Summer Sun

Looking at this mornings 00z ensembles it does look like rain will ease during the first few days of Jan which will be welcomed by many the 850's are never far away from average either A quick look at the precipitation forecast shows a very wet week coming up especially in some western parts with the potential for snow at times if its cold enough in NW Scotland

Killer storms batter Britain - and there's MORE to come before Christmas BRITAIN was battered by wild weather overnight left one person dead and thousands without power. Torrential rain and winds of up to 90mph caused flooding and power disruption across the UK - and experts warn that we can expect MORE of it today and in the run up to Christmas. Gale-force winds blew ROOVES off hotels, shut motorways and turned lorries on their sides. And an Air France plane was pictured making a hair-raising landing at Bristol airport as strong gusts started to ROLL it on its side. Britain is braced for even more gales today, with wind speeds of up to 100mph predicted. Northern Ireland and parts of western Scotland are expected to get the brunt of it, while 20cm of snow is expected to land north of the border. Drivers across England will also face hazardous conditions as freezing cold temperatures are set to turn the roads to ice. Flood warnings have been put in place for parts of the country, with 26 in the south west alone. http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/356639/Deadly-90mph-storms-batter-Britain-as-experts-warn-of-Christmas-gales

Northumberland and Durham only Issued at: 1125 on Thu 19 Dec 2013 Valid from: 1500 on Fri 20 Dec 2013 Valid to: 0300 on Sat 21 Dec 2013 An area of heavy, rain along with strong to gale force winds, is expected to cross the UK from Friday afternoon and into Saturday. This will bring some locally large accumulations, particularly on hills. Following previous wet weather, may lead to some localised flooding across some western and central parts of Scotland, north and mid-Wales and northwest England. This is an update to the Alert issued yesterday. The public should be aware of the potential for disruption from flooding and keep up to date with latest forecasts and warnings from the Met Office, Environment Agency and Scottish Environment Protection Agency. Chief Forecaster's assessment A deep low pressure system is moving across the Atlantic, arriving into western parts of the UK on Friday afternoon. With mild air and strong winds some large rainfall totals are possible, particularly over high ground in the western and central Scotland, northwest England and north Wales. Melting snow particularly from the hills of the southern and western Highlands will add to river flows in some areas. There remains some uncertainty around this system and this warning may be updated. http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/warnings/#?tab=warnings&map=Warnings&zoom=5&lon=-3.50&lat=55.50&fcTime=1387497600&regionName=ne

4.8c please

The sun has set at its earliest today, from tomorrow the long road to light nights begins

White or wet Christmas? Philip Avery takes a look at the all-important weather forecast in the run-up to Christmas. http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/features/25450968

Overnight I think

Issued at: 0842 on Thu 19 Dec 2013 Valid from: 1500 on Thu 19 Dec 2013 Valid to: 0900 on Fri 20 Dec 2013 A cold westerly airstream will bring a wintry mix of showers through the rest of Thursday, overnight into Friday morning. As road temperatures fall after dark this will lead to an increasing risk of icy stretches. In addition these showers will lead to some accumulations of snow. By day these should be mainly confined to ground above 200 m although some temporary slushy falls are possible to lower levels in heavier showers. On Thursday evening into early Friday, slight accumulations of 1-2 cm are possible locally with up to 5 cm above 200 m. Drivers should be aware of the possibility of difficult driving conditions and minor disruption to travel. Chief Forecaster's assessment A cold westerly airstream will cover Scotland. Showers of a wintry mix will feed eastwards across much of southern and eastern Scotland possibly leading to salt wash-off and therefore an increasing risk of icy stretches on Thursday evening into early Friday. Covers Northumberland http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/warnings/#?tab=warnings&regionName=ne&fcTime=1387411200

Yep everything is dying out just as it gets near Its no wonder our yearly rainfall amounts isn't all that high

Not much change from today's NAO update

Over here that would be classed as very mild, just goes to show how its different over the world

A mix of rain, sleet and snow is currently making its way across from the west

Dreaming of a WET Christmas: Southern Britain faces a festive wash-out - but north and Scotland could have EIGHT inches of snow http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2525937/UK-weather-Airline-pilot-battles-extreme-crosswinds-attempts-land-South-hit-70mph-gales.html

Cool and unsettled Frequently windy Colder air threatens wintry showers http://www.weatheronline.co.uk/cgi-app/reports?LANG=en&MENU=weekahead&DAY=20131219

The Daily star have backtracked from the 180mph winds they were telling us about on December 10th for Christmas to 90mph now Driving hell as 13 million take to dangerous roads for Christmas LARGE parts of the UK are set to disappear under eight inches of snow today as the annual Christmas getaway begins. The Met Office warned of 80mph winds, torrential rain and snowdrifts. The weather hell comes as 13million cars take to the roads to travel home for Christmas, sparking fears of festive gridlock. Met Office forecaster Nicky Maxey said: “We’re going to have a lot of unsettled weather over the next few days. “There are yellow warnings for snow across parts of Scotland, as well as amber warnings for winds which could be as strong as 80mph across much of the UK. “Today we’ll see between 10 and 20cm of snow on higher ground, and the wind means that may drift. “Many other areas could also see up to 5cm of snow.†Nicky spoke as residents in the south-west were warned to prepare for flooding and gale force winds. Environment Agency bosses issued 21 flood alerts for the region, with South Devon likely to be worst hit. http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/356557/Met-Office-predicts-road-weather-hell-as-13-million-drive-home-for-Christmas Before After

