December CET

[Weather-history]

Maybe worth looking at the coldest first week of December for the CET

Both Decembers 1981 and 1995 didn't get going for coldness until after the first few days.

Decembers 1976 and 2008 started from the off for coldness

The opening of December 1879 was phenomenally cold, lows into the -20Cs CET up to 7th December 1879 was -3.6C!

Can't see December 2010 getting near that!

Edited November 25, 2010 by Mr_Data

[BLAST FROM THE PAST]

Winter 08/09 proved that without northern blocking being widespread and a cold stratosphere if the jet stays south so will the cold. I think the times the jet gets going it will be on a southerly track so CET remains as per LRF 2.8C with chnaces of lower. But as we know the cold doesn't follow calendar months and hence why they don't always tell the story of the winter months

[Methuselah]

As this month reminds me so much of 1973, I'll plump for 3.7C. I cannot see the cold spell lasting for all that long...

[Southern Storm]

4.1 for me please

[BornFromTheVoid]

I'll go with 3.0C for now thanks

[NorthNorfolkWeather]

Cooler than recent years 2.9C

Getting milder in the middle, then cold again for the last week

[The PIT]

Going for 4c.

[RichardR]

6.5°C

[Backtrack]

7.4C.

I think this winter will be a very poor winter with snow limited to Scotland and Eastern England.

I don't think anywhere West of the Pennines will see any decent snow.

Very mild after this coldspell IMO.

Edited November 25, 2010 by Backtrack

[Stargazer]

I'm guessing a month of two halves, with the cold first half winning. Let's say 4.0.

[North-Easterly Blast]

Maybe worth looking at the coldest first week of December for the CET

Both Decembers 1981 and 1995 didn't get going for coldness until after the first few days.

Decembers 1976 and 2008 started from the off for coldness

The opening of December 1879 was phenomenally cold, lows into the -20Cs CET up to 7th December 1879 was -3.6C!

Can't see December 2010 getting near that!

Indeed. The cold of December 1981 didn't kick in until the 8th, and the CET was still over 5*C by the 7th. December 1995 turned cold around the 5th after a mild first three or four days. December 1996, although the opening days were fairly mild, the rest of the month from about the 5th tended to be predominantly cold without any real major cold spells.

It is true that there have been very few severely cold Decembers in the UK since the late 1800s, as compared to severely cold Jans and Febs. There were no Decembers in the 1900s sub zero, and only one below 1*C. On top of that only four further Decembers were below 2*C, and even then Dec 1933 was cold largely due to an anticyclonic block sat over the UK giving frequent inversion cold rather than deep cold Arctic air.

[damianslaw]

A tentative 3.2 degrees, would be colder but I can see a temporary milder spell second week, if this doesn't verify we could be looking at something around the 2.5 degree mark, making it nearly the coldest since 95, for Scotland however, I suspect it will be the coldest since 1981.

Here is how I see the month will pan out

1-5 Dec below average temps starting off particularly cold, slow breakdown to less cold weather by the 4th from the NW with low pressure moving into western parts

6-11 Dec average temps for the north, milder in the south west as we see a westerly/north westerly airflow take hold with further low pressure systems moving down from the north west

12-18 dec cold period with north westerly/northerly airstream as we see those strong heights over Greenland ridge down into mid atlantic

19 dec - new year very cold with high pressure to the north moving eventually over the country meaning mostly settled weather after a snowy start.

[Stu_London]

Im going for 2.7C

The first 5 days are likely to be below 0C and the surface cold may yet hang about for a few days after this.

Quite often we get a spell of anticyclonic weather in December and whilst it might not be a cold high if it were to settle over the uk, we would still see below average temps with daylight being so short.

[Terminal Moraine]

I'll try 1.8c. Cold end to end

[picog]

3.7C for me please. Chilly but not quite so cold as 2009.

[Paul T]

3.5

[Weather-history]

I'm going for 3.6C

[kold weather]

A very impressive set-up fopr the first 7-10 days of December, cold looks every bit as strong as it was in the first 10 days of Jan 2010 from the looks of things.

EVen if we were to average 0C for the first 10 days, above average would take a very impressive 7.9C to get above average which would be a very impressive mild spell, do able but I wouldn't expect it even if we switch to a milder more typical pattern for the time of year...

Thus I'll drop my CET predicition to 3.7C

[Fozfoster]

2.4c for me please.

[Snowyowl9]

The way things are going this month I`ll go for -0.9c.

[Weather-history]

I notice the last occasion that the first day of December was sub-zero was in 1973.

Edited November 28, 2010 by Mr_Data

[Jack Wales]

I'll go for 2.9°C please.

[virtualsphere]

I'll try 2.7C

If we go below 3.0 then all three winter months of the calendar year will be below 3C. When was the last time that happened?

[Weather-history]

If we go below 3.0 then all three winter months of the calendar year will be below 3C. When was the last time that happened?

I think it was 1963

[kold weather]

Sub 3C will still be a good effort if it came off, not sure how long the Atlantic is going to be delayed as we head into the second half of December mind you...

Still going to be near enough impossible I think to get above 5C so another below average December is looking pretty much odds on...

Also, what are the top 10 coldest starts to December in the 20th century, looks like we have a big shot at being right close to the top I'd imagine.