On Sunday, 22 December 2013 12:13:01 UTC, Graham wrote:
With no really cold weather on the horizon, this is set to be the second

mildest December, after 1988, since I began recording in these parts in

1970.

Mean screen so far is 5.3C which is 2.4C above normal. Since I began

recording at my current Copley site in 1995 the mildest December up to this

year was 4.2C in 2006. (I estimate 1988 in Copley would have been 5.5C

using my record at nearby Low Etherley.)

Mild Decembers are invariably followed by mild winters on my record. It

certainly makes a pleasant change from all the snow-shovelling and

difficult travel conditions of recent winters.

Don't like the winds though, mean speed so far for this month is 13.2KT



Same here Ken.

I did say last week how mild this December was and here too it's normally

followed by a mild Winter

Mean here stands at 5.7c so far with just 1 air frost, only the very mild

December's of 1988 (6.3c) and 1974 (6.6c) have been warmer.

Both 1975 and 1989 Winters were very mild, only the Winter of 2007 was

warmer.





Graham (North Staffs)

I'm not so sure a mild winter, gfs, although not a raging easterly, certainly has been consistently hinting at a cooler Arctic maritime set up in the runs into the new year. Pressure high over Greenland and building to the north of Scaninavia and Russia, it's only got to take these lows to dive into the continent and here we go. But I maybe just rainbow chasing, although I have my doubts of a complete mild winter.

Keith (Southend)
http://www.southendweather.net
"Weather Home & Abroad"
twitter: @LawnscienceEssx