Back in the summer, there was a separate general discussion thread for any discussions about what was happening leading up to that summer and during it, so the summer moaning thread had to just be a moaning and gloating thread. In previous years, there was also the same thing for the winter and given that the winter is usually always the busiest time of the year on this forum, I'm surprised that there's no separate winter general discussion thread this time.

Since there is no such thread though, I will treat this thread in the same manner in which I treated the autumn thread and this means that general discussion is just as welcome on this thread as the usual moans and gloats. I will then leave it up to Hungry Tiger to decide whether or not he wants to sticky this thread as he did with the autumn thread.

Temperature has failed to drop below a reprehensible 10.7C overnight which is the third mildest December minimum I have recorded behind only nights in the vile Decembers of 2015 and 2016. Ludicrous to be getting this at all never mind three times within the space of 10 years.

It's more than 2C warmer than the minimum on 1st June, which reached 18.2C, whereas today will see the temperature rise barely any higher than the rancid minimum. More mind-numbing low diurnal range rot.

There's also depressingly dark, grey and ugly skies following yet more pointless drizzle overnight. Absolutely sickening once more, following the frosty weather during the week that we are vomited on with this utter filth come the weekend.

Impossible to believe there could be a more infuriatingly awful climate on earth. It's been relentless extreme inferior rubbish for the weekends for more than two years. If it's sunny during the week it's dull at the weekend. If it's snows during the week we get rain at the weekend. Now if it's frosty during the week we get wretched mild gunk at the weekend. Never anything decent on offer any more.

Best time of the year IMO - no sweating, no noises (fireworks excepted, gurr) from random people in the neighbourhood, no rancid barbecue smells - and that wonderful feeling of snuggling into a nice warm quilt at bedtime. Can't beat the cosy feeling of hearing the wind and rain  lashing at the window in the dark, knowing you don't have to go anywhere.

While I realise that putting the lights on at noon because it's so overcast isn't everyone's cup of tea, I love it! It's so brief, so, so brief...

And anyway, it's only a week until the evenings start drawing out again, believe it or not!

Enjoy it whilst it's here! We all have to make the most of "our" time of the year.

I think the cloudiness this year has made it feel darker than normal. That two weeks of dull nothingness in the first half of November felt very much like mid-winter in terms of light. Even during the short hours of daylight at this time of year, it seems sunshine still can make a difference to the feel of things.

Yes, 13th December seems to be the turning point for the evenings, whilst the mornings don't bottom out until the end of the month. It's the evenings that affect me most though, to be fair.

Apart from your curmudgeonly first bit, I agree 100%

I love the sense of having to 'hunker down' for the winter.

As you say, seemingly in the blink of an eye, we're back with later sunsets.

The Decembers of last decade were dreadful after 2010. The absolute pits with a lack of frost and rubbish festive periods year after year. At least they were generally dry. The 2020s are producing a whole new level of catastrophically wet, depressing, unseasonable rubbish. It's turned into the west coast of Canada -  about the only place on earth to experience worse winters than the British Isles.

First week wettest I've ever recorded, even wetter than last year which is no mean feat given that 47mm fell on the 7th to make it my wettest December day on record. The first six days had been fairly decent which is more than can be said for this repulsive disaster. Hideous from the off.

Beyond ludicrous and yet again the worst is saved for the weekend with today and 23rd November being the only complete write-off days recently. If it's not Sunday putting in a ridiculously bad performance then it's Saturday. It's just relentless.

Getting hard to get up in the morning what with this and the depressing state of world affairs. Not the best time of my life to be interested in nature, the environment, world politics and the weather! 😣

Chilly E/NE winds cloudy and temps in the 6-7C range struggling to get to 8C.

We have them here in the west of Ireland! Skies remarkably clear the last couple of days, with not even a hint of higher cloud when it is viewed through my ski shades. 

High Pressure is a winter and summer killer, sun killer and we all know what it does to us to ruin every season we supposed to have all year around specially winter months.  There are lot of cold air to tap to but HP never allow us to have access to it by interferring it and bring cloud and rain with it instead and keeping the sun out.   I got plans for next year to use the garden or cut grass during clearance slots which is the only time to see sunny weather before sun killer HP move back in.

Rest of winter a write off for snow lovers.

Not round here they weren't, three slight frosts and that was it. And no, I'm not expecting snow this winter IMBY, but I never do - for therein lies disappointment. It's not the 20th century any more!

Maybe we need new versions of these old rhymes:

If November ice shall bear a duck,

Makes no odds, you're out of luck.

That made me laugh, probably because there is more than a grain of truth in it. 😂

Where is the Windows emoji for irony?

I dunno about that, it was just as dull during Darragh - just a bit more milder, damper and breezier, at least here at Kent.

We did at least get some brighter interludes and one day's sun leading up to it.

The only silver lining is at least the evening darkness bottoms out tomorrow and then gradually starts to reverse beyond that. Roll on spring!

I love it!

Much prefer when it's cold, mind (but still dull and never gets fully light)

I think I'd prefer to live in Norway, they might have less hours of daylight but they get way more sunshine away from the coast. They also get snow and have better politics and environmental policies.

If all HP was dry and sunny every season it would give very interesting temps data. If was clear sunny one we would get down to - 5 to -10 by now and subzero days and permafrosts on the shaded area.  It all down to the clouds and current winter killer HP wasting our winter chances. 

I appreciate and find interest in all the seasons, but it would be nice if this winter was actually illuminated by a little sunshine at some point, especially as we're under high pressure.