The crapfest of a winter continues unabated around these parts despite seeing plenty of clear skies over the last month I've still only recorderd three frosts all winter and I'm some thirty miles away from the coast. Now we're being led up the garden path again by the NWP output of cold from mid month, if one word could describe the day 10+ charts it would be "bollocks".

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 

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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!

 

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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.

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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.

 

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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

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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."

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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)

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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 

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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...

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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!

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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

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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.

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So you would seriously prefer mild & breezy, (and in our part of the world that usually means cloudy and wet as well), to a nice frost followed by a crisp, sunny winter's day??

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Yes.

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I have a feeling today will bring a rise in the "Winter is Over" type threads 

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Our climate really is the biggest pile of toss imaginable.

Crap summers, crap winters, miserable & damp in between the two.

 

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 As much as I yearn to wake up to a deep crisp virgin snow cover of a morning and there are still a good clear two winter months ahead of us (and of course March and April are more than capable of supporting wintry weather), I'm already starting to want proper Spring-like weather with the warmth of the rising sun and getting out to do the garden in a T shirt and shorts.

The only thing that is preventing this winter so far from being a complete disaster is how it has been relatively kind to us by tending to be dry and bright, rather than enduring frequent rain and in-your-face southerly gales like in the past three winters.

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This winter is shaping up to be a real bore - cold days, damp and dull. Today is just another example 1C and overcast.

 

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Personally, I prefer that to 10c and overcast. At least it feels like sort-of-winter.

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Probably the wrong thread but, aside from the lack of snow so far, this winter (and preceding Autumn) has been pretty good. Plenty of frosts, crisp clear days, fog, a lot of dry usable weather. A bit of the mundane cloudy crud but that's to be expected.

Still time for snow yet.

 

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Sorry, Dave... smiles and optimism have no place in this thread.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I agree!  

Lighten up you miserable feckers. 

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Were the cold, snowy winters of 08, 09 and 10 a figment of my imagination?

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