Yeah I have no idea where this stupid idea comes from that nature balances things out. We had an exceptionally mild February last year which wasn’t followed by a cold spring.. quite the opposite in fact. On the other hand, the chilly and snowy winter of 2012/2013 was followed by a chilly spring.

With every month of the year getting warmer and warmer we are obviously going to get more above average months than not. If I was a betting man I’d put money on this spring being warmer than average like most recent springs.

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I'd love the idea, but we know it won't happen - hell, the 30-year averages have gone up by half a degree in the last 10 years, so the chances of anything even remotely cold in April and May is lower than it's ever been. I'll still not give up hope, though, as I'll happily take sleet or snow in April and May!

As for this winter, there would have to have been a winter in order to moan about it. There were a few frosty days in early December, I think, so I guess that was winter. The rest of the time it's just been autumn...

 

I think when people say this what they really mean is that we will probably see more wintry weather in the spring than in the winter.

That maybe true and people will quote say 2008 as an example. Spring 2008 wasn't a cold one though overall. March and April did contain wintry episodes but they weren't cold overall, they only ended up a touch below the average and May 2008 was one of the warmest Mays on record.

Another one is 1995, that wasn't a cold one but it did contain wintry epsidoes. 

I reckon you have to go back to 1975 for a mild/very mild winter followed by a chilly to cold spring. 

Here's another thought.  Its 2020 and yet we have not seen an April that was at least 1C below the 1961-90 average since that average came into existence 30 years ago. 

 

 

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Seriously be glad to see the back of this winter.  I've had precious little of the kinds of winter weather that I like - (clear frosty weather and snow) and plenty of crappy Atlantic Gunk.  When we have high pressure  it's invariable brought dismal  gloom and murk.  

Now, in the last throws we get ruddy gales, which are my positively least fav winter weather type.  Roll on  Spring and Summer.

 

 

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Seriously be glad to see the back of this winter.  I've had precious little of the kinds of winter weather that I like - (clear frosty weather and snow) and plenty of crappy Atlantic Gunk.  When we have high pressure  it's invariable brought dismal  gloom and murk.  

Now, in the last throws we get ruddy gales, which are my positively least fav winter weather type.  Roll on  Spring and Summer.

 

 

Me too. My patience with this "winter" had worn thin now when all I can see is rock bottom low heights to our north with sub-925 mb depressions in the charts. It's only where I have had a handful of good sunny days so far this February that prevented it from being a total disaster, but it is time to look forward to the first proper Spring-like warm day where I can sit on my west-facing front door porch with a cuppa in hand while soaking up the mid-afternoon sunshine. 
  

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Yeah I have no idea where this stupid idea comes from that nature balances things out. We had an exceptionally mild February last year which wasn’t followed by a cold spring.. quite the opposite in fact. On the other hand, the chilly and snowy winter of 2012/2013 was followed by a chilly spring.

With every month of the year getting warmer and warmer we are obviously going to get more above average months than not. If I was a betting man I’d put money on this spring being warmer than average like most recent springs.

I think there might be something to it. For example, the bitter March of '13 was followed by an insufferably hot July later that year. 

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I think there might be something to it. For example, the bitter March of '13 was followed by an insufferably hot July later that year. 

Not to mention as well, the fact that the last major Beast from the East event was followed by a hot summer in 2018.

 

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I think there might be something to it. For example, the bitter March of '13 was followed by an insufferably hot July later that year. 

That’s just natural climatic variation. If we had a cold March in one year but a hot July the next, would that still be nature balancing things out? Where exactly do you draw the line? Was the hot year of 2014 balancing out the cold year of 2010?  In fact, we haven’t had a single cold year since 2010 so Mother Nature clearly isn’t doing her job very well!

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Coldest night of the winter, albeit with a pathetic -3.9C, but what signs are there that the temperature has got this low? Absolutely none. There is no visible frost, it's above freezing already and worse still it's grey and dull.

Simply dreadful and just confirms that we can't get sunshine unless there is a nagging wind to go with it. As soon as that drops in comes the rancid gloom.

Atrocious outlook that puts February on course to be the worst of a toxic trio of not remotely wintry months. Very much a possibility that this will be only the third February along with 1914 and 1976 in which not even sleet falls. However both those winters had seen snow at some point. Could well believe this is the worst winter in 1000 years. It's beyond surreal.

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Incidentally, the upside was (and still is) the mild air that came with Dennis. I turned the central heating thermostat on at 21 c this morning as usual (I don't have the heating on overnight) but the boiler didn't fire up with radiators still cold half an hour later. I thought "Ah no, it's broken!" before noticing it is already 21.5 c in the hallway anyway.

