We did it! Last Friday was the warmest Halloween on record. The temperature reached 18-21°C, while in Llanfairfechan, Gwynedd, a remarkable 22°C was recorded, beating the previous record of 18.9°C in Wrexham on 31 October 1970.
Derren Jones and his family celebrated the warmest 31 October on record in Colwyn Bay
Since then of course it has turned cooler, and over the next couple of days temperatures will drop even further with colder air filtering down from the north. Daytime temperatures will reach around 9-12°C, which is close to or a little below average for early November. The nights will be colder too; temperatures will stay well above freezing on the coast with a breeze off the sea but inland temperatures will fall low enough for a touch of frost.
Bonfire Night will be dry and cold - indeed Wednesday night will probably be the coldest night of the week with the first widespread ground frost of the season. In the countryside an air frost is likely with temperatures in some rural spots dropping a few degrees below freezing.
Low pressure will bring a mixture of sunshine and heavy showers tomorrow, with a risk of hail and thunder. Wednesday will be the driest day of the week but after a dry start on Thursday more rain and stronger winds will roll in from the Atlantic, followed by showers on Friday.
After a very dry September, the heavens opened in October and it was another mild month. In fact every month so far this year, apart from August, has been warmer than normal.
The National Botanical Garden of Wales on 31 October, taken by Vanessa Weaver
Looking ahead, there is no sign yet of any really cold weather, although around the middle of November the wind may turn into the east or southeast at least for a time bringing slightly lower temperatures.
