FAX - HP near SE Iceland 1035+mb to Thu 1st with occasional ridge to S Britain, cutting off E-lies in the south but promoting NW-lies for Scotland. Final frame (1st) shows a strong N-ly heading for Britain.
GFS Op - agrees with FAX and brings the N-ly down across Britain by Sat 3rd esp marked on the E coast. It only lasts a couple of days before HP is resurgent form the SW, drifting E-wards across Britain 1035mb Wed 7th, pushing the N-lies off to the Baltic and introducing a W-ly regime. Then on Mon 12th LP breaks away from Greenland and is centred 970mb Rockall with some rather cold polar maritime circulating around it.
ECM - agrees with GFS to Mon 5th but then persists with keeping the cold air and LP over Britain (970mb London Thu 8th) and although the LP moves off to the NE, cold air stays over Britain until Mon 12th. As Ally says above, prospect of a big snow dump on Thu 8th - confirmed by Sod's Law, as I'm supposed to be travelling to Oxford on the Friday!
GEM - different again after Mon 5th as LP, not HP, moves up from the SW (trough from Azores to Cornwall 995mb Tue 6th) beginning to introduce S-lies and push cold air back to Scotland and beyond.
AIFS - London, maxima about 5c to Sat 3rd with a brief cold plunge at New Year, then prospect of ice days to Thu 8th before back to 5C with frosty nights; very little rain. Edinburgh, temp profile similar, but everything happening a day or so earlier; significant rain Thu 8th. In both cases 'rain' looks more like cold rain/sleet than snow.
GEFS - generally, good agreement on temp mostly down to 5C below norm until Tue 8th (a touch milder in the west at first), when back to just below norm and less agreement. Chances of rain or borderline snow from Fri 2nd onwards (less borderline on the E coast, small falls likely in first week of January).
A cold spell likely from the New Year, backed up by BBC forecasters who don't normally commit themselves this far in advance. But as to how long it lasts, choose you favourite model!
War is God's way of teaching Americans geography - Ambrose Bierce
Chichester 12m asl