cheese

It's funny - I know people who hate cold, but would much rather spend a winter in Canada than the UK, because at least they get snow to lighten the mood - and a good deal more in the way of sunshine. There is nothing redeeming about a mild winter in the UK - it's just dreadfully depressing, with a good chance of rain but nothing else. An average winter is usually bad too - and even cold months are pathetic. The only time I ever want milder than average weather in winter is if it's February 1998 2.0 with temps in the high teens and sunshine - none of this mild, drizzly gunk we have now - and if it's a choice of a very wet, cloudy but mild February 2011 or a very cold, dry and sunny December 2010, the choice is obvious. Speaking of February 1998, Leeds had an average high of 11.6C! Truly remarkable - would be interesting to see it again. That being said, if this winter does turn out milder than normal, I won't care much. I thought a winter like 2013/2014 would drive me nuts but in reality I just wasn't bothered.

October is the second wettest month on average here, narrowly beating December and just behind August - though August is the joint second sunniest in % terms (gets 41% of possible, same as July but lower than May with 44%) Funnily enough, June only gets 37% of the possible - which is only a little higher than April and October. Return of the Westerlies? Slightly off topic.. but I found it interesting. The one thing that changes more than anything from June-September, to October-December, is increase in rain days - we get about 8 days of rain each month from June-September, but 10-11 from October-December, so even though the actual rainfall amount doesn't change much at all, it feels much damper.

We have 42mm for the month, but all of that fell within 48 hours.

My favourite snowfalls are at night - it brightens things up drastically, and everything seems tranquil.. I remember seeing a family going out in the snow 2 years ago at 1-2am.. seems other people had the same idea as me.

A 2 1/2 mile walk isn't bad - I do more than that most days just by getting from A to B - but I can understand why someone wouldn't want to do it for 5 days a week every morning, especially if it's really early. I'd just phone in sick.

As did I. It was one of the best events I personally recall.

If you go to Helsinki or Stockholm during the first snowfall, there will be chaos - no question about it. People even in the snowiest climates are often caught off-guard by the first snowfall.. but in these climates, the snow is likely to stick around most of the winter, so it's a case of deal with it or shut down for 3 months, whereas in the UK, our snowfalls are usually short-lived, unless it's 1962/1963. That's why Stockholm Arlanda airport has state-of-the-art snow removal equipment, but London Heathrow does not.. and to be honest you'd find it hard to justify the cost for a 2009-type snowfall that only occurs every few years. Snow chaos in Finland, after a surprise heavy snowfall: Like Nick says, the authorities do well - it's usually the general public causing the problems.

Our road is always gritted.. but it doesn't stop snow accumulating, unless it's a marginal affair. Like on 25 January 2013 - our road was gritted, but the snow was so incredibly heavy, and 6 inches fell within 4 hours, that the grit was completely useless. Only a plow is useful.

2013-2014 didn't have any snow cover in meteorological winter here, but there was a short-lived covering in mid-November. Might have been a cm - it was unexpected.

Is it the return of the large teapot? Where's Ian Brown when you need him..

Lol, at least my humour is not completely wasted.. it doesn't bother me what level other people have when it comes to putting the heating on - but I don't see why it bothers some that I put the heating on more readily.. it isn't their money I'm using after all!

I can't speak for anywhere else, but the weather here has been cloudy the past few days and today we've had intermittent showers - so I'm glad August never turned out like this with a cool slack easterly wind bringing nuisance cloud and showers. What a waste of high pressure.

I don't moan about that - nor does anyone I know. I use the heating whenever I feel cold, and I'll happily pay whatever for the privilege. This is the 21st century, and I do not expect to be dressed for an Arctic expedition when I'm indoors.

They need to prove their manliness.. me big man no feel cold grunt grunt.

My grandmother was 23 and had given birth to her third child 2 years before. Four members in my family who were around for that winter. Only my grandmother can remember it though - the other three were aged 4, 3 and 2 respectively (yes, my grandmother was a busy bee). My grandfather was 28, but is now sadly departed. It will be sad when that generation leave for good, and their memories will only be available in written form. I'm happy to have heard stories of the door-high snow drifts of 1947 from people who experienced it first-hand. Maybe when I'm elderly, I will tell my grandchildren stories of December 2010.

I guess such a winter would truly test our preferences, much like summer 1976. For some, it's too much of a good thing, but I have already experienced a proper winter, much colder and snowier than anything the UK can throw at us, and I enjoyed it. That being said, it was one winter - who knows how I'd cope with it year after year.

UK climate is just a half-way house for everything, and nearly every type of weather we get is moderated to a great degree, so yeah, the climate here is not going to satisfy most of us - because most of us want hotter, colder, more thunderstorms, more rain, less rain - whatever. That being said, it's not too bad. I'd rather be here than Miami.

So a 'hottie' should be satisfied with an average UK summer..

Haven't even had a ground frost here thus far.

Rain.. not forecast.. very annoying.

22mm yesterday and 20mm today.

Flooding in parts of Leeds this morning. Along the streams that join the Aire. Huge spike in river levels - 22 mm yesterday so not surprising.

I think someone has sour grapes! I'm sorry that it's been rubbish in your neck of the woods but in this part of the world it's been absolutely fine - comparing the storm season here to somewhere like France is incredibly pointless.

That was a poop-inducing strike. Very loud thunder.

Huge flash and rumble just now.