Dave.C wrote:
Yes, saw it and realise yet again that I know nothing about forecasting.
From all angles, including past experience, looking at charts etc I would
have expected it to be colder. I had always thought that at this time of
year with the North Sea reaching it's coldest NE'lies were as cold as they
are likely to be.
Why 5-6C for the S.E. Answers on a postcard please. ;-)

Here's your postcard, Dave. The air at the source (N
Scandinavia, NW Russia) is not particularly cold. A few weeks ago it
would have been a different story. Agreed that simply looking at a
surface chart would give one the impression of a very cold spell but a
few thickness lines give the game away, not that they are always a
reliable guide in winter, with inversions. But the sea track will
ensure that any inversion is warmed out somewhat.

Tudor Hughes, Warlingham, Surrey.