Just had a skeg (© Sevendust) through the models . . . and oh look, quelle surprise, the Atlantic looks like properly waking up in time for the festive period . . . Now, there's a turn up for the books (!) as I was kinda hoping for Winter (read as Autumn) to be as short and painless as possible. Aaaaaaaanyway, it IS a long way off in forecasting terms and today is being a lovely near spring-like day here at Folkestone. This time last year we were on our fourth or fifth named storm, this year we're still on "A".

Are we having fluffy lambs instead of hairy deer this festive season due to mild weather..... Nor right for cold lovers anywhere.....

Very true. I went on holiday to Turkey in February a few years ago. Amazing contrasts with deep powder snow inland and -12C temps and warm (well 16/17C) coastal temperatures with well advanced spring plant growth. The light levels were much higher than the UK at this time of year too. Coming back to Britain was a journey into the heart of darkness. No wonder the Romans left.

Nick

Finally recorded a rain rate that was above 2.0mm/h this month with a peak rate of 46.9mm/h registered at 3.47am. Looking at the maps, it must have been down to a passing cold front.

A rose flowering in winter is not really a reflection in winter. It's normal for roses to still flowering throughout winter. 

Jeez! Talk about putting a dampner on a good whinge. 

I would agree and think it has something to do with the type of rose.   I cut my roses back last week as I was sick of them still flowering.  They had endured a cold November with frost , 3 days of snow cover and sub zero temperatures yet they still kept flowering.  

What kind of winter is it when my Hot Lips continues to flower in mid December

If it didn't lighten my heart every time I saw it I would definitely start moaning

I would moan about modern winters, the Met office, LRFs and anyone who made a forecast that was wrong.

I would take my innermost ire and spew it out in a trolling fashion on this forum. Much much easier to moan then reflect on why a forecast being wrong is SO UPSETTING

LOL a sanders white rose normally doesn't flower in December, it's a rambler 

Just a 4 days cold snap.  That's now the level of my expectations/ hopes.  Being able to remember February 1978, Dec 1978, Jan and Feb 1979, December 1981, January 1982, February 1983, January, February and March 1985, November 1985, February 1986, January and March 1987, from my child-early adult hood, it is galling to have to tolerate the crud that is being served up at present. 

Yes, it’s worse than last December. Just beyond awful. Last December did not feature incessant rain and storms - that was the first third of January. Only the last week, or so, of December 2015 was wet and that was punctuated by sunny days, so far preferable to the incessant gloom being endured at the moment. The first half of last December was dull and very mild, but dry. This month has been the same but even milder and duller.

Today was the most depressing start yet with thick murk and drizzle first thing accompanied by a moderate to strong SE wind and a temp of 9C. All the boxes ticked under the heading of ‘Winter Filth’. It’s like winter weather on Bodmin Moor not the NE of Scotland.

Here’s my data for the first fortnight of December 2016 with 1st-14th December 2015 figures in brackets:

Mean Max: 8.4 (7.8)
Mean Min: 3.7 (3.0)
Mean: 6.1 (5.4)
Air Frosts: 1 (1)
Snow Falling: 0 (1)
Snow Lying: 0 (1)
Sunshine: 16.6hrs (23.1hrs)
Rainfall: 14.6mm (27.4mm)

Essentially it’s the same as 2013 and 2015, and in both cases the weather got even more repulsive into January with ZERO spells of decent winter weather in either season and there is no reason to assume the same won’t happen again. It’s going to need a big turnaround for this not to end up as the worst winter month, in my 11-year records, for cold as well as the worst for lack of sun.

Getting these conditions two years on the trot, as well as in 2013, is the equivalent, at the other end of the scale, to getting three December 2010’s in four years. That would never happen as, like I’ve said so many times, we are living in the worst era for weather in recorded history where we have to suffer a glut of utter garbage that is never balanced out by the equivalent at the other end of the spectrum

No suprises there then,it is bound to at some point soon,been too quiet for too long! Late December.January could well be a very stormy and soggy affair.I remember two weeks ago how everyone was getting excited about the models showing/hinting mid December could see things turning increasingly colder with a decent cold spell developing.What happened The complete opposite has happened,winter is here and the weather warms up!! December could very well end up being warmer than November.

