Stav

Met Office forecasting this for Peterborough next week. Not wildly exciting following all of the anticipation on the models thread.

Yes, it is disappointing when it happens. Oh for a 2010 scenario. Despite the excitement here, looking at the charts and the comments from respected contributors there is quite a lot of doubt as to what the south will get.

I remember walking back one night from my local pub in Sussex when there was a record low of -13 C during that spell. Even the malt whisky didn't keep me warm.

I think I coped better with the 40C heatwave last year than with this, and I guess that was because the air was very dry with that. I agree with other posters that the humidity is a killer. It is always there - day and night, and 32C days become unbrearable. I can't believe anyone actually like this.

I remember walking home from the pub in what I believe was the coldest minimum Hove ever had, -13C. That was cold.

Yes, it could be very disappointing after all the expectation, We need those surface temps down a couple of degrees by day and night.

I would like to ask, based on what we are seeing now on the models, what is the risk of this being just two days of cold with some blowing snow, and then all gone as temperatures rise? I am sure a lot of us would be happy if the winter can end with laying snow and freezing temperatures for a few days, but it looks on the edge to me.

Off topic but I am sure you have been skiing at Troodos. I remember sliding all over untreated roads there in sub-zero temperatures one April. I have Greek Cypriot roots.

What about a Baltic low with frontal snow blowing in on an Easterly? I am sure I remember that once in my life. Surely that is a low risk snow event, rather than Atlantic sourced.

Well, if it stays dry some areas (including where I live) will be in real trouble.

Well it seems pretty exceptional according to the Met Office just a while ago: "England had its driest July since 1935, with parts having the least rainfall on record, the Met Office has said. Driest July in England since 1935 - Met Office WWW.BBC.CO.UK Parts of England saw the driest July on record with serious impacts on farmland and wildfire.

That is probably correct, but we desperately need some rain in the East. It is starting to look like a semi-desert around here.

I know you are West Midlands, Matt, and I am East, but the lawns here look more parched and brown than I have ever seen them Plants are starting to die. I would gladly trade a few nice days for some rain.

I am dreading the next few days, living in Peterborough, right in the place forecast to be hottest. I was considering getting a train to Newcastle or Edinburgh today and working from a hotel there for the next two days, as I work from home, but the forecast temperature differential was not enough to make it worthwhile. I have a portable air conditioner in my study but it is so noisy. I cant believe some of the people on the model thread actually looking forward to this. Lets hope we get revenge in winter, if we can survive the next few days.

In Bahrain construction (all workers Indian) is meant to stop when the temperature exceeds 45C. The official figure never exceeds 45C, and there are deaths.