Replying here as I no longer get to see Lawrence's posts.
Lawrence Jenkins wrote:

Now in truth I cannot even find the original winter UKMO hype which
was released in September 2005. Has it now disappeared with a less
truthful version of the forecast?


The original headline 'hype', captured at the time, was -

"The Met Office has predicted a two in three chance of a
colder-than-average winter for much of Europe, and that if Europe were
to experience below-average temperatures, parts of the UK - especially
southern regions - would also be affected. There was also an indication
for a drier-than-average winter over much of the UK."

Dramatic and over the top, eh ?

Tom