The modern winter eh

Interesting stats! Another horrible day here too....but 13c instead of 14c for a change but there was still a spit of drizzle in the air but so dully and murky and just gloomy. Mild too! So unseasonal. Nothing really to report. Lack of cold or extreme - same old and so much for the colder pattern returning from mid-month - looks like next week we will see a change from mild and overcast and duller to mild and unsettled! We have had almost a week of 13 to 14c even 15c by day and night with little or no change. Spits of rain or drizzle bore and can frustrate many people. It's just on and off. If it's going to rain then let it rain and heavy (no floods). It's like we are stuck in the rut'? have I used this term right?

I remember when I lived in Calgary back in 2005 there were countless days of -18c where it would just be light snow crystals and flakes followed by flurries or snow grains but no substantial snowfall - Only dustings totalling 0.5cm, but then again there would be a Chinook wind and temperatures would rise and the sun would come out and -5c felt pleasant.

The lack of extreme, be it cold, snow, frost or general weather is getting to me - Forecasters must feel bored forecasting the same old.

Simon Keeling not only got the dates wrong but he did mention sleet and snow at least 4 times. - The fact is neither will materialise looking at the models - even all those hints of blocking and easterlies as seen in Gav Christmas updates with a good 7/10 which favoured drier or colder than average conditions - one or two with severe easterlies! NOW look all incorrect because it would be wetter and windier now. Obviously not Gavin's fault but out of all those charts and updates showing so many cold options and setups it's so frustrating not to have one cold spell in a winter month...that's all we need is just one but instead we have a flip for the worse. - Mild, wet and windy! YUCK!   

http://www.weatheronline.co.uk/weather/reports/month-ahead.htm

My friend has gone to Atlanta, Georgia - they are expecting clear and cold conditions with -5c tomorrow night and a daytime max of +4c with frost early morning and late and just two days later they will get temperatures of 18c with thunderstorms and the following day temperatures will fall back to a maximum of +6c with some rain and sleet!

See the difference and how much more volatile and interesting the weather is over there?

Obviously, I know why! But still.

I was just speaking to a friend in Istanbul - there has been snow there and Ankara has had -13c and there has been snow there too and daytime maxes of -3c. This is the worst climate to be in if you want anything interesting. I thought the weather in Vancouver was very boring and overcast - same for Cork, Ireland but this really tops it so far.

Not merely current but all the way into FI. Meto forecast for Chichester has the next 7 days without a glimmer of sun anywhen.

And in the meantime, we coldies are forced to watch the cold stuff heading off into southern Europe, where it is probably as unwelcome as it would be welcome here. All the above average temps for the next 10 days are from Great Britain up into Scandinavia.

http://www.wxmaps.org/pix/temp4.html 

Nobody is going to leave the UK because winters are getting milder. Most people in the real world don't like cold or snow. 

I love cold and snow, but I wouldn't leave the UK for it. If we could afford it though, I would take an extended winter holiday somewhere which gets proper weather.

Perhaps in Alaska or the Canadian Rockies or northern Norway.

[edit] or Greece or the Levant

A touch of frost here this morning which I was surprised to see with a keen breeze too so felt quite chilly.

Well, I won't post this in the model thread, but I feel safe posting it here.

Winter Is Over!

Yes, it is official. The zonal train has left the station, all the lovely cold is headed into north America and that means it will be zonal all the way from here until March.

Expect the same next winter 2017-18

And 2018-19

And 2019-20

This country will never, ever have a decent winter ever again!

Now I am off for a few beers!

Yuk!  What a horrible day, although it never really got light so I feel like I've missed a day. Dark, damp and miserable!  

Yes Caz - feels like we are living through an eternal night at the moment - grey from dawn to dusk, black from dusk to dawn.

Who switched out the lights?

My WIO post above was largely tongue in cheek, but our winter climate has become exceedingly dull and depressing.

Aww, don't be so hard on yourself Caz! You're not that bad!