November is more likely to be nasty, numbing or nipping than … well, God didn’t give us any synonyms for warm that start with a ‘N’. 

God, who is English–speaking by the way, didn’t figure there would be any need for alluring headlines promising unseasonably warm weather in November.

Well, we need some, because the first half of November has been the warmest in history!

Records tumbling every day
Yesterday’s post-midday temperatures have not yet been factored in, but up until 12:00 on November 15 the average temperature was 10.7 degrees – and that includes night-time temperatures! 

The average easily eclipses the 9.7 set in November 2015 and was even 1.3 degrees warmer than October, which was the fourth warmest since records began. 

November 1, with a temperature of 16.7 degrees, was the fifth warmest November day ever, and November 12, when the temperature at no point fell below 11.2, the warmest ever night. A night earlier, 13.0 was recorded at one point.

Nature has certainly been confused: both animals and plants. Larks and starlings, who should be thousands of km south by now, are still flying around, along with honey bees, and many flowers are blooming again, including dandelions, ivy, strawberry bushes, and the famous cherry trees in Bispebjerg Cemetery.

Overall, it is part of a trend that has seen the November average temperature rise by almost one degree over the last 30 years, from 4.7 (1961-1990) to 5.5 (1991-2020). 

Colder spell ahead
But if you thought November wasn’t going to be  nasty, numbing or nipping, then think again!

The next few days will get considerably colder and, by the end of the week, temperatures will most probably be below normal for this time of year. 

Cold air from the east, most particularly Russia, will push temperatures down to 5 degrees on Saturday, and then 4 degrees on Sunday. On Saturday night, it will be below freezing at -1, so expect the first frost of the autumn on Sunday morning.

Nevertheless, the mild weather is expected to continue into December, so it should be warm enough to watch the World Cup on big screens, should some be placed outside.

There is uncertainty in the reports though, as cold air could conceivably arrive from the east. After all, nobody knows what to expect from Russia anymore.