East Lancs Rain

Winter 2016/17 and Winter 2018/19 were both milder and drier than average, not sure how that compares to Winter 1988/89 though. Winter 2018/19 also includes February 2019, which was exceptionally warm and very sunny. My favourite winter month. Winter 2016/17 was mild and dry but also cloudy away except for Northern Scotland. https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/binaries/content/assets/metofficegovuk/pdf/weather/learn-about/uk-past-events/summaries/uk_monthly_climate_summary_winter_2019.pdf

18.6°C with 70% humidity in the bedroom. Feels nice and warm.

The upside is that you should feel more comfortable in summer, and should be able to enjoy the warmth/heat a lot more. I have put on quite a bit of weight over the last couple of years. I’m about 6 ft tall and a couple of years ago I was only about 10 stone, now I’m 16 stone. I’ve noticed I do feel a bit warmer now, in both summer and winter. I can quite comfortably wear shorts and a t-shirt outside at 17°C, whereas when I was slimmer I might have needed a light jacket or light hoodie at that temp, and don’t really start feeling the cold until temps are into single digits. Also cold breezes used to go right through me, whereas the wind doesn’t bother me the same now.

To be fair, South Cornwall is pretty much the mildest place in the UK in winter. However, I agree with you that lows of 5-8°C even in Cornwall isn’t very cold in December. But it would be quite chilly for a daytime high, as the average winter high is around 9 or 10 degrees in Cornwall. And temperatures close to freezing on a November morning would be quite cold for Cornwall, which has some of the highest winter minima in the UK.

Not often you hear someone say that on these forums! Hmm, I disagree. Comparing Rochdale (not far from me) to Tynemouth in the north East, Tynemouth is actually sunnier with 1551 hrs per year vs 1265. It’s also a lot drier too - 1197 mm of rain per year in Rochdale vs 605 in Tynemouth… So practically double the rainfall. 170 wet days per year in Rochdale but only 116 in Tynemouth… So about 1 in every 2 days is wet in Rochdale compared to around 1 in 3 in Tynemouth. Temperature wise, Rochdale is warmer in Spring and Summer, and Tynemouth is slightly milder in Winter. Id say Tynemouth has the more pleasant climate out of the two (except maybe in late spring or early summer when Tynemouth tends to get a lot of cold, foggy weather). Yes it’s cooler in Spring and Summer, but you get more sunshine and a lot less rainfall. I think I’d rather have cooler but sunnier and drier summers. Cloudy and wet summers are depressing, but if it’s 18C and sunny it still feels quite pleasant in the sun, and the sun will make the cooler temperatures feel a bit warmer as well. And Tynemouth rarely gets any heat in summer which is a good thing for me. Both climates are fairly poor though - Tynemouth is too cool in spring and summer, and Lancashire is too cloudy and wet all year round (except in maybe May, the sunniest and driest month of the year here). At least Lancashire isn’t as bad for rain as the Lake District though - some parts of Cumbria get 2000 mm of year! https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/uk-climate-averages/gcybzz9xh https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/uk-climate-averages/gcw2ymd6s

