Absolute tosh of a cool snap, max temps bang on 5c with zero snowfall. As for the "Northerly" at the weekend, well that'll be another bobbins affair but at least it will bring some frost and sunshine and Spring is around the corner, at long last.

looks like atlantic may burst through by the end of next week bringing much milder conditions with wind and rain...two or three more weeks of this shite to endure before we can finally start talking about spring

Just awful. What a joke the modern UK winter is becoming in the south of England!! Here in North Kent we have had a mild day (for January) with gusty wind and sunshine. Then about 45 minutes ago the skies darkened and the heavens opened, depositing a mix of cold rain, sleet and very wet snow...for a grand total of five minutes! 

Is that it? Is that the best that a northerly snow event can deliver for the south east these days?

Really?

Apart from a few scattered exceptional winter spells in the modern era (1995, 2010), it really has become very rubbish for regular decent snowfall in the south of England unless you happen to live above 300 metres (Dartmoor, South Downs, Chilterns). If you are at sea level or near the coast...forget it!

The chance of a proper full on widespread snow event for the south is diminishing, year on year. Yes there are always blips (2010), but we haven't we had another 1947 or 1962 -63 have we? That level of awesome winter is highly unlikely, particularly in the southern part of the UK with our warming climate! 

Let's face it, most of our modern UK winters are a pile of guff!

Oh, well, we don't live here any more and have only been visiting family. Back to SW France for us on Sunday. More chance of seeing decent snowfall there to be honest!

 Winters 2009-13 delivered a lot of snow to many (certainly IMBY).  This year and last year were (are) poor though and this winter is a kind of **1970's lite** winter.

I appreciate what you are saying Whether Idle, however we moved from North West Wales (not renowned for cold snowy weather - apart from the mountains) in Summer 2011 to North Kent and lived there until October 2014 when we moved to France. I was expecting the famed, bitter, almost continental type cold and snowiness of a Kent winter yet ,2011,2012 and 2013 were all rubbish!

I do feel that our winters are declining in terms of prolonged cold and snow for much of the south of the UK at least (and many other parts of the UK), although we could just be in a warmer phase of winters such as the early 1970's or late 80's to mid 90's?

I guess I was spoilt with the winters in Shropshire in the late 70's and early 1980's!

 The following link is very interesting as a record of UK winters since 1875 to the present day:-

http://www.neforum2.co.uk/ferryhillweather/bonacina.html

Been a strange day something positive but also a rant and a big one!!

Firstly it was too mild - 9c was the max around 11am.

Anyway, Light rain became light soft hail on and off and around 4pm heavy hail for like 1minute and then that cleared followed by light sleety flakes but guess how long this lasted? - 30 seconds. haha. - well if you scroll up above I did say if only we had a shower of sleet or wet snow that would be enough to make me happy (that's all I asked for is just one shower of sleet or snow etc). - but come on 20 -30 seconds of wet sleety flakes!?? Jebus! I didn't mean that literally. Gosh blink and you could have missed it. Also now all the showers have cleared the wind is picking up and ironically the temperatures are rising NOT falling. Now 3.5c from a low of 2.9c around 4pm.

That's not a rant or moan but congrats! Did it settle!? Couple of minutes - so 1min 30 seconds longer than our shower, yet even ours was more sleet than snow.

They could call it the Tally Whinging Adjustment Technique. They'd probably have to abbreviate though.

The rain is starting to show its hand up north. I can guarantee the rain won't miss in the same way the snow has. 

You should have been out in it! I was caught and there were real snowflakes on my jacket for a few minutes - outnumbered about 50 to 1 by raindrops, though, so this is still a whinge.

As for the Manchester area - may all your snowfall turn to slush

oh, where  were you Dew? I was cycling up Parklands Road and we had icy rain!  Absolutely gutted if I have gone and  missed a snow flake in Chi!😛 sadly work prevented me taking a trip up to the Trundle!...we have a velux window and this is the 3rd time this winter we've had rain with a hint of ice😝

In South Pallant; and looking down towards the bus station there was enough whiteness in the precipitation to blot out the level crossing 200-300 yards away - just for a moment.

Is it wrong I'm now hoping I don't see any snow on the ground?...I'm beginning to want to keep my snowless run intact!

I am getting really tired of this winter. Yet again completely dry and the clean northerly forecast for first of all friday then saturday and so on keeps getting downgraded. Now there is a question mark over whether the cold uppers will even arrive by sunday. A few flakes might fall on the front edge of the precipitation tonight but any snow will soon be washed away by the rain following on anyway

More rain falling steadily here. Not a chance we'll get any snow from that feature later. 

Dew, I'm gutted😩. This may well have been my best chance to see a snow flake this Winter and I've missed it...odd really cos I reckon in Parklands Road we are probably 0.5 metres higher than South Pallant...must have been heavier precipitation in the South part of Chi!

Another potential fall looks deemed to end the way they all have for the last two years. At least I won't be tired tomorrow for being stupid enough to stay up and wait for it:

W COUNTRY 2315hrs latest analysis reduces snow risk tonight generally, with likely exception of parts of #Cotswolds & E #Wiltshire uplands

W COUNTRY CONT'D...even where snow falls, slightly milder air follows so may turn anyway to rain/sleet. So hopefully no major issues by dawn

Still, another day closer to spring. 

Seriously?? you haven't had any snow when Glasgow and other parts have been plastered?

The snow avoided here perfectly on Wednesday and Thursday but predictably the rain did not. Even the cold northerly is now being modelled as rain here. Not impressed.

Yep, nothing but rain here overnight. Not as originally forecast, but not a surprise either. The lack of deep cold this winter has been crucial for here in the couple of chilly snaps we've had.