"John Hall" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Gavin Staples writes:
From my area of the UK, which is of course East Anglia. This is how I
would
categorise a cold spell. This occurring in either December, January or
February, which of course are the 3 winter months.

1 out 10: 3 or 4 days consecutive, of north westerly winds and night
frosts
of -2 to -3. Daytime maximums of between 4 and 5C. The occasional light
snow
shower.
snip

Surely you would give the same mark if this weather and these
temperatures occurred with a different wind direction? So should the
wind direction be included in the definition? It might be unusual to get
such conditions with, say, a south-westerly, but it's not completely
unknown ("returning" polar maritime airmass).
--
John Hall

"I am not young enough to know everything."
Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)

Good point John. I wondered if someone would pick me up on that. My best
example is that classic snowy zonal month January 1984 I was living in the
NW at that time. It was amazing. That would get a 7. It gave lying deep
snow for 10 days or more. I distinctly remember the forecast one weekend.

Gale force westerlies and a maz of 0C to -1C. Snow showers. Needless to say
they all settled. A trough built in this and we had a 10 inch fall with snow
flakes the size of saucers. I have never seen such huge snow flakes in my
life, before or since.