General Chat

Winter is coming - and it's going to be colder, wetter and that bit more unpleasant than last year.

Forecasters have announced that the cold season is officially upon us.

And they've warned that this year will bring harsher storms that are more severe and frequent than last time around.

According to forecasters we're potentially days away from the first major storm of the 2016/17 storm season, which begins around the end of October and ends in April.

Like last year, this year's major storms will all be named, alternating between male and female, reports West Briton .

If that's what the Mail and Express say, take with a large pinch of salt!

They're getting excited because its been slightly warmer so far this autumn. Beginning next week they think it'll be slightly cooler than average. It'll seem cold because of the differential.

My predications - Cold in the north, milder in the south. Possible snow showers around about 20 Nov in the south east. What's new?

Long range forecasts aren't worth the paper they are written on as there are so many variables. Jet streams don’t use the same computer programmes as puny humans.

Just look at this, published 22 Sep 2016
http://www.netweather.tv/index.cgi?action=longrange;sess=

The rainfall map for October suggested wetter than average in the SE. It's hardly rained at all!

http://www.metcheck.com/SEASONAL/next_month_forecast.asp
Issued : Oct 25 2016

An easterly influence to the start of the month as the continental high continues to affect the UK weather. Early in the month we are expecting high pressure from Greenland to link up with the continental high bringing a period of dry, calm weather across much of the UK with overnight frosts and fog. Some rain bands are still expected to affect the far Northwest of the British Isles. Towards the end of the month we expect the Atlantic to return with stormy weather for Scotland and Northern Ireland and wet and windy weather for all other areas.

Were's the storm?
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/long-range-forecast/
only says a possibility of strong winds *at times in the north*

I get so fed up with these so called long-range forecasts. Have a read of the BBC ( (link above) paragraph headed Long-range weather prediction and you'll understand.

we've already had our first storm of the season, about 2 weeks earlier than usual.

Plus, it has just been announced that La Nina will be back, and that probably means a wetter than usual winter for the West Coast. But also she often translates into lots of snow at high elevations, great for the ski centres.

Morning Ann .looking at the weather forecast could get some Snow .hope it waits till after late November got some travels planned .Hope your Alright Barbra :-)

Have seen a Robin in the garden twice this week.

A sign of an early winter in the North East of England??

We usually escape the worst of the really harsh weather here, very near the English Channel, but there can be dramatic variations within just a few miles.

Daughter lives less than 5 miles away and I can remember sweeping a lot of snow from her steep front steps, while at my own home here they hadn't seen a flake.

Robert, We have robins in the garden all year round (we feed the birds) - living in Scotland. ;-)

I remember certain 'publications' issuing the same warning last year.

The weather forecasts are so dire, they don't seem to be able to give a decent forecast for the following day, let alone the following months!!! :-S

Yes ShelleyRose, used to see them a bit when I lived in Scotland, but don't see them much down here.

The best weather forecaster imo.. Yourself

Open blinds, look out window, simple. :-)

We've had robins or a robin (can't tell if it's the same one or not) all year round here in the North East.

OH made a winter roosting box and it looks as though a robin has commandeered it.

:-D Emma.......and if you stick your head out of the window and it gets wet - hey voila! It's raining :-D

I hope we do have a cold winter to kill off adult slugs - last spring our yard looked like the dog had invited the towns dogs round ;-) :-0

Well we have two robins in our Garden every day .not all year round though .lovely little birds they are curious .Oh swept the decking & one followed him on the ground. could do with a cold spell don't like damp rainy weather .the leaves of the trees are every where now hope we get some wind to send them up the avenue .Hello Robert ~~~~~All . :-) ;-)

not from any newspaper - off the net

Our "robins" are different from the UK robins ................ they are members of the thrush family so a lot larger, but they do have red breasts and a lot of the same habits.

They are also migratory ................. the ones we see in the winter have come south from Alaska and the Yukon while the ones we had in the summer move down towards northern California

Good morning peeps. well I have a solitary robin and its in my garden all year round.Lovely wee bird.Last year i did see another one but they are territorial so thats why theres is usally just one about,

We had a gale for 2 days last week but just a stiff breeze so far!

No doubt there will be our usual "huricane"strength winds up here and power cuts in the coming weeks.....wouldnt be winter without them...lol

Florence in the hebrides :-) :-)

In the 40's and 70's we had real winters that brought people to a halt.
Since then in comparison our winters have been mild, even if we had to wear vests.

1947 was a terrible winter, compounded by shortages of just about everything including fuel due to the war, and the distribution of food and clothes to the shattered countries of Europe. I was 4 at the time and can just remember it being very very cold. Old photos confirm this!! My mother was a war widow so things were pretty tough for us. She married again in April of that year to a returned POW, and to say that it was our lucky day was an understatement. He was a fantastic chap, I couldn't have asked for a better father she, husband.
1962/3 was another truly awful winter, with enormous snowdrifts and extreme cold (the Thames was frozen solid for weeks!) OH (boyfriend!!) was in the Fleet Airarm and used to come on the train from Plymouth to Oxford, the journey sometimes took 10 hours, due to frozen signals points and other hazards end route. Happy days! (they were actually!)