You sleep under a duvet at 27C?? I would be melting if I did that! Only started sleeping under a winter duvet in November, when bedroom temps started dropping to the mid teens overnight. I have noticed that people from the north east, especially around the Newcastle area don’t seem to feel the cold. I last visited there (Whitley Bay, which is right on the coast) at the end of May and beginning of June in 2018, and while most of the country had very warm weather, as the wind was coming from the east and north east, it was much chillier on the east coast. Some days were really chilly with the temp only reaching 12 or 13°C, thick fog and a very cold wind coming off the North Sea, making it feel much colder than what the temperature was. Yet despite this, there were many people in t-shirts and/or shorts. When I arrived it was a nice sunny day, but not warm at all, temps only in the low teens and a very chilly breeze coming from off the North Sea. Yet people were dressed like it was a summer heatwave. Yet where I live, it’s the opposite. A lot of people feel the cold, and you often see people wearing thick coats in the summer when it’s cloudy and in the mid - high teens. Gordies seem to be extremely warm blooded and hardy but people in Lancashire seem to be quite cold blooded and, dare I say it, perhaps a little soft when it comes to feeling cold… It’s very strange. East Lancashire is a lot wetter than the north east though and also less sunny so maybe that has something to do with it. And I assume that after living with frigid winds off the North Sea during the winter and spring, you just get used to it, and anything else feels warm lol. As for me, Im somewhere inbetween. I would be way too hot wearing a thick coat in the mid teens, I don’t normally start wearing a coat until the temp drops into single digits, but on the other hand, I don’t normally just wear a t-shirt outside when it’s 12°C either. I’d say that gordies are better adapted to the British climate though, especially the climate of the north east which is chilly or cold most of the time and hot weather is quite rare. There’s not much point in being a cold blooded person in the UK, especially in the north, you just end up wearing a coat for 95% of the year.

Yes it can happen with the right setup and there have been quite a few mild and dry winters in recent years, winter 2016/17, 2018/19 and 2021/22. It often happens when you get a mild area high pressure centered just to the west or south of the UK, with low pressure and the Jetstream pushed well to the north. You allow just enough Atlantic influence in to keep it mild, but not enough for a washout. Either that or just get a mild ridge of high pressure right over the UK. Usually brings boring anticyclonic gloom though, dry and cloudy, but with temperatures above average. The graphic below shows the height anomaly for winter 2018/19 and winter 2011/12, also a mild(ish) but dry winter. Also, remember February 2019? That was an exceptionally mild (warm even) winter month, with many days dry, sunny and in the low to mid teens. I get what you’re saying. but mild and dry winters are more common than you think. Often happens when you get a mild ridge of high pressure sat over the UK. Winter 2016/17 and winter 2018/19 are good examples. For me it isn’t as simple as saying I prefer mild over cold, or cold and dry over mild and wet. For me it depends more on what I’m doing, and what the exact weather conditions are. If I’m just sitting indoors then I’d prefer cold and sunny over mild and wet as at least it isn’t gloomy and miserable, and I have the heating on inside so its pretty much the same temp whether it’s cold or mild. Id take 3°C and sunny over 7°C and heavy rain any day, but I’d take 10°C, dry and cloudy over 3°C and sunny. If I was going to be outside for a while, I’d rather have 12°C and drizzle over 2°C and sunshine, but if stopping indoors all day I’d rather have the cold and sunshine. Id much prefer February 2019, an exceptionally mild, even warm at times and sunny month, over February 2018, a cold and snowy month. If I had to choose between Feb 2018 and Feb 2020, which was mild but exceptionally wet, then that would be more difficult however. And I’d prefer December 2016 or 2018, both mild but not overly wet Decembers over the December just gone. But if I had to choose between December 2015, an exceptionally mild but also extremely wet month in my area, or December 2017, a much drier but also much colder month, then again, that would be more difficult. I guess everyone feels things differently, as I’ve heard stories about some people who have come from really cold climates, actually find the winters worse here than where they are from, despite the temps being much milder here. If it’s 8°C, wet and windy with 100% humidity then that feels really miserable, whereas if its 4°C and sunny with light winds, and you are out during the middle of the day when the winter sun is at its strongest, then it doesn’t feel too bad. I find high humidity makes chilly temps feel damper and colder, especially if the ground is wet. But low humidity makes chilly temps feel warmer. I remember a day in October when it was only 8 or 9°C, but it was mostly dry and sunny, and the humidity was quite low around 50%, and it didn’t feel as chilly as what you expect with the temperature. On the other hand, there have been days in winter when it’s has been 12 or 13°C, cloudy and windy, with high humidity. I expected it to feel very mild, but it actually felt quite chilly in the wind. The reverse is true in summer though, I find a damp 16°C with 90% humidity feels warmer than a cloudy day or clear evening with 16°C but only 60% humidity.

