It may well come to absolutely nothing. 😉😉

Not denying that at all! 😀

I didn't want to go off topic in the MO thread by replying so have put this here, and so true what Brian says and it's the reason I view the forum almost Daily through Autumn/Winter ......it's the fun of the chase and hope  

As someone who hates others getting snow when I don't, I've no moral high-ground to stand on. But it does make reading the MO thread really confusing when you see a succession of posts claiming the output is rubbish and there's no chance of snow - only to then look at the charts and go, "eh?".

Anyway, another gripe is people perpetuating the myth that this region does badly for snow.   Seriously, I'm being a bit IMBY'ist here, but in recent years my neck of the woods seems to have fared as well as another other lowland area in England. I know from first-hand experience that Manchester has missed out on about half the snowfalls St Helens has had (and SC tells us that Blackburn has missed out on a few, too - even though my colleague from Accrington claims to have been hit by 'half a foot' of snow every winter...) but I struggle to complain - we even had a surprise 3 inches or so fall on Boxing Day evening a couple of years back. There was a time when I used to feel we missed out a bit, but that was when easterlies (or straight northerlies, which are dry here) seemed to predominate. Thankfully, we've had enough episodes of cold NW'ly flows to help deliver.

What you and Brian gave said is utter silliness.

It's like looking forward to a nice cold pint down the pub at the end of the week only to be served water - and being content with water.

Was the chase for 2010 better than the actual event? perhaps not for me as it was fantastic however for some even my region (SE) ithat wasn't the case.....BUT more often than not the chase is better because the event doesn't always live up to the chase.

I bet you thinking about your pint at the pub helps you to get through the working week?

We managed some subzero maxima in late March in 2013 down here in Hampshire, so with the same synoptics in midwinter I'm sure -4C maxes would be possible!

2010 delivered but for the most part was a non event down here... 3 day cold spell with snow.

I work shifts and often work weekends so no, I used it as an example.

Seriously?

The weather Almanac tells a different story

https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/uk/portsmouth/historic?month=12&year=2010

you had snow at the start of the month, followed by a week before christmas of temps getting no higher than 1*c with some snow.

Probably not much snow about - ill give you that.  But that was a similar story up in Wirral.  Every where got upwards of 10-15Cm.  we got about 8cm over a few days.  What was notable for us though was the temps and the longevity, along with watching the weather forecast on BBC and being aware of the literal country wide impact.  I think the worst affected areas were eastern britain and central southern england.

Unfortunatly those of us in the North west England dont typically do well from these setups.  They should on paper be the same as a north easterly for the north east.  Collecting all that wintry Precip

Apart from we dont.  Central and hilly areas do well.  But not the North west.

Why?

Sea temps

Of say the last .. what 20 winter northwesterly winds that have blown through here... I would say maybe 2-3 have produced snow.

Its usually Gruapal, Hail sleet, or rain.  Very very rarely snow,

Those showers then move on through to cheshire gap and relax into more of a typical snow shower. Stoke and Crewe are typically snowfields after a day.  Look over to North wales, and they have snow on the coast.  Over to North east England on on North easterly... they have snow on the coast.

Not us.

This week will be no different. 

Thats not for Portsmouth and nor is it accurate. Oh and Portsmouth did see widely 5 - 6 inches of powdery snow.

Dec 08 into Jan 09 was a much better uninterrupted  colder spell.

bored? No, we have only just started Winter and I witnessed snow in Autumn. That Cold ( windchill ) will feel Cold in my opinion by Friday even in my neck of the woods.

It's not as uniform as you make out for the NW. I've had numerous occasions of receiving snow from NW'lies. Yes, showers of snow are interspersed with showers of graupel/pellets (hell, even single showers transition between the two) but it's still fine as far as I'm concerned. It all leaves the ground white.

A cold NW'ly flow is actually one I'd look favourably on, as it more often than not delivers here.

My thoughts too Saint.

For the Wirral & the coast though uppers need to be at or below -10C to guarantee snow, it's not quite as crucial inland.

True winter weather only really comes in this part of the south with a direct easterly from a bitterly cold continent, then the south is the coldest part of the uk, even on the coast.  Shanklin Isle of Wight's maximum of -7C in Jan 87 is testimony to that. ...but as rare as....it was so dry it was difficult to tell if it was fine sand or snow drifting on the seafront. 

Can't really speak for your part of the world but I do recall Dec 2010 being a bit touch and go for me at times and I'm further East and with a bit of height to help. I actually did really well for snow out of some of the LPs rolling past but there were a few hours of sleety stuff with some melting involved before the lows pulled away and reintroduced some colder air again. I think the higher DP air that made things briefly 'iffy' for me was much more of an issue further West and lower down, which is also why some of my fellow Kent types don't have too much affection for that month.

It was for me though one of the best prolonged cold spells I've experienced albeit we never quite managed the real depths of cold that we have done from Easterly spells. (Snowfall was great in my neck of the woods, with several big falls).

Dec 2010 was a far better winter month than the grey easterly rubbish of the 80s. We had a max of -5C here, in a location where ice days are not common, and when they do occur are seldom colder than -1C. Snow reached a greater depth than at any point during the 80s as was also the case in February 1999 and March 2006.

It’s the minimum temperatures that aren’t as cold. There just always seems to be an irritating breeze preventing temperatures falling as much. This is in the east in particular as Northern Ireland saw record lows reached during 2010.

Last week’s northerly gave a max of 2C here on Thursday, which is no different to what I would have expected in the past. However the temperature then failed to drop below 1.2C overnight despite 5cm of snow remaining. That is a complete and utter joke. Just seems that no matter what the synoptics, temperatures remain virtually static by day and night only changing when milder air moves in or with the passage of a cold front.

So far this month has been as dire as the last two Decembers with no frost. Hasn’t even dropped below 5C since Saturday morning and the first week looks as though it will finish one of the mildest on record. Temperatures look like getting well into double figures overnight I therefore am far from convinced that a decent cold spell will ensue.

Unless we see a more Westerly element to the NW on Friday/Saturday then this part of the world could continue its snowless path now into its seventh year, bar the odd rogue flake of snow or two. Still lots to play for but we’ve missed out a number of NW due to the winds having a more Northerly element to them, will this buck the trend.

Same here. I think there will be the odd flake but nothing significant.  It's possible sometimes there will be a rogue batch of showers but generally they have to pass through Morecombe Bay or Cumbria which is more unusual.  

Not too fused though had some small amounts of snow from the NW and NE so far this autumn and there will be other opportunities. Will be good to see those in the southern part of the NW get some snow.