What's up with the weather? Not much.

Southern New Hampshire is easing into winter so gently residents are barely noticing.

That's the word from meteorologist Butch Roberts with the National Weather Service in Gray, Maine.

"It's been kind of getting us tiny bits at a time. We're not finding anything hugely strange," Roberts said. "November can be hugely cruel and it just hasn't been that way."

In fact, the perception may be that the fall has been milder and kinder than usual. No, not really, Roberts said.

Southern areas actually have been a little cooler than normal for this time of year, but not so much that many people have noticed enough to complain.

The high in Concord on Thursday was 41 degrees, a departure from the normal of 52. But a little sunshine and bare ground makes it all easier to take, Roberts said.

Nighttime lows, too, have been a little nippier than the norm — but just a little. A nighttime low of 28 degrees Thursday was 3 degrees lower than the average, but still OK for most people.

As Roberts said, November can be cruel. The record low for Nov. 2 is 16 degrees, set not so long ago in 1992. But, the 11th month also can bring unexpected warmth. The record high for that same day was 80 degrees back in 1950. This year, the date was more moderate and more in line with normal temperatures. The low was 26 degrees, the high 52, pretty much on track with the day's average low and high of 31 and 53 degrees, respectively.

October was pretty much the same. The average low of 34.3 degrees and average high of 56.6 were on target for the average lows and highs for the month, 35.1 and 60.5, respectively. Precipitation was well above average in October, 5.15 inches compared to the average of 3.46. But that's been the story this year.

And that also may be contributing to the lack of grumbling about the weather this fall, Roberts said, This summer, a season marked by above-average rainfall and cool temperatures, had people complaining almost every day and meteorologists feeling under siege, he said.

"It's not hugely out of the normal," Roberts said of the fall. "It's more about how it's been happening after that brutal summer with all that rain and it was fairly cool."

The forecast for yesterday and today should make people happy, Roberts said Friday.

"By Sunday, everybody's going to be pleased, with temperatures in the 60s," he said. "If that doesn't bring smiles, they're going to be tough to please."

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