We can't possibly forecast that far ahead and we even struggle to get it right beyond five days.  However, my gut feeling is that we're in another run of mild winters.

Not too sure about shortlived.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzeZJUsT0UU  was a great event in the way it developed IMBY.  Though it didnt deliver huge amounts, it was just nice the way it caught me a bit by surprise.

I had spent the night out in manchester on the Saturday - knowing there was snow on the way for ~Tuesday.  Infact the snow showers arrived on the Sunday morning ~11am.  Took me totally by surprise.  Very dry ground let to a lovely dusting.  The snow was on and off for about 24 hrs.

Jan through to late march 2013 produced the best Scandi high winter in a long time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Xmt1qgIQ24  was one such event, which if i recall correctly landed in the uk every Friday for about 6-7 weeks.

LPS were forced up and over, with slider break off lows interacting with the Scandi high and darting off to the Med.  Wales had 50cm of snowfall from one such event around the 21st March.

At one point I remember snowfalling every day for about 8 days on the wirral.  something which i dont recall happening before. 

2014/2015 predicted anomaly is more like 2012/2013 than 2013/2014, I think.

Though keep in mind it's hadn't got the correct anomaly for 2013/2014 at this time.

Perhaps because whether Matty H likes it or not winter is going to come and as such it is as valid a topic for discussion as any other on this forum.

Indeed. And why not talk about winter?  After all, summer appears to be over...     

I will wait for The Sun, Daily Mirror etc to issue theoir forecast and then I will assume the opposite.

I have 90%+ chance of getting it correct. I cannot remeber last time teh formular failed. Not very scientific but very accurate which works for me!

Having been lurking and occasionally posting on this forum for some years, I have noticed a tendency for forum members to see the Scandi High type cold spell as being 'the bees knees'. Not being an expert in weather science, I have always wondered why. How is an easterly better than a northerly (Greenland/iceland high) ? Greater chance of really low temps, snowfall?

Scandi highs tend to bring us easterly or north easterly winds - in some unlucky periods they can stretch out to central eurpe and suck in milder southerly winds.

They also have less chance of Modiffication from the sea.  Northerly's also tend to be shortlived.  Addtionaly Northly showers tend to only effect a very fine strip of land of eastern UK.  and the north wales coast.  In an easterly More or less all of the UK can get snow, though west of the pennines tend to get less.

Plus - in early winter when the North sea is "warmer" it can often tend to improve shower formation similar to lake effect snow.  So anyone on the eastern side of britain buzzes of this for a period of November through to early Jan before the sea chills down, leading to a smaller temp differeence and so the effect is less powerful.  Still - Cold air from the east will always boss all of the other cold sources IMO.  Often we tend to get LP over Central and southern europe which allows fronts to move in laden with Med moist air.

 Scandi Highs tend to act as a blocking high aswell, and can be quite stubborn to move.  In some cases the cold gets washed away before the high re-asserts itself and we get the cold back.  Reloading the cold so to speak.

Only on the first few days before the winds turn NE - and then you can say good bye to any snow in Northwest england apart from the odd weakening front, or passing cloud.  

Better chance of stalling fronts etc when the HP is positioned more to the east.  

In my experience they both go hand in hand though, and often start as a Scandi HP moving to Greenland or vice versa.

I notice some people over on Netweather feeling very upbeat about the possibility of snow in Siberia - they had a great early season last Autumn (probably the best early snow cover in about 10 years) and what was it's impact on the UK the following Winter??!!

There has....and on most occasions I end up disappointed

Sounds very realistic to me. Also I think that would please most people as well.

With heating bills at the rate they are now - Most right minded people are in no hurry for a 2010 type of cold spell.

You've hit the nail on the head there SC.

Scandy highs deliver big time IMBY

Realistic perhaps, but with the start of winter over three months away, this is surely as 'realistic' as a virtually limitless range of potential winter scenarios.... 

To be perfectly frank - you can never tell what winter is going to be like here at all.

In my locale we can be nicely effected by both pressure systems as I am near the border of east and west. So I'm not fussed what we get as long as it's better than last Winter.