England just had two hours of sunshine in ten days

England had only 130 minutes of sunshine during the first ten days of November but brighter weather is expected as a stubborn spell of “anticyclonic gloom” finally lifts.

There were only 2.2 hours of sunshine on average across England, or about a tenth of what would usually be expected, according to the Met Office.

For the UK as a whole the figure was 5.3 hours, mostly driven by clearer conditions in Scotland.

Some places did not see a minute of sunshine during the first ten days of the month, including Saint Helier in Jersey, Ronaldsway on the Isle of Man and Odiham in Hampshire. Similarly murky weather, caused by a shallow but persistent blanket of cloud, was seen across much of Europe.

Scotland fared much better, with the village of Kinloss near Inverness enjoying 35 hours of sunshine.

According to Stephen Dixon, a Met Office spokesman, the gloom was a result of high pressure trapping a layer of moisture close to the Earth’s surface. Becky Mantin, the ITV weather presenter, said that early November was notable for “a staggering lack of sunshine”.

It has also been remarkably dry, with only 1mm of rainfall on average in England and Wales, and mild, especially at night when the cloud cover has helped to trap warmth.

Sunnier weather arrived for many on Monday. Dixon said it was a “widely dry and fine day for many with good spells of sunshine, albeit with a touch more patchy cloud in the north of the country. But, for the vast majority, a dry and fine day with some sunshine, which will feel like it’s much needed after the recent week”.

The weather front that is clearing the skies is being driven by the jetstream diving down across the UK. It promises more uncertain and changeable weather, including rainy spells for some.

Temperatures are expected to drop towards the end of the week, with lows of around 0C predicted in parts of the northwest by Sunday morning. “Some wintry precipitation is possible in places, with snow most likely to fall over high ground in the north,” the Met Office said.