I mentioned about visiting earlier in the year a remarkable place and
readers of Weather eye will know that it is situated in Austria.
Well the rim of this hollow currently has 55cm of snow, a third of that fell
yesterday, and the current temperature is minus 14C. It is truly a winter
wonderland and with the calm conditions in central Europe under a cold ridge
the temperature in the famous hollow must now be heading down to minus 30C.
The steely cold and the powder snow with the heavens lit by thousands of
stars would be a truly magical scene. It could not be further from the
balmy night here in England with cloudy maritime air streaming in from the
Atlantic and the temperature between 8C to 10C. But all weather has its
merits and on that note I would like to wish everyone a very pleasant
Christmas.

Ian Currie-Coulsdon and Chipstead Valley.