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Yet another day of monotonous bone dry wind. This is supposed to be a changeable climate but it is the same rancid rubbish day in day out

Utterly sick of this horrible, unpleasant and completely useless winter that is so bad you can’t even begin to comprehend how it could be happening

February the worst month of a toxic trio of totally worthless and uninteresting garbage. Ignoring the continued horror of the entire absence of snow and visible frost, this month has been vile beyond comprehension for relentless wind and the extreme manifestation of the ‘Weekend Curse’ which has just been relentless since last April. Just one rotten weekend after another. The last three weekends have brought effectively the only rain there’s been all month.

Weekend Rainfall: 23.6mm

Weekday Rainfall: 0.4mm

That means we can now expect 118 times as much rain on a weekend day as during a weekday. Preposterous doesn't begin to describe this unrelenting horror. You couldn't design a more infuriating climate.

The wind is just getting worse and worse as well. No let-up whatsoever. On course for the second half of February to be a frost-free write-off for the second year in a row because the temperature won’t drop because of this vile wind even though the skies are clear

Useless for snow, useless for frost, useless for getting outdoors, useless for photography. A useless abomination of a season. Not a single weather event all season just mind-numbing repetitive useless garbage 

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Seriously be glad to see the back of this winter.  I've had precious little of the kinds of winter weather that I like - (clear frosty weather and snow) and plenty of crappy Atlantic Gunk.  When we have high pressure  it's invariable brought dismal  gloom and murk.  

Now, in the last throws we get ruddy gales, which are my positively least fav winter weather type.  Roll on  Spring and Summer.

 

 

Same here Chris. A total disaster of a winter in my book.

This winter must now have surpassed the two other notably wet winters of the last deacde in my area; 2013/14 and 2015/16. From what I recall though, in both of those winters the worst weather came during the first couple of months and by mid-late February it had dried up somewhat in each case.

Winter 2019/20, I sentence thee to eternal damnation!

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Yeah I have no idea where this stupid idea comes from that nature balances things out. We had an exceptionally mild February last year which wasn’t followed by a cold spring.. quite the opposite in fact. On the other hand, the chilly and snowy winter of 2012/2013 was followed by a chilly spring.

With every month of the year getting warmer and warmer we are obviously going to get more above average months than not. If I was a betting man I’d put money on this spring being warmer than average like most recent springs.

It's a shame bookies don't offer stuff like this, to be honest. Betting on a season or month being warmer (or colder) than average would be a good way to earn a few quid in today's climate (though odds would be pretty low for above average).

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Hands down this is the worst winter I have experienced since moving full time to France in late 2014. 

Just abysmal. Only snow we have had was a wet dusting in November 2019 (technically autumn).

This winter has alternated between day upon day upon day of wet and gloom to occassional sunny and frosty days but few and far between.

 

I live at 480 metres above sea level in the Massif Central and to see no snow is bizzare to say the least. Praying for a warm and sunny spring.

 

 

It's a shame bookies don't offer stuff like this, to be honest. Betting on a season or month being warmer (or colder) than average would be a good way to earn a few quid in today's climate (though odds would be pretty low for above average).

They probably would if you specifically asked them though. Didn't the brother of the leader of the Labour Party do just that, and won a lot of money, or so he claimed?

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Hands down this is the worst winter I have experienced since moving full time to France in late 2014. 

Just abysmal. Only snow we have had was a wet dusting in November 2019 (technically autumn).

This winter has alternated between day upon day upon day of wet and gloom to occassional sunny and frosty days but few and far between.

 

I live at 480 metres above sea level in the Massif Central and to see no snow is bizzare to say the least. Praying for a warm and sunny spring.

 

 

Dire! A friend of mine in Moscow (Muscovite/Muscovy) .. who i went to school with) said it was +6c with drizzle yesterday morning at +5c with light rain this morning and said this weather is almost as cr4ppy as the UK's weather. He said he has only recorded 3-4 day's in a row when the temperatures have been at or below freezing when back in reality Moscow should be sub zero from End of October right until March or even April.

The snow that they have had in Moscow has been slushy wet snow and never lasted either. 

5 day forecast for Moscow:

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/forecast/ucftnugpr#?date=2020-02-19

Looks to NW Russia and St Petersburg doesn't look any better either:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/498817

Now let's look at Stockholm - Sweden and see's 6c and with 9c forecast for Friday and weekend: hmm!!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2673730

My point is if neither Scandinavia or western Russia can get any snow then what are the chances of us of getting any and more so if and a big if we were to get an easterly wind it won't bring us the bitter beast from east with wind-chill and deep snow that we so much crave- purely because it's been so mild this winter across Scandinavia, Western Russia and Eastern Europe. We are not talking temperatures of 1 to 2c above normal we are talking some 10c above normal and for 3 consecutive months and I do worry the pattern for this summer - many part's could see a severe heat-wave when a blocking does eventually get set up. 

As for snow - We would be better off heading to Iraq , Baghdad for snow.  Greenland, Iceland, N. Canada, Alaska etc have done exceptionally well for cold and snow this winter.

