Trump, Putin and China don't care about climate change so perhaps the oceans will rise very quickly and the Thames will reach Croydon

The eighties were indeed quite snowy, along with the late seventies, with frequent outbreaks of easterly winds in winter. Often when an easterly develops it's colder in southern England than it is further north. Then we envy you😡. An easterly has to be especially cold to give sub-zero maxima even in Scotland, but when it does we often get heavy dumps of snow. I think the last notable easterly outbreak here was March 2013. Up here, northerlies can give sub-zero maxima too, although the highlands and north-facing coasts get most of the snow. They used to be fearful affairs, often bringing a penetrating frost even in spring. I remember one in April 1976. My friend and I were camping in the southern uplands and we were almost caught out by the fierce cold (frozen streams in the morning) and hefty showers of granular snow. But in recent years northerlies have become pallid affairs. I feel like we've moved to Southampton.

Sick to the back teeth of the inability to get the weather most of us want in this country.

I have a theory that the weather patterns we get are set in stone but they run out of sinc with the seasons. That's why we get all that wonderful northern blocking in Summer and summer like set ups now. We need to wait for the realignment of the 2 before we strike gold again. Might take a few years depending on how far out we are

Snowhoper, I agree, its an out of sync thing, partly.  Changing climate 50%, out of sync 50%. lets say.  Maybe the lack of synchronicity is due to the changing climate?  Who knows?

God knows!

The weather is absolutely shite on high ground in the north though - it really doesn't snow that much but it rains a lot and summers are significantly and noticeably cooler. At least in Hampshire you can be guaranteed some good weather in summer. 

Not to mention that recent summers in the south have been generally good or very good - whereas in Scotland particularly they've been below par. Seriously, you're better off living where you are.

Quite right Rob. Some really stupid posts on here today - calling settled and dry weather 'dross' just because it isn't snowing. 

As much as I like snow, I'm perfectly content with continuing high pressure near or over the UK, as long as it keeps rain-bearing fronts at bay. 

Seems to have been a reasonably sunny month across England as well. 

In January last year we had nearly 20 days of rain! I'm happy to say that this year is looking completely different.

I think you are missing the point.

Its a moaning thread.

People are entitled to moan about what ever the heck they want. Just look at Richard of Aberdeen - he turns it into an art-form.

Where I quietly catch up on the various outputs throughout the day, I'm starting to think of it being like the footy with England in it. Where it has been 0-0 for ages with lots of passing back and forth with not much really happening.

However, that said, I'd rather have this current set up than put up with endless gale force winds and incessant rain aka Winter 2104. 

I guess that's one way of looking at it. He just looks like a bit of a lunatic to the casual observer. 

I personally enjoy the uncertainty of our Weather, for me it would be boring if we knew we was getting snow next week as a 90% certainty, then 75% for week after and 50% week after that and so on......Same for hot weather.

....it's the not knowing that actually makes me use TWO and read the MO thread for clues etc.

 BUT I still like to moan 

It's a fair point, and I think it's better we don't get snow every season, as regular snowfall makes people prepared - and I love the Beaker impressions many people do when heavy snow comes. The panic, the fear, and the whingeing by snout-in-trough company bosses about lost productivity all delight me.

I just wish we'd have severe snowy winters more often than about once or twice a generation!

I didn't say the mountains in the UK 

Given the chance I'd move to the Alps: mountain-biking in summer, skiing in winter, continental climate, sunny beaches within striking distance... One day.

Hi Folks, shame my first post is in this thread but sums up winter.....so far! In the northern fringes of Birmingham (as if not punishment in itself) this winter has more often than not been damp (drizzle or just misty and murky) and utterly non descript. A few really cold days and an occasional frost have broken up the neither mild nor cold days upon days of cloud and blandness that apart from rare occasions have defined winters in this part of the world in recent times.

Add to this the turgid, unintelligent and parrot like posts from certain individuals in what used to be the fun of the chase in the model output thread, this winter is turning into one of the worst (2015 was awful). At least then it was at times fun to view the jam tomorrow charts without someone mindlessly dropping a turd in the jar at every nauseating opportunity as is the case this winter.

