What Did You Think of Winter 2015/16?

[Northern Sky]

As someone who loves cold weather in December then obviously the first third of winter was almost inexpressibly vile. Jan and Feb have been poor but not by any means the worst (13/14) & (06/07)(07/08) were all worse. We had a lovely snowfall in Jan which lasted the next day and a light dusting in Feb along with a few frosts. Pretty paltry stuff but definitely better than some other years. Also quite a few crisp sunny days  - something which, for all the snow, was lacking in 12/13.

For me this winter gets 3 out of 10.

[Ravelin]

Mixed is how I'd describe it up here.

Not half as bad as some have experienced as we have seen snow on occasions, just not much and never long lasting. We've also had sustained periods of heavy rain (houses at the end of my road were flooded by the river Don early January, it was up to the edge of my front garden, so too close for comfort) and even some periods of quite sunny weather. It's been warmer than average, not by as much as the CET, but we've also had quite a number of frosts. It's just about felt like winter at times, but only just.

My signature contains all the main stats.

[cheeky_monkey]

we got exactly the winter I expected...mild and wet for most (although relatively dry where I am)..with a strong basin wide el-nino it was never going to deliver anything different.

[Singularity]

 

...okay perhaps a bit harsh given how remarkable December was - albeit in the other direction to what most on here would like to have been the case!

The second snowless winter in three years. Rare indeed... and with only one morning of snow last winter. A single morning in three years!

If spring was to be snowless as well (which looks unlikely at this stage but you never know), that'd be a repeat of 2014/15, which was the first time on record (here at least) that an entire winter/spring combination went without a single flake of snow falling. 

[pip22]

This Winter is absolutely rubbish. It is very awful and dreadful I rate it 1/10.

Edited March 1, 2016 by pip22

[MP-R]

Generally a very disappointing winter at face value, though less so considering the exception El Nino. 

December

Looking back, the sheer mildness is the closest point of interest, however this mildness was accompanied by incessant greyness, often light rain or drizzle with an almost complete absence of anything notable. I think if it were drier with sunnier spells i.e. the grey conveyor belt was further west but we were still in a southwesterly flow, I may regard the month as 'interesting' in completely the wrong way. There were moments early in the month e.g. the 07th when the sun was out and it was 13/14C and it almost felt like spring, save for the lack of sun strength. If there was more of that, I may have enjoyed the month more, especially knowing that the chances of it repeating in years to come is virtually nil. Sadly though, that was not the case. December gets 1/10 from me.

January

January turned out how I expect to December to be, with a mixed bag of weather, a cold spell and some Atlantic storms. The few convective days early in the month were welcome, as was the arrival of frost. Despite the general poor effort of the month, I still managed -05.9C. If the cold air hadn't shoved off for the six hours that there was drizzle on the 18th, there would have been a snowfall here and the rating for the month would be that bit higher. I will not forget for a while how the temperature profile of Jan 24th was the same as Jul 24th 2015 in my location. I should note that had January been December, the rating for the month would also be marginally higher. Overall though, disappointing again and not as good as Jan 2015. January gets 3.5/10 from me.

February

February turned out how I expect January to be, with a stormy start but colder and calmer thereafter. Again, the most disappointing aspect was the complete absence of snow given the synoptics on offer. The synoptics at face value were quite good for a lot of the month, thereby resulting in a number of frosts which were also welcome. Perhaps, the best aspect of the month was the prevalence of sunshine. Over 100 hours recorded at my location, albeit only just! Thankfully, no absurdly mild weather was present during the month - the springlike temperatures experience in some places on the 21st did not happen in my location. My rating for the month is balanced by the fact that I always welcome frosty weather with sunshine at any point during the winter, even if the afternoons are not overly cold, against the series of disappointing snow opportunities throughout the month. Overall, February gets 5/10 from me.

All in all, the winter gets 9.5/30 from me - in my book winter doesn't get started until at least a result of 10/30 is achieved. Good riddance in my opinion and let's just be thankful that Nov and Dec's weather didn't take place across Dec and Jan!

Edited March 1, 2016 by MP-R

[Froze were the Days]

I've been recording our daily weather through winters since 1983 - and the first six weeks of 2015/16 were a complete write-off, I don't think I'll experience another such mild December in my lifetime - daffodils just after xmas!!! (unbelievable).

