Thanks Keith. Before July I also noticed the similarities with 1962 - but then July proved warm and sunny, completely unlike the wet, cold and miserable summer of 1962. Obviously November has reverted to 'being like 1962'... Who knows - another 1963 style winter could happen but on past form the chance is 1 per cent.

1987 is obviously my yardstick for cold in my lifetime - but I can remember the midnight forecast on R4 all those years ago predicting 10C for Saunton Sands - while East Anglia stayed below freezing