Cooler in Darlo today with the high around 4c to 6c Later tomorrow it will become milder with temperatures close to double figures that will lead to a mild day on Saturday with the high between 9c and 11c before turning cooler again on Sunday

Both the ECM and GFS ensembles support the idea of these deep lows coming to an end at t240 GFS ECM Beyond t240 the GFS ensemble shows little change in the pattern

Twelve days of Christmas storms: Weather will be wild until New Year BRITAIN is facing a stormy Christmas with fierce gales and downpours every day until the New Year. The wild weather warning came as Storm Emily roared in last night with 100mph gusts, heavy rain and the prospect of snow in the North. Forecasters predict there could be at least 12 days of chaotic conditions with a major storm threatened on Christmas Eve into Christmas Day. Gales of up to 80mph are expected today after Government forecasters ­upgraded severe weather warnings for wind in the North-west to level-2 amber alert. An estimated two inches of rain is likely to trigger flash floods and could turn into up to eight inches of snow in remote northern areas. Ferocious winds reaching 100mph will whip up blizzards over higher ground causing treacherous driving conditions. There are warnings for snow in the North today and tomorrow while the West coast and South-west are on alert for heavy rain lasting into the weekend. Met Office spokeswoman Nicky Maxey said gales in the North will bring waves high enough to cause coastal flooding. Netweather’s Nick Finnis is also warning of a Christmas Day storm. He said: “It is turning wet and windy with severe gales towards the North on Sunday. Unfortunately the weather is unlikely to change as we head into Christmas week, with weather models indicating further deep lows getting menacingly close to northern Britain. “Expect further spells of rain, showers and strong winds – with gales or ­severe gales in places. One particularly deep low is suggested to move close to northern areas later on Christmas Eve into Christmas Day.†http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/449496/Twelve-days-of-Christmas-storms-Weather-will-be-wild-until-New-Year

Unsettled and ColdSnow in the EastIssued: 0530hrs Thursday 19 December 2013 Duty forecaster: John Ejdowski Fine across Turkey Today A windy day to come across northern Europe and also through the Straits of Gibraltar through the Balearics. Outbreaks of snow are expected across Norway and northern Sweden. An area of heavy rain will affect Denmark, Germany, the Low Countries, the southern half of France along with much of Spain and Portugal. Expect some showers around Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily with a dry, mostly sunny day of Italy, much of the Balkans along with the Adriatic Region. Some heavy showers are expected the eastern Mediterranean. Lots of sunshine today across Turkey and the Ukraine and it will be dry. Cloudy and very cold with snow flurries across Finland. Much of Russia, the Baltic States, Poland and Belarus will be dry but cold. Friday Very windy across Britain and Scandinavia today. Gales are also likely across southern France to the western Mediterranean Region. Cold across Spain today with the risk of some snow in the far north, dry across central and southern Spain. Snow is snow showers is forecast for Norway with much of Sweden fair and dry. Heavy outbreaks of snow are forecast for northern Finland, into northern Russia with southern Finland seeing outbreaks of rain. Some rain too for the Baltic States and Belarus and across Belarus it may be freezing rain. Across the Balkans States along with the Adriatic Region, it should remain fair and dry with sunny spells. Sunny again today across Turkey with a few heavy showers from Crete to Cyprus. An area of snow will stretch from western parts of Poland through Germany across northern Italy, southern France down through the Balearics. Snow is forecast across the Alps today. Southern half of Italy should remain fair and dry. Dry as well across northern France, Belgium and Holland with showers expected across Denmark. http://www.weatheronline.co.uk/cgi-app/reports?LANG=en&MENU=204&FILE=eus&DAY=20131219

Better from ECM again this morning once again its showing these very deep lows coming to an end from around the 28th For the Christmas period we a deep low passing NW of Scotland on Christmas eve and Christmas day before the winds ease on Boxing day

Sadly the winds have claimed a life Woman Dies After Tree Falls On Car A 23-year-old woman has died after a tree fell on her car during high winds in Mullingar, Ireland. The incident occurred on the Ballymahon Road, near the town's Greenpark Meadow Housing Estate, at about 4.05pm. The woman, who was the only person in the car, was taken to Mullingar General Hospital by ambulance but was pronounced dead at 5.30pm. Bad weather on Wednesday also caused the roof of Cork's railway station to partially collapse, injuring a passenger and disrupting services. Irish weather service, Met Eireann, has issued a "Status Red" severe weather warning for counties Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo and Sligo. The alert, in place until 3am on Thursday, means that people should "take action to protect themselves and/or their properties". Gusts of 75mph to 93mph (120 to 150 km/h) are forecast in some areas, as well as high seas. An orange warning is also in place for counties Cavan and Clare, and a yellow warning for Leinster, Monaghan, Roscommon, Tipperary and Waterford. One Twitter user, Anna Leonard, posted: "The weather is so bad in Ireland. A woman is dead in Mullingar because of the wind. Ridiculous. Prayers with those affected!" Around 890 homes are also without power in Neath, south Wales, after high winds brought down a high-voltage power cable, police said. http://news.sky.com/story/1184362/woman-dies-after-tree-falls-on-car

The ECM ensemble at t240 isn't going the Op's route in building pressure from the south, though winds would at least be lighter than previous days Op

Players coming back out at stoke

Stoke city v Man U game suspended due to hail

t240 looks better with high pressure edging up maybe bringing an end to all these deep lows as we close out 2013