Only the short chillier spell around mid-January (some very brief snowfall in a few parts even down to the south east) and towards the back end of February with more frequent frosts have rescued this winter from being abominable. I've seen one or 2 snowflakes in a brief light shower in calm conditions last week and that's been about it. 

I'd be very surprised if we get another 'very mild' catergoried winter for 2016/17 but wouldn't rule out another above mild winter coming up. La Nina & East based QBO - does anybody have any stats on our winters when they align?

[North-Easterly Blast]

The winter 2015-16 goes down as the second mildest on record due to the exceptionally mild December; January and February were nothing exceptional by modern post 1988 standards. 

Prior to 2015 it was 27 years since we had a notably mild December (1994, 2006 and 2013 were a fair bit above average but none were exceptionally so); from 1989 to 2014 there was not a December that was above 6.5*C or even in the top 20 warmest on record, and from 1992 to 2010 there were seven Decembers on the cold side (below 4*C), including the exceptionally cold December of 2010.  From 1989 to 2014 December was the only month of the year that never recorded a CET in the top 20 warmest on record.  In the 1990s and 2000s up to 2010, December was certainly overall the least mild of the winter months and even overall the least above average month of the whole year.  In the 1990s and 2000s it was January and February that were overall very warm during the winter.

 

To make up for all this, December 2015 did the "evil twin" of December 2010 and recorded the most significantly above average month in the CET records, even beating the likes of April 2011 and May 1833.  Then after this, January and February were not horrendously mild by post 1988 standards, and we have had worse in January and February put together, with 1989, 1990, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2007, 2008 and 2014 all warmer in the Jan / Feb period than 2016.

Winter 2015-16 was like a winter that never recovered into anything properly cold after the exceptionally mild start in December.

February was a disappointing month in its synoptics and what weather it delivered.  For large parts of February there were good looking colder synoptics (OK, not classic cold setups, but patterns that should bring a colder and wintry flavour to the weather), but decent synoptics never transalated into anything significantly cold or wintry and the month was still warmer than average and a large part of the country was snowless in February.  I think that February 2016 passed without a flake of snow falling in most parts of the country despite some decent synoptics.  Feb 2016 was a bit like a milder version of Feb 2005, less good but still on the whole decent synoptics giving a poor delivery, and synoptically speaking, Feb 2016 should have turned out a colder month than it actually did.  Given the synoptics it was bad luck that it still turned out above average.

Edited March 1, 2016 by North-Easterly Blast

[Richard2901]

First half was utterly revolting. Unbelievably horrible, disgusting and depressing. Only two air frosts up to 12th Jan and ridiculous amounts of rain and flooding over Christmas and New Year. Almost the whole seasonal average rainfall fell between 26th Dec and 12th Jan with the first week of January being the most repellent week of weather I have ever endured at any time of year.
 
Rest of winter was better for being drier and sunnier but still rubbish for proper winter weather. A few snow events, all pathetic, and some moderate frosts. February was 0.5C below average but the max snow depth was only 2cm and the lowest reading -2.4C which is just dire. The northerlies in late-February were incredulous for the lack of precipitation. A few flurries and 7 hours of sun is just a joke from a set-up that should produce frequent heavy snow showers.
 
Certainly not as bad as 2013/14 but we have not had any meaningful snow for 3 years. Very few days have had a lasting 100% cover since 14th March 2013 and max depth only 6cm, which is even worse than between 1988 and 1990 which managed 7cm. We have not had any hard frost (below -5C) since mid-January 2013. This is preposterous given that the very mild March of 2009 managed -5.3C and March 2010, which was certainly not cold, managed -6.1C.

[nick sussex]

The winter was utter crap for cold and snow! Normally you get several decent snowfalls lower down from the mountains but here the sum total was a few flakes.

December if you like warm sunny weather was astonishing but terrible for the ski resorts, conditions have slowly improved and are now excellent.

Overall a winter to forget but compared to the monsoon conditions many were subjected to in the UK I shouldn't grumble too much!

Edited March 1, 2016 by nick sussex

[Daniel*]

Warmest winter on record for London speaks volume a dastardly wicked winter gladly confined to history.  It promised so much and delievered so little El Niño put to that. 

Snow - 1.5/5

Frosts - 2/5

Cold spells - 1/5 

 

[Milhouse]

Was very happy with this winter. Remarkable mild temperatures in December and a cold high pressure set up recently delivering plenty of increasingly strong sunshine.

