Well I haven't the foggiest of what a "normal winter" is like up here on Haytor
as I have only experienced 3.

Impressions so far are of several 1-4cm snowfalls which usually melt by midday.
Lots of days with snow falling but not settling. Lots of days with rain and fog.
Frost less common than in the southeast, but more days of below freezing wind
chill and gales. A bit of sunshine and a good chance of snow on Christmas Day
but not a lot before then. If we are to have a "below normal" winter then all I
have to say is ooo-er, I'm glad I have good supply of logs :-)

So yes, normal can mean different things to different people.

Will.
--

wrote in message
oups.com...
"Normal" covers a wide range. Snow and frost are normal. Rain and
gales are normal. Mild SW'lies are normal. Cold dry NE'lies are
also normal in winter.

Sadly, Joe Public on his Clapham bus might have difficulty
understanding this. He might understand "average" although that
really is a misnomer.

If I understand correctly, the Met Office are suggesting that there is
a 2 in 3 chance that the coming winter will have temperatures lower
than the mean for the past ten years. There is also a 2 in 3 chance
that the rainfall will be less than the mean for the past ten years.
To be pedantic, I suspect the Met Office is actually comparing the
expected figures with the median figures for the past ten years, but
that isn't clear in the press release.

No of course, to arrive at a mean figure (of anything) some numbers
will be higher than the mean, others lower.

But that concept was not understood by one Union Leader some years ago:
"I will not be satisfied until every worker in this country gets at
least the average wage"

Quite clearly, this coming winter is going to be "normal".

Jack