On Sat, 28 Jan 2006 15:02:40 +0000, Graham P Davis
wrote:

Talking about how things used to be, here's something I just found in an old
Radio Times clipping:

We, in turn, asked the meteorological back-room boys
for enlightenment, and they have provided us with the following table:

Very hot - More than 20F above normal
Hot - 16-20F above normal
snip

The current descriptions for all seasons are at
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/.../uk/guide.html and I have
listed the descriptions for Winter.

**Terms used to describe the temperature relative to that expected for
the time of year.**

Departure from average / Winter

+7 °C Exceptionally mild
+6 to +7 °C Exceptionally mild
+4 to +5 °C Very mild
+2 to +3 °C Mild
-1 to +1 °C Normal
-2 to -3 °C Rather cold
-4 to -5 °C Cold
-5 °C Very cold

Winter is defined as "mid November to mid March".

The descriptions are commendably restrained but they do not help to
guage how it will *feel* outside as no account is taken of wind, rain
etc. So I think iit is perfectly reasonable for a weather presenter to
describe a temperature more than 5 deg C below average in a strong to
gale force wind as "feeling exceptionally cold in the wind" Even more
so if it is expected to rain or sleet as well.

As for minus 5 degrees and a force 9 wind in lowland Britain
(mentioned by Graham), bitterly cold would be quite meaningful to me
(but it's not frostbite conditions).

--
Dave


--
Dave