Chill to grip Bonfire Night as temperatures dip into single digits

Image source, BBC / Maree Nicolson

Dry but chilly weather is forecast this week as millions plan to celebrate Guy Fawkes night on Thursday and the Hindu festival of Diwali on 8 November.

Following the stormy end to October, high pressure has been building in and will dominate for the rest of the week.

For the vast majority of the UK, it will be dry and settled by day with a mixture of cloud and some sunny spells.

By night, temperatures will dip into the single digits with the chance of fog developing in some areas.

A few showers in the east before Thursday

High pressure will dominate as the week continues, meaning the daytime will be settled with some areas of cloud.

For most planning to host or attend a bonfire on Thursday evening, soggy kindling won’t be a cause for concern – although there will be a few areas of wet weather ahead of the festivities.

With an easterly wind blowing there is a chance that across eastern Scotland and eastern England there could be some showers moving in from North Sea coasts throughout Wednesday.

The best of the sunshine will tend to be towards the west.

Image source, Reuters / Toby Melville

Lewes in East Sussex holds one of the biggest Bonfire Night celebrations in the UK

A chilly night for fireworks and bonfires

Wrap up warmly if you are out watching fireworks on Thursday evening.

The weather is looking chilly with temperatures forecast to drop through the night into the mid-single figures.

While these temperatures are more or less the seasonal average, it will be a lot colder than last year.

On 5 November 2025, some areas across the southern half of the UK did not drop below 14C, making it the warmest Bonfire Night on record for a number of weather stations including Southhampton, Teddington, Portland, Bude and Anglesey.

A touch of frost will be possible in sheltered areas in the northern half of the UK.

It is likely that underneath any clear spells, particularly in the north and again in the shelter of the easterly breeze, fog will develop through the night.

Image source, BBC Weather

These will be the temperatures in the towns for the first half of Thursday night but rurally they could be lower.

Weather to cooperate into the weekend

With many firework displays on Friday and Saturday and the Hindu festival of light on Sunday, many communities across the UK will continue celebrating for the rest of the week.

Once again, the weather should not cause any issues.

The area of high pressure will gradually move eastwards but remain dominant through the weekend keeping it generally dry and chilly .

However, fog could become more widespread as the winds lighten, especially under clearer skies.

Next week could see low pressure systems spin in again from the west but uncertainty remains.

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