coldest winter

WINTERS ARE A THING OF THE PAST - we will have to get over it!

Slightly milder than average - 5.2 for me please

I just do not see any real change in the current set-up. Sadly, I expect to see more flooding, probably in subtly different counties. There are signs of more PM influence as January progresses. i will go with 6.7 please

Merry Christmas to all on the forum. Sorry that is not a widespread white one but tbh they have always been the exception to the rule, at least at lower levels. Here on the Cromarty firth it is bright and relatively calm after a windy night. l could hear the wind on the bedroom window at 4am. The wife reckons it was Santa and his reindeers!

We had dandruff snow here overnight on Friday/Saturday which melted by late morning,leaving a dusting on nearby hills but not as low as the Black Isle or the Sutors. I think it rained a little last night but, looking out of the window at the nearby countryside, there are no signs of any winteryness. Of course, I am located at sea level on the shores of the Cromarty firth and do not expect to see much proper snow in the current set-up and so early in the season!

My ideal Autumn would start with a fortnight of very warm, settled weather but this pattern would change towards the equinox to more changeable and cooler conditions with spells of heavy rain and strong winds (not severe gales though) interspersed with crisp bright and clear autumn days. October would start reasonably quiet and settled but with cooler nights threatening the first frosts. As we get to the last third of the month and into November, with the trees devoid of leaf, some exceptionally wet and windy spells with rivers in full spate, would be my favourite weather. Into late November, I would look forward to a vicious low to slip down the North Sea during a period f high Spring tides creating a storm surge on the east coast(suitable warning and protection measures having been issued) followed by an artic outbreak with hard frosts and heavy snow showers in the usual places prone to northerly showery activity. A return to wet, stormy conditions for the end of November/ early December with a significant wind event, would be my fantasy scenario. From mid-December to late January, a Siberian air mass would frequently mix with southern displaced deep Atlantic lows would bring frequent heavy blizzards and continuous sub- freezing temperatures. As we move to February, the weather would become milder and more temperate!

12.0 for me please

The Daily Express predicts an exceptionally cold winter ahead.. In view of that. I am looking forward to a winter even colder than 1684 with great confidence and trepidation as to my heating costs! I trust that the authorities are preparing for something cataclysmic then. LOL (PS: I bet I' m wrong!)

13.6 for me thanks

15.9 for me. Whilst a near average figure might apply for the CET, if there were an equivalent series for Northern scotland and Northern Ireland, a much greater departure from the average (maybe a 2* negative anomaly) is more likely IMHO, given the state of Atlantic SST's.

I'm afraid I agree with you LDB - particularly for the UK north of the Midlands. the cold North Atlantic will see to that! Although I get a little fed up with hearing about the north/south divide, i have to accept the fact that, in summer, the nearer to continental Europe you are in the UK, more influence from continental air masses apply. That is simply a fact, very occasionally and somewhat rarely exceptions to that rule apply. So if you want to enjoy summer style living, go and live in London or Kent if you can afford it and want to share your space with 30 million others!

I think that we will continue the north westerly or northerly regeme and with SST's below normal I am plumbing for 14.8, well below average CET. For the northern part of scotland ( where I happen to live) the below average anomaly will be even more pronounced, probably at least 3 degrees Celsius below normal. Sorry!

12.6 for me please.

8.8 for me.

Only a moderate westerly breeze up here in invergordon - must be near the centre of the low. I expect the wind will pick up here soon as the the low moves away. Now off to play Roy Orbison's"it's over" on the iPod now it's the end of winter;-)

6.6 for me - spot on recent averages!

Here on the coast we have had squally wet snow showers all day so far. These showers have turned more from rain/sleet to wet snow which is encouraging for he collies . I can see the other side of the A9 and to the Black Isle in the opposite direction and where there is more elevation and the snow has settled, but I am very disappointed that this seems to be such a marginal set-up. Frankly, I have seen more settling snow in April from the current direction (which is still with a westerly bias) than we are currently experiencing. I just wonder how the media and Met Office would react to a 1947 or 1963 scenario! Sorry -typo - I meant to say "coldies"!

I think that this February will start off on a cold note but nothing exceptional. Personally, I don't see any real signs of an easterly and the continent is not particularly cold anyway. I expect more Atlantic driven weather with a lot of PM incursions mid-mon th followed by more settled conditions to end with higher diurnal temperature ranges as the sun gathers strength. So, a pure guess - a little below average at 3.9 for me please

4.5

Brief heavy shower in Invergordon, otherwise bright & breezy but not as windy as yesterday.Wind from West carries racket of noise from downwind Balcas plant - who work Sundays continuously from 9am to 8pm Sundays, 2hrs each side less than the other 6 days. Hate west wind for that reason! Pleasant enough temps - around 18 degrees but needed jumper1