In article ,
Dave.C writes:
Call me old fashioned but if this winter is harsh it's going to be short and
harsh. I can remember snow and sub-zero air frosts by this time of year in
the "olden days".

Whereabouts do you live? In my part of Surrey, October snow has always
been rare. The last instance I can recall was, I think, on October 31st,
1974, when a heavy snow shower caused a thin covering on the grass for
half an hour or so. It was followed by an exceptionally mild winter.
--
John Hall
"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism
by those who have not got it."
George Bernard Shaw