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So I know the majority of weather enthusiasts prefer cold winters over mild. When I was a kid I loved cold and snowy weather but for the last few years I prefer mild winters. I still like walking in deep snow but I prefer mild weather in winter now, even though it’s often raining with it. The last few days it’s been dry and sunny but very cold, with temperatures only rising to 2 or 3C during the day and dropping well below freezing at night. It’s currently -4C outside right now with crystal clear skies, but I think I’d rather it was 10C with cloud and drizzle. In fact I really dislike temperatures below 10C, I just feel no desire to go outdoors when it’s in single digits and especially not when it’s below zero. Not a huge fan of the heat either, although I had a weeks holiday in the Cotswolds in early September and it was in the high 20’s and low 30’s, and although it was very hot, I still enjoyed it and would much rather have that than rain or the weather we are having now. Im not sure how anyone can prefer this current freezing weather over what we had in summer, I’d take 17C and cloud over 0C and sunny any day. Yes mild winters are boring but at least it feels more comfortable and I just really don’t like winter anymore, it’s just dark, cold and depressing. I’m much more of a mild/warm weather guy. Both 0 and 30C are uncomfortable for me, I like it best somewhere in the middle around 12 - 20°C. My favourite winter month was February 2019, with many days sunny and 13-17°C. Yes it was unseasonably warm, but I enjoyed it. December 2015 was also exceptionally mild, although it also was extremely wet in my area with really bad flooding. Tbh, I wouldn’t mind another winter like 2016-17, lots of quiet benign weather around 5-9°C. I just want to get winter over with. Spring can’t come soon enough!

This warm September is good cause to make a thread regarding this unusual pair of months, and why those wanting a cold October need not despair! After an indifferent summer, Sept. 1895 was a very warm month with a C.E.T. of 15.4. It was warmer than July! Nights were close to normal but by day, Sept. 1895 ranks 2nd hottest, only beaten by 2006. It was also a very dry month with an average rainfall of 23.3mm. Much of the south of England had barely any rainfall and most fell during thunderstorms on the 6th/7th. Unsurprisingly, it was also a very sunny month. Many stations recorded their sunniest September on record at the time. Hastings recorded 171% average sunshine. A warm pattern is established very early on with a hot push of southerly winds on the 2nd. The very few traces of rain fell courtesy of weak pressure associated with hot southeasterly winds on the 6th. This feature was so weak that by the following evening, pressure had already rose, thereby killing off any thunderstorms. I can't find any reports on any individual storms but apparently they were juicy! A briefly more unsettled period followed but high pressure was never far away from the southeast. High pressure was dominant again by the 15th and was going nowhere fast. Upper air temperatures fluctuated during this period but days stayed warm. A brief spell of colder weather, albiet still dry, came on the 20th. This was the coldest part of the month with frosts in the Scottish mountains. The coldest weather was very shortly followed by the warmest. September from this point was entirely HP dominated with very warm southerly winds. There were some unusually hot temperatures recorded, record breaking for the time, with temperatures in excess of 27C recorded in many places. In some areas, the month was over 3 degrees above the then-average. The comes October... October, 1895 was an exceptionally cold October, being one of the coldest on record with a CET of 7.1. Rainfall was unremarkable at 113.3mm. The month was mostly just very cold, with no remarkable falls of rain or gales reported. Despite the cold, sunshine was once again above average, notably so in places. However, the month began very warm with the remnants of Septembers heat. 25C was recorded at Hillington on the 1st. An active cold front swept in on the 2nd, probably accompanied by heavy rain, gales and thunder. This would have felt very shocking after a month of fine weather. It then stayed generally very unsettled. It wasn't until the 16th that the true nature of the month came to be, as cold air swept south, albeit within high pressure. By the 22nd, strong northern blocking and low pressure in the Azores let very cold air in from the Artic region. From the 22nd to the 29th, snowfall was widespread, particularly in the north and west. Temperatures were very cold, particularly at night, and on the 23rd/24th and the 28th-30th temperatures got down as low as -8C at Llandovery, -7C at Blackpool and Carlisle. Amazingly, the following October would be colder, but that autumn deserves its own thread which I may do next. While November, 1895 wasn't a particularly interesting month, it's notable for being warmer than the preceding October. It's generally a mild and wet month with lots of low pressure and SW winds, but it has a very short but fairly intense cold snap on the 24th with a great deal of snow. It has a CET of 7.5 and an average of 122.2mm The following winter of 1895/1896 turned out to be a mild but exceptionally dry winter.

There was a very short-lived but intense cold snap at during the first 6 days of Feb. 1912 Most of the winter had been mild, including the first-half of January, but there were signs of a change by the 15th with a big area of high pressure to our east. By the 18th, cold air across the north gave a foot of snow thanks to a SE wind A week of cold & frosty weather followed, but a very cold NE flow was beggining to establish by the 25th. Temperatures fell rapidly, with -3C daily C.E.T. values by months end. Notice the intense blocking across Iceland & Greenland. Into the first week of February an exceptionally cold pool of air spilled down from the Artic via blocking over Iceland, giving a severe spell of cold weather. On the 4th, -21C was recorded at West Linton in E. Scotland. The first 6 days of February averaged -2.5C. From the 2nd to the 5th, temperatures across the country were widely into minus double digits, even close to -10 as far south as Folkestone & Bexhill. Daytime temperatures struggled well below zero. A foot of snow fell at Durham. I believe the snowfall was more showery in nature, but records show a widespread coving of 4-6 inches across the country. In many places it's said to have been the most severe spell of ice since 1895.. but it wasn't to last. By the 7th the low pressure had blown up, forcing much milder southerly winds, bringing an end to the cold snap. The rest of the month turned exceptionally mild with winds often from the southwest. It also was very low pressure dominated, so a wet month too. The first 6 days averaged -2.5, the 7th to the 28th averaged 7.5C(!). The overall C.E.T. for the month was 5.4. The coldest days 3rd & 4th, at -4.3 & -5, the warmest the 27th & 28th at 11.1 & 10.5. Reminds me a lot of Feb. 2021. Actually a warmer month than 2021 though & 2021 recorded a colder temperature. The rest of the year wouldn't prove to be so great, so will 2021 follow the same path? Time will tell!

Post two photos to show the difference of this February and last year (late Feb. into early March) #BeastfromtheEast versus record breaking UK warmth (21.2c today in London 70F) Mine from East Lothian

So we started the winter cold, then a few weeks of very mild, and about 10 days of snow, but not that cold because of persistent cold cover. We've got 6 weeks left to make or break the winter. A return to zonal rain that plagued us during the latter part of Dec and into Jan and it will be remembered less fondly by the NW members. But it has time yet to be memorable. From a Midlands perspective, it is already an above average winter for snow. But how do you think the rest of the winter will pan out? Here's my punt. Wind, rain and floods into early Feb, followed by a northerly and more snow. Then very mild for early March!