Come on 240 plus, grow a pair and verify for once  

I agree but what's really been the total let down so far is not only the lack of weather but the fact that there was cold weather if not bitterly cold forecasted in the models back in December - and this has been constantly downgraded each run and we are starting the New Year/Jan how we started December with cold start and then milder with cold weather forecasted to return mid month - yet this was due to happen last month and never arrived and we had the warmest Christmas on record (well some of us). Now let's see if the cold weather will return mid- month.

Winter 2015/16 was always forecasted zonal and mild due to the strong El Nino super, as well as very wet but the fact this year has had some very cold air to the east in the GFS model runs and has constantly looked to be heading our way then only a few hours later to find that it keeps being back dated and downgraded is a big disappointment. - Last year the runs never really showed deep easterly or scandi block. I would rather the models show zonal and something of a surprise if it turns milder.

Just so disappointing, especially given the quiet North Atlantic and solar minimum. I really had high hopes watching Gav's weather videos - also showing the extent of rapid build up of Siberian snowcover in October to increase the chance of Northern blocking, not to mention all those  (a good 80%) of Gav's Christmas day forecast updates were pointing towards a cold Christmas with a good 30% of his video updates showing an easterly with snow.

So New Year, old weather and we start as how December 2016 started. - Cold then becoming milder again and staying that way!! - That's if the cold doesn't return at or around mid month - which was due to return middle of December, then 2nd week of January !! We can only hope it doesn't keep getting pushed back. I have repeated myself a lot here but it does show how frustrated I am.

Maybe the cold will arrive in April or May - just when we want some warm sunny weather.

After yesterday’s nasty, grey, windy conditions, which were worse than the named storms produced in December, it was depressing as hell once again this morning. Grey with some sleety drizzle and a nasty chill in the air but nowhere near a frost again.  Min 2C, max 3C, grey, windy and damp. Could there be winter weather more repellent than this? Simply vile.

Last year the nightmare finally came to an end on 13th January. Just when the hell is this disgusting, dull and depressing extreme frost-free dross going to relent?

These two charts some up how dire the UK climate is. Look at how little rain there was for most in December http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/pub/data/weather/uk/climate/anomacts/2016/12/2016_12_Rainfall_Anomaly_1981-2010.gif 

Yet rain days were above average for the majority http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/pub/data/weather/uk/climate/anomacts/2016/12/2016_12_RainDays02_Anomaly_1981-2010.gif 

Not my idea of what a “dry” month should be like

This reminds me of an old Farside cartoon, showing a demon giving a weather forecast to some sweating denizens of hell. "Looks like that cold front I was telling you about is juuuuuuust going to miss us."

It may not be the coldest winter on record, but the -4.4c I have just recorded is lower than anything in the past four winters - two of which were entirely snow-free and only one (2012-13) produced occasional slushy part-coverings of snow.

And with -4.0c in Dec and -5.9c in Nov, IMO this is already the best winter since 2011-12

(I would rather cold and dry than less cold and a slushy mess of semi-snow)

Another decent frost here, much better than the last few winters, If it's not snow give me clear dry sunny chilly days 

My Winter Prediction - It'll be the tipping point for the MO thread at roughly 20:00hrs this evening 

Another horrible glass-like frost this morning and an awful low of -5C. Absolutely crap. Even today is a waste of a sunny day - all the sun does at this time of year is blinds you senseless and guarantees a miserably cold night. Save the sunshine for summer I say, where it isn't completely useless, or at least bring a mild and breezy weather type with it instead. Roll on some cloudier weather tomorrow...

Indeed - every time I look at the snow risk maps on http://www.netweather.tv/index.cgi?action=snow;sess= the heavy snowfall covering the country has been put back by a couple of days. It was the 11/12th thn the 15th and now it's the 19th.

This year, next year, sometime, never!

I absolutely, totally, unequivocably, with out any question of doubt whatsoever, think, believe and pray for the exact opposite  


In an ideal world, we'd have days like this in July, where there's hours a-plenty to enjoy them.   And all the useless hot humid rubbish would be restricted to 5 days in winter

Ideally for you, that probably won't be far from the truth. Christmas Day will probably turn out warmer than most of the days next summer, knowing the British climate.