafless.

Trawling back over the subsequent years it is undeniable that these plane trees have gradually retained their leaves, first in part, and more recently in almost entirety and mainly green. It is difficult to establish whether this change of habit is the result of a warming climate, or merely the result of an intensification in the urban heat island effect.

The World Meteorological Organisation has issued a warning that global temperatures are on track to rise by 4-5C by 2100. At the same time other scientists have stated that there is an "existential threat to civilisation", with carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere quoted as being the highest in the past three million years.

The tipping point, when global heating becomes unstoppable, is thought to be a rise of between 1-2C, and now the 5C previously thought. If both these predictions are correct, the world as we know it is doomed. This is, of course untrue, scaremongering is now considered morally acceptable by the scientific community, it it achieves its purpose in forcing governments and industries to reduce emissions of Co2.

Statistics for Norwich in November 2019

Total rainfall: 90.8mm (129pc of average)

Wettest day: 23.1mm 26th

Coldest day: 5.1C 19th

Mildest day: 14.5C 1st

Lowest minimum: -2.4C 30th

Average temperature: 6.5C (0.3C below normal)