Weird UK weather blamed on 'anticyclonic gloom' - exact date it will be sunny again

An 'anticyclonic gloom' could be the reason parts of the country have seen no sun for the whole month, with weather stations and some villages yet to see the sun this month

Weird weather across the UK has been blamed on an anticyclonic gloom and may bring a rare spot of sun back to the UK.

Fog, low clouds and spots of drizzle can be expected country-wide and the anticyclonic gloom behind it could bring some stranger weather to other parts of the country. Odiham in Hampshire has recorded just 12 minutes of sunshine in the past 11 days. While other parts of the country remain grey skied and drizzly, the return of the sun could be somewhat soon.

Areas across the country have been without any ray of sunlight for over a week with weather stations across England and east Wales recording no bright spell at all for the first eight days of November.

The Met Office said people living in the south of England were affected by this anticyclonic gloom most of all and had experienced just an hour of sunlight for the whole month. While the weather in parts of the country may be settled more people are noticing a gloomy overcast. High pressure for the weather often means sunnier spells but this is not the case with this gloom.

Anticyclonic gloom is the result of a high-pressure system arriving in autumn or winter, and while it can still result in fine bright days, it can also work to trap moisture close to the ground. This moisture forms low clouds, mist and fog and with the high pressure stopping winds from arriving, it cannot be cleared away.

Met Office spokesperson Stephen Dixon said conditions such as this were "unstable but not unheard of". Lighter weather may be on the way but a few more gloomy days are expected. Sunday, November 10, may provide a brighter end to the week and lead to a burst of sunlight early next week.

Their forecast for tomorrow reads: "A band of light rain will move southeastwards, easing as it does so, with brighter skies following. Largely cloudy ahead of this with occasional sunnier intervals and feeling mild here." The forecast for early next week is more positive, adding: "A much brighter start to the new working week with sunny periods and a chance of overnight frost and fog. Probably cloudier by mid-week with an increasing chance of rain."

Those high-pressure effects will be further reduced towards the middle of the month as the Met Office suggest there will be a reduction in its influence on gloomy skies, though to what extent is yet to be seen. Their forecast for November 13 to November 22 reads: "High pressure from early in the week likely reducing its influence during the middle of next week though to an uncertain degree. Likely turning cloudier again across many areas with a chance of showers or longer spells, most probable in parts of the north and east."

Depressing weather woes were previously explained by the Met Office as part of low-lying clouds which were then having a knock-on effect for members of the public. The weather team revealed anticyclonic gloom "can occur when high pressure traps a layer of moisture near to the earth's surface, bringing a prolonged period of dull and cloudy weather, with mist and fog also possible. How would you describe today's weather?"