I have data for my area back to 1960 and my own since 1978 and was looking at some of the stats with regards to the wet January and previous wet winters.

This January, has'nt quite beaten my 1988 record of 147.6mm, (currently as I write 140.4mm) although there is still time, but to look at the spring and summer of 1988 wouldn't really work as both the previous December and following February I recorded below average rainfall, so the sum of the three winter months only amounted to 188.0mm

The nearest winter period, assuming a wet February, would be 1989/90, currently my highest winter total with 239.7mm for the 3 month period, what is interesting is that I currently stand at 234.4mm and we havn't got to February yet, so unless there is a major change in pattern, this is surely going to be a record breaking winter for rainfall in the south.

So the nearest comparably winter period I have is 1989/90 and is interesting reading what followed in 1990, not to say that this will have any bearing on what actually happens, but here it is:-
March 1990 was my 4th mildest on record (back to 1960), yet surprisingly I only recorded 3.8mm of rain for the whole month. May 1990 1.9mm and July 1990 8.6mm totals. August my average maximum temperature was 25.0°C, my 2nd warmest August after 25.2°C in 1997, which incidentally followed my mildest March in my records, so some possibly correlation there.

Two other, not quite as wet winters worth noting are, 1994/95 (225.6mm) and 2009/10 (229.6mm).
1995 had a dry April and August, also a warm July/August
2010 also had a dry April and a wet August and July was a warm month.

So without being specific I would put my money on a Mild and dry March, a dry April and possibly one or two of the following months May/June/July/August also being dry. July and/or August being warmer than average, will be interesting to see what pans out over the coming months.

Now let's contact the Express "BBQ summer" this year LOL.

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