stephenpwalker

The Story is here on line! http://www.express.co.uk/news_detail.html?sku=645 Britain faces an arctic winter 01/11/06 By Mark Reynolds AFTER one of the hottest summers on record, Britons have been warned to prepare for the big chill. Weathermen sent out the alert as they told the nation to wrap up for an icy blast from the Arctic. Temperatures are set to plummet to minus 4 degrees celsius (24F) overnight in some parts of the country in what could herald the start of a long and bitter winter. The sheer scale of the change in temperature, dropping up to 24F, will make conditions feel even colder. The meteorologists warned that strong winds will also add to the chill factor in the wake of the warmest six months since records began. But last night the Met Office said the big chill, which is initially set to grip the nation for at least the next week, signals an end to the extraordinarily mild weather. Long-term forecasters believe the hot summer will give way to an unusually icy winter, with one agency predicting a 40 per cent chance of a white Christmas. Some forecasters warned that parts of the country in February and March could face temperatures as low as minus 10C. Andrew Bond, senior forecaster with MetCheck.com, said: “Traditionally, people see the winter months as November, December and January. "But, if we look back over recent years, the winters have been slightly later through February and March. “During the winter months in parts of the country we could see overnight temperatures of minus 10C.” BBC long-term forecaster Susan Powell said: “The crux of the long-term forecast is that the period from December to February is likely to have lower than average temperatures.” She added that this winter was likely to require the “piling on of Christmas jumpers and bobble hats”. Other experts also warned that the winter is likely to be particularly drawn out, lasting into late March or beyond. Dr Richard Wild, forensic meteorologist for WeatherNet Ltd, said: “We are experiencing the El Nino scenario, where the underlying effects of the temperature of the Pacific affects weather patterns. “These underlying trends are towards a warmer winter in December and January for the US and Canada followed by a colder spell for Europe in early March, similar to the conditions we had last March, with cold dry turns and outbreaks of wind and snow. “I think it would be fair to say that, if the El Nino system turns out to be the decisive factor, we can expect colder than average conditions at the end of winter in February and going into next spring.” A Met Office spokesman said: “We have been getting used to winds coming from the south or south-west but we are going to get a blast of northerly air from the Arctic Circle for the first time. “From tomorrow, especially in the East, there are going to be some pretty cold nights. The winds will swing round to come from the north and drop off slightly – light winds and cold air are the perfect ingredients for frost. “A lot of people will be scraping the ice off their windscreens tomorrow morning. “Temperatures will get down to freezing across the country and are expected to drop down to minus 3C (26F) or minus 4C (24F) in rural parts. “Conditions may hover a degree or so above zero in cities in the South, but elsewhere the weather will be the coldest we have had so far. As a rough guide, wherever you are in the country, people will be looking at temperatures half as warm compared to recent days. It will be accentuated because we have had such a prolonged summer.” Daytime temperatures will also be low, plunging in early November to just 5C (41F) in southern England and 3C (37F) in northern England and Scotland. This summer has been the longest and hottest since records began in 1659, with both July and September the warmest on record. Average temperatures in October were 12.9C (55.2F) and 15.4C (59.7F) in September. The figures are based on the central England temperature, which covers a triangle between Bristol, Lancashire and London. The only two months to have been below average were February and March. The Met Office spokesman added: “I would not be at all surprised if this is the hottest-ever year. Eight out of the 10 hottest years on record have come since 1989 and it is looking like this will beat them all.” The increasingly hot summers and long late winters have already played havoc with nature, with leaves still on the trees in November and daffodils not coming into bloom until mid to late April. Experts believe the extremes of weather are all part of the global warming phenomenon. The highest temperature during October was 23C (73F) at St Peter Port on Guernsey on October 9. The month’s lowest reading was minus 1.8C at Glenlivet in Scotland overnight on October 15-16. SW