It's been dire this winter for the whole of Europe. FULL STOP.

 

 

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Yup, I'm definitely fed up with this sodden wet weather.  As it has been so mild, the weeds in the garden have continued growing all winter (and going to seed) but the soil is too squelchy to do anything about them - even if it stopped raining for long enough to get outside.

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My view is the winter has been predictably poor. Snow in the lowlands away from Scotland is now vanishingly rare. It was almost always marginal but northerlies are now a dead duck. Easterlies have to be perfect to deliver. This year it’s been relentless Atlantic apart from one or two mid lat high interludes. I fear that this winter is something akin to the new normal. I foresee a powerful jet most years delivering wind and rain aplenty. Especially to the west. Roll on spring 2020. When northern blocking will probably kick in around March 24th.

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My view is the winter has been predictably poor. Snow in the lowlands away from Scotland is now vanishingly rare. It was almost always marginal but northerlies are now a dead duck. Easterlies have to be perfect to deliver. This year it’s been relentless Atlantic apart from one or two mid lat high interludes. I fear that this winter is something akin to the new normal. I foresee a powerful jet most years delivering wind and rain aplenty. Especially to the west. Roll on spring 2020. When northern blocking will probably kick in around March 24th.

 

That's true! I mean we can easily have a positive Ao /NAO and a really intense PV and still have a northerly but for some reason and this has been the case in recent years is that we seem to lack northerlies? What is this down to!?? ANyone?

The colder 2-3 day snap we had last weekend/week actually came from a south westerly flow interestingly and the only reason why I was colder was because the air originated for north east Canada and Greenland just after storm Ciara. My point is that this was a west/south westerly wind - i can;t remember the last time the UK experienced a northerly wind in winter and as you rightly said easterlies have to be perfect to provide cold and snowy weather and in Feb 2018 we were just lucky perhaps.

Any easterly now wouldn't bring anything cold - just overcast weather me thinks and damp conditions daytime temps of perhaps 6c.

Whilst there has been a death of a mid winter easterly there is also the death of a mid winter northerly!!

 

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I remember this forecast very well - this was a proper northerly looking back at the weather over Christmas 2000 when the northerly wind lasted for over a week:



Of course there was HLB but just making the point that we can never seem to get this anymore. Sigh*

Notice they are not 1-2 day events which only delivers snow to the northern area's only? and they were true northerlies and the high pressure never toppled over!?

I do wonder what this is all down to!? People say oh it's all to do with global warming but how can global warming have an influence on the positioning of the High Pressure!? Is it doe to jet stream strength and if so why has it been so strong in recent winters? Is it because of the strong polar vortex? and if so then surely this is linked to the cold stratospheric temperatures and has nothing to do with Global Warming!?

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Dire! A friend of mine in Moscow (Muscovite/Muscovy) .. who i went to school with) said it was +6c with drizzle yesterday morning at +5c with light rain this morning and said this weather is almost as cr4ppy as the UK's weather. He said he has only recorded 3-4 day's in a row when the temperatures have been at or below freezing when back in reality Moscow should be sub zero from End of October right until March or even April.

The snow that they have had in Moscow has been slushy wet snow and never lasted either. 

5 day forecast for Moscow:

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/forecast/ucftnugpr#?date=2020-02-19

Looks to NW Russia and St Petersburg doesn't look any better either:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/498817

Now let's look at Stockholm - Sweden and see's 6c and with 9c forecast for Friday and weekend: hmm!!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2673730

My point is if neither Scandinavia or western Russia can get any snow then what are the chances of us of getting any and more so if and a big if we were to get an easterly wind it won't bring us the bitter beast from east with wind-chill and deep snow that we so much crave- purely because it's been so mild this winter across Scandinavia, Western Russia and Eastern Europe. We are not talking temperatures of 1 to 2c above normal we are talking some 10c above normal and for 3 consecutive months and I do worry the pattern for this summer - many part's could see a severe heat-wave when a blocking does eventually get set up. 

As for snow - We would be better off heading to Iraq , Baghdad for snow.  Greenland, Iceland, N. Canada, Alaska etc have done exceptionally well for cold and snow this winter.

It's been dire this winter for the whole of Europe. FULL STOP.

 

 

 

 

A good post. Seems that all of Europe is sufffering from this weird mild winter. Here in the Massif Central there are ski resorts in the Auvergne mountains but barely any snow this season. As these peaks reach 1800 metres plus you would expect snow, but it is appalling. Even the Pyrenees has little snow. They've had 22 degrees down there in the valleys!! Just bonkers for "winter". The saw the Cranes migrating north today, which is extremely early. Might mean we have some nice weather coming in as they normally only fly when it is high pressure. Anything would be welcome now to have a break from the wet and the wind and the grey damp!