Peter Clarke wrote:

The familiar sight of the westerlies roaring in from the Atlantic in
early
December again this year is an early hint of the weather pattern that
is
likely to prevail later in the winter ...... but it's early days! I have
long believed that the ' crunch' time comes soon after the middle of the
month. If a spell of arctic weather develops at that time, even if it
lasts
only a few days,then the chances of a major cold spell after Christmas
are much higher. If you look at the coldest winters since the end of WW 2,
nearly all of them gave a hint of things to come in the weeks leading up
to Christmas. I can think of the Decembers of 1946, 1955, 1962, 1968,
1969, 1978,in 1984 and 1985 the cold spell arrived at Christmas, 1986, and
1990.

I don't know about the other years you mentioned but 1962 had cold spells
well before "the" cold spell started. For one week in November at Bedford,
the temperature failed to get above zero. Also, in December, there was a
spell of freezing fog with a fall of ice needles from it. Snow fell at
times during both months.

--
Graham P Davis, Bracknell, Berks., UK. E-mail: newsman, not newsboy.
"What use is happiness? It can't buy you money." [Chic Murray, 1919-85]