The GEFS comprises a control run and 30 perturbations, none of which are excluded.
The Op run is referred to, correctly, as an outlier when it falls is outside the spread of the ensemble suite.
As for the meaning of ‘very mild’, ‘mild’, ‘cold’ or ‘very cold’, it should be relative to the normal for that location and time of the year. Right now, for London, the normal maximum is around 9c and the minimum around 5c. If the forecast was for a high of 5-6c I’d call that ‘cold’; if it was down around 2-3c I’d call that ‘very cold’. For above normal, I’d call 11-12c ‘mild’ and 14c+ ‘very mild’.
As for the Xmas weather, I agree with you. Things are finely poised still but current output would favour mild for the far south and cold for much of Scotland, with something of a guessing game across the 400 odd miles between the two.
Originally Posted by: Gandalf The White