October Snowfalls in Southern Britain heaviest since 1934
The snowfalls yesterday 29 October first brought difficult driving conditions on the A9 south of Inverness and other high-level roads in NE Scotland early in the day, then sleet & snow spread into Northern Ireland and Wales in the morning, the Midlands during the afternoon and into the Home Counties and SE England during the evening giving several centimetres of snow on the Chilterns which froze overnight.
While October snowfalls are not unsual on the higher slopes of the Scottish mountains, October snowfalls sufficient to give a covering are rare in southern England. Yesterdays October snow was the heaviest in southern England since 1934 so a pretty exceptional event.
And it is not over yet with further snowfalls over Northern Ireland forecast today and over the high ground in Wales this evening and tonight.
Does this foretell anything about the coming winter?
The Met Office have not changed their winter forecast issued in September for a winter most likely to have above average temperatures but they did change their autumn forecast yesterday from average to above average temperatures most likely to near or below average temperatures.
Weather patterns do tend to repeat themselves so it is possible that the colder weather patterns we are currently experiencing may herald a colder winter to come. Looking at the Central England Temperature, after a mild January and February, temperatures have been oscillating above AND BELOW the 1961-90 average this year, so should this trend continue, it is a change from the persistently above average temperatures which have persisted for most of the time since 1988 and this would mean a colder winter 2008/2009.
You can see photos of October snow at the BBC.
The following are BBC News arcticles on the current cold spell:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7696823.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7696070.stm
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