I have been wondering about this as well. My mobile stuck rigidly to forecasts of 6 deg C, despite the doom and gloom warnings all around. And the mobile was right - it's rarely been colder than that, only a couple of frosts and less than 1 cm-day of snow.

I fear there is a lot of truth in what Will is saying, but several related factors seem to be at play.

a) the North Sea has warmed more than the western approaches.

b) we do not get many easterlies, and they don't last as long.

c) Western Europe as a whole is often crazily mild - it has been the last 2 years anyway. The Russian "winters" of the last 2 years would not have stopped Napoleon or Hitler.

My location (NE Suffolk) has historically had similar winter temperatures to my parents at 600 feet in the Midlands or Dartmoor at 1400 feet, but not any more. It seems similar to say Weymouth now. 2012-13 was good here for snow, but 3 of the last 4 winters have produced 1 cm-day of lying snow between them, and I understand that even in December 2010, a thaw set in early whilst the south coast and Devon were enjoying ice days.


Brac