[Bristawl Si]

On Monday, February 29, 2016 at 9:05 PM, CreweCold said:

Warmth in December isn't warm though. If perpetual 12C days with little little change at night floats your boat then so be it....each to their own. IMO it was vile! 

I ended up liking December. Going out on company Xmas party on December 17th in shirt and strides. No jacket required even at midnight. I think the temp was still 14c or close to at that time. Luverly.

But yes, overall, i like snow and this winter was the 3rd one in a row of 'No Snow' (imby). Even for down here that ranks as poor.

[virtualsphere]

Possibly the second worst winter I've experienced, with only 2013-14 being worse.  Here in SW Wales we recorded 77 days of consecutive rain from 3rd November until 18th January, with very little sunshine at all in that period.  We haven't had any snowfall this winter bar a few flakes on 15th January, but for me the winter was depressing for the relentless rain and dull weather coinciding almost exactly with the period of shortest daylight, with no opportunity to spend any decent length of time outdoors during the Christmas holiday - given the right conditions, this can be a great time of year to go for a seasonal winter walk in crisp, bright frosty weather (e.g. Dec 2008, 2009, 2010).

February hasn't been a bad month and for me has put the winter slightly ahead of 2013-14.  It has been nice to see more of the sun recently and also record a few frosts, despite the lack of snow.  For most of the time, though, it has felt more like a very dull autumn than winter.  Interesting that folks in more eastern areas of the UK have seen sunnier conditions (but not surprising given the westerly pattern).

A third disappointing winter in a row but nothing too exceptional about that - and we did do very well in winter here between 2009 and 2013.  It is remarkable that we've recorded the two wettest winters in Wales in the space of 3 years though.  

[sundog]

A terrible winter more so the first half which was especially mild,dull and very wet. The second half was better and often had carrots dangling in the models as regards cold and snow but alas nothing much happened in that regard.

The coldest max i recorded was 3.7c - very poor. I recorded 11 airfrosts 7 in jan and 4 in feb,got twice as many last winter, I got a sprinkling of snow one night during mid jan and that was that lol. I havent had meaning full snow now since dec 2010,my last ice day was xmas day 2010. These last few winters have left me rather frustrated to say the least. Oh well maybe our luck will change with winter 16/17.

 

[BlueHedgehog074]

One thing for sure is that this Winter was no 2009/10. Or even, in some ways, Winter 2010/11. 

Considering the rarity of Winters like that, would have been astonishing had Winter 2015/16 been able to replicate a 2009/10 style Winter so soon. Didn't indeed appear to be that likely anyway with that El Niño, some spoke about, being an enemy for cold and low level snow for the UK - especially for that first part of Winter anyway. Those upper and surface troughs/lows and highs/ridges being darn sneaky setting themselves up in the wrong places for many of the cold weather fans (myself included) for that first part of Winter. Still, there is plenty of other Winters down the line to bring some appetising, wintry, weather.

As bothersome as it might have been for some of those who dread warm weather, it's nice that the mild weather enthusiasts got to experience one of the mildest month's on record, just like the way the cold weather enthusiasts got to experience (almost) one of the coldest months on record (those being the December 2015 and 2010 ones). I confess that I'm not fully sure whether months such as December 2015 was a record breaking month for mild in all areas of the U.K., though (despite it's overall CET figure being impressive). I think certainly the further South you were, the more likely it was to have been a record breaker. 

When it comes to snowy weather, the Southern UK snow fans, in particular, could really do with their turn next time. 

21 minutes ago, sundog said:

Oh well maybe our luck will change with winter 16/17.

Unless Spring manages to deliver some wintry weather (which seems possible), Winter 2016/17 will have a lot of snow shields to bomb to death.... although it might take a few asteroids and comets to competely wipeout the Southern UK snow shields.

Edited March 1, 2016 by DiagonalRedLine

[I Cumbria Marra I]

Absolutely awful, especially November and December, endless rain, cloud, wind and floods, 0 snow flakes. January slightly better, not quite as wet but still endless cloud with a few hours of intermittent light snow which didn't lay however only 10 miles north had 1/2cm lying on the beach. February a little better with not as much rain and cloud (still a lot) and about 5 frosts but again barely any snow but woke up to a very slight dusting not enough to cover anything.