I agree. I don’t mind a 5C sunny day too much but when it’s 5C and raining or 1C and frosty then it’s pretty miserable. If UK winters were drier, a lot sunnier and were a bit milder I’d like them a lot more. I’d love the mild and sunny winters in Spain, but I wouldn’t enjoy the endless 30°C+ sunny days in summer. I like our summers a lot more temperature wise, but I wish they were less wet and had more sunshine, especially living here in Lancashire lol., if I had a second home there, I’d spend October - April in Spain and live in the UK between April and October. Like how birds fly south in winter and fly north in summer lol. If houses were more affordable and there was more “work from home” jobs then I bet a lot more people would do that. Just goes to show that old saying “the grass is always greener on the other side” is so true.

You’re right about the Junes, but August 2023 wasn’t too bad, it was close to average, might have been different where you are though. While July 2023 was very wet, it wasn’t as bad as July 2020 here, was was absolutely atrocious here, no warmth whatsoever, did not even reach 20°C until the last two days. It’s one of the frustrating things about the UK climate at this time of year - when it’s mild it’s usually wet and when it’s dry and sunny it’s usually cold. If anything, it would be better if it was the other way around, so when its cold we get more precipitation, so much more snow, and when it’s mild, we get dry and sunny conditions. Like in London, it’s very rare to get 10°C+ sunny days in winter here. Those days do not usually happen until mid - late March here. And in summer, it is very rare to get a wet day that is above 20°C here. Even on a hot day, if it starts to rain, the temperature will almost instantly drop below 20°C. Unfortunately, being at such northerly latitude, the sun is so weak at this time of year, it just does not have enough strength to warm things up. The Gulf Stream and the Atlantic does, but it comes at the cost of cloud, wind and rain.. I’m guessing there aren’t many countries where they have to choose between cold and sunny or mild and wet in the winter. Its currently 6.2°C here, so not much milder than recent days, and it’s gloomy, wet and miserable.

December CET currently at 1.3°C which is -3.2°C below the 1960-1991 average, and people are still moaning! Some people are never happy! Not a bad day here. After a grey and murky couple of days it’s currently sunny and 5°C. Quite mild compared to recent days. Not in the UK it won’t be! If anything, we are overdue for a washout summer, the last one was in 2012, 11 years ago…

I agree with this. I do like walking in deep snow in winter, and it looks pretty, although I wouldn’t want it for weeks on end, like many European countries do, then the novelty would wear off. I bet a lot of people on here wouldn’t be as excited or enjoy the snow as much if we didn’t get it as often. I enjoy mild and sunny weather and wish we got more of that in winter. Personally, I would really like a winter with lots of dry, sunny weather, but not severely cold, but not really mild either, just lots of sunshine and highs of 3 to 8°C, dropping to around freezing at night, would be ideal for me. Like the recent cold spell in the UK, but a few degrees warmer. I think my ideal winter would be a very mild and stormy December, a dry and sunny January with average temps, and a very mild and sunny February, with lots of sunny days around 8-13°C. It gets less rare the later in winter you go. By February, it’s quite common to get calm, sunny days in the high single digits or maybe low double digits, due to the increasing strength of the sun. Areas to the east of high ground (not us unfortunately) can occasionally get very mild/warm and sunny conditions with a very mild southwesterly wind, known as the foehn effect. Unfortunately, for those of us living to the west of high ground, such setups tend to just give us thick cloud, gloom, drizzle and temps in low double digits. I’d say cold and wet is the worst for me, when it’s 3 or 4 degrees and raining. It feels so pointless, it might as well be a couple of degrees colder and then it would be snowing, or at least be milder so it wouldn’t feel as cold and miserable. Mild and sunny or average temps and sunny would be ideal winter conditions for me. Pleasant conditions without feeling too cold, and the bright days help to make the dark part of the year feel a bit less grim. I don’t agree with milder weather not saving on heating bills though, I notice the heating is on a lot more and the house gets a lot colder when it’s cold. I bet if you were to look at your heating bill for winter 2019/20 it would be quite a bit less than winter 2017/18.

why they were closed? Quite surprised it’s been so wet in the south, becuase it’s not like we are in a wet Atlantic pattern. The start of December 2015 and December 2019 was much wetter here.