 

Worst one i've ever experienced

Edited March 2, 2016 by I Cumbria Marra I

[Thundery wintry showers]

Personally, I found it a somewhat concerning winter, partly because of what went on in the Arctic, as well as the UK.  We had that record warm December, with widespread flooding from record-breaking rainfall in December and January, while December was mostly dull and damp with little or no instances of warmth coinciding with sunshine.

I don't think Britain's weather was too bad from around 10 January onwards to be honest, and there were many bright and pleasant days during mid to late February.  But what concerned me during January and February was the insane warmth of the Arctic, which meant that our cold spells saw temperatures only marginally below the long-term average.  The northerly at the back end of February was synoptically similar to the setup around 21-23 March 2006, and yet it brought temperatures a good couple of degrees warmer, by both day and night.

I'm hoping that some of what we saw, particularly relating to British rainfall and Arctic warmth, was mainly a one-off response to the El Nino, rather than the start of another climatic shift.  If the Arctic is comparably warm in subsequent winters, we will often struggle to get widespread snowfall even from very favourable-looking synoptics.  I am totally with those who say that snow isn't the be-all and end-all of winter, but if we see a big reduction in the intensity of cold spells, and only a slight increase in the intensity of warm spells, then the result will be reduced temperature variety.

Edited March 2, 2016 by Thundery wintry showers

[dusk]

I'm fairly happy with this winter, as I hate snow and frosty mornings.

Actually, I hate winter generally so I've been a happy bunny with the exception of the lack of any decent PPN in this neck of the woods.

 

[NorthYorksWeather]

If were talking IMBY then its been another shocker, however across North Yorkshire I've witnessed a decent snowfall in each winter month which is more that 2013/14 could offer. 

[Summer of 95]

The pits. Worse than 2013/14 which at least had something of interest with all those storms, and actually had more days of falling snow than 15/16. This winter combined the lack of cold of 13/14 with the good synoptics delivering nothing of 14/15, plus periods of the insane mildness of 89/90, 97/98, 06/07.

January a week of showery northerlies gave nothing but sleety rain and cold drizzle. The frosts in late Feb were welcome, but where was the snow? And not even close to an Ice day again. Not particularly wet but a high number of rain days, and the first half was disgustingly dull although Feb less so.

Been Autumn since August 2014 now.

[MP-R]

9 hours ago, Thundery wintry showers said:

I'm hoping that some of what we saw, particularly relating to British rainfall and Arctic warmth, was mainly a one-off response to the El Nino, rather than the start of another climatic shift.  If the Arctic is comparably warm in subsequent winters, we will often struggle to get widespread snowfall even from very favourable-looking synoptics.  I am totally with those who say that snow isn't the be-all and end-all of winter, but if we see a big reduction in the intensity of cold spells, and only a slight increase in the intensity of warm spells, then the result will be reduced temperature variety.

Simply out of interest, is a climatic shift possible that quickly? I can't help but think that the almost incessant southerly/southwesterly winds in November and December were the culprit to such a warm Arctic, which as we know was thanks to the El Nino. 

[Carl46Wrexham]

Shockingly poor. For snow it was even worse than 2013/14 which gave one pitiful half hour fall of snow which was starting to settle when it stopped. 

This "winter" - completely snowless. The cold spells were feeble, and one occasion, thoroughly wet. The winter as a whole was very mild, dull and wet. Utterly forgettable.

Im glad it's March, now I can say what I've been itching to say for a while now....

 

GOOD RIDDANCE TO BAD RUBBISH

[Wynn D Woo]

Definitely not had anything resembling winter in these parts, just an extended Autumn. The only saving grace for not being rated worst winter ever is the fact we didn't have too many storms...

[Walsall Wood Snow]

Only ever so slightly better than Winter 2013/14. But only because we had a bit of short lived lying snow back in January, which was thin and slushy anyway. Whereas in Winter 2013/14 the best we got here was a brief shower of falling snow, which though heavy was too brief and the ground was too wet to settle. We've also had snow today which as all but disappeared (though been as its meteorological Spring now I suppose it doesn't count as happening in Winter 2015/16, though it is still astronomical Winter so in that sense it can be included). But at least here been a long way from any natural rivers we haven't had the misfortune of floods like some people in other parts of the country this Winter just gone and that of 2 years ago, so I shouldn't complain really. But as one who looks forward to Winter for snow potential it's been a huge let down, and I can only hope that next Winter isn't similar.

Edited March 2, 2016 by Walsall Wood Snow