Far more than we got here in East Lancashire. Both the West Midlands to my south and Cumbria to my north got much more it seems! Just had a light dusting here. All melted now. A bit less cold today, but still grey and miserable, currently 4.3°C with 90% humidity.

Well you’re tougher than me, I’m comfortable in shorts down to around 12°C or so, below that I usually wear joggers or jeans.

Just started snowing here. Temp 1C.

I think it was during the cold snap during the second half of January 2019.

I doubt it. There’s never been a cold winter after a hot September. Crazy to think only three months ago it was over 30 degrees in some places.

Wow you guys on the south coast have actually had it colder than me! It’s been very cold here up north this week but it’s still managed to reach 1 or 2C. However, unlike the last few days, which have been sunny, today has been a miserable cold and cloudy day, with hill fog and a nasty damp feel, with the snow and frost slowly thawing. Currently 1.2C with 84% humidity. A bleak winters day.

You’d better hope we don’t get another beast from the east, or your legs will become icicles..

It’s not been too bad an Autumn here. September was by far the best month although it didn’t really feel autumnal at all, the first half being exceptionally hot and the rest of the month was just mild and wet. It felt more like a typical summer month. I enjoyed the heat and sunshine while on holiday in the Cotswolds. It was excellent timing, early September is normally pretty decent but this year it was hotter than I’ve ever known early September to be like. October was quite boring, mild but cloudy and wet. And November was just miserable as most Novembers are, just cold, cloudy and wet most of the time.

Got down to minus 6 here but I do remember a winter night a few winters ago where it got down to -8 or -9.

Hmm I think I’d rather have 12C and drizzle myself. If it was a bit milder, say 6 or 7C, I might take that over 12C and cloud though.

It will probably be like last winter, cold first half of December then mostly mild for the rest of the winter.

So I know the majority of weather enthusiasts prefer cold winters over mild. When I was a kid I loved cold and snowy weather but for the last few years I prefer mild winters. I still like walking in deep snow but I prefer mild weather in winter now, even though it’s often raining with it. The last few days it’s been dry and sunny but very cold, with temperatures only rising to 2 or 3C during the day and dropping well below freezing at night. It’s currently -4C outside right now with crystal clear skies, but I think I’d rather it was 10C with cloud and drizzle. In fact I really dislike temperatures below 10C, I just feel no desire to go outdoors when it’s in single digits and especially not when it’s below zero. Not a huge fan of the heat either, although I had a weeks holiday in the Cotswolds in early September and it was in the high 20’s and low 30’s, and although it was very hot, I still enjoyed it and would much rather have that than rain or the weather we are having now. Im not sure how anyone can prefer this current freezing weather over what we had in summer, I’d take 17C and cloud over 0C and sunny any day. Yes mild winters are boring but at least it feels more comfortable and I just really don’t like winter anymore, it’s just dark, cold and depressing. I’m much more of a mild/warm weather guy. Both 0 and 30C are uncomfortable for me, I like it best somewhere in the middle around 12 - 20°C. My favourite winter month was February 2019, with many days sunny and 13-17°C. Yes it was unseasonably warm, but I enjoyed it. December 2015 was also exceptionally mild, although it also was extremely wet in my area with really bad flooding. Tbh, I wouldn’t mind another winter like 2016-17, lots of quiet benign weather around 5-9°C. I just want to get winter over with. Spring can’t come soon enough!

Yes there’s been a distinct lack of wind the last few months. I don’t think we’ve even had a named storm yet? Very boring autumn for wind storms, which is another reason why I only gave it 5/10. Hopefully we get some decent wind storms this winter. If the current pattern continues all winter, it might be the first one without any named storms, since the year they started naming them in 2015. Without a doubt It will be the warmest year on record, beating 2014, despite the cold December.