Reasons for not looking forward to winter in the UK?

[Wildswimmer Pete]

6 hours ago, chrisbell-nottheweatherman said:

I'm disabled, so I know what you mean.  I was thinking about getting into the garden or just outside on a sunny day rather than staying indoors if possible rather than going anywhere in particular.  If you're having trouble walking, would it be useful to get a mobility aid?

I'm fully mobile and have two e-bikes. The problem is I have Stage III heart failure so I tend to get breathless after walking around 50 yards or so. Have to  take  a breather (literally!)  I can swim for long distances because the water supports my weight. I also wear a full-face snorkel mask (Decathlon Easybreath) that lets me breathe normally through my nose, non of this gulping a breath then doing a couple of strokes before the next gulp. Doesn't do much for my looks 

[Chesil View]

I suppose the best reason for not looking forward to winter in my part of the UK is that quite simply. It hardly ever turns up as winter in the genuinely seasonal sense of the word.  More often it's just the worst aspects of Autumn extended to six months.

Edited October 12, 2019 by Broadmayne blizzard

[chrisbell-nottheweatherman]

On 11/10/2019 at 22:28, Wildswimmer Pete said:

I'm fully mobile and have two e-bikes. The problem is I have Stage III heart failure so I tend to get breathless after walking around 50 yards or so. Have to  take  a breather (literally!)  I can swim for long distances because the water supports my weight. I also wear a full-face snorkel mask (Decathlon Easybreath) that lets me breathe normally through my nose, non of this gulping a breath then doing a couple of strokes before the next gulp. Doesn't do much for my looks 

Sorry to hear of your difficulties. 

[carinthian]

You just know winter is coming. Crazy warmth and endless sunny days over Euroland presently with the UK under weeks of gloom and dampness. Typical Autumn fodder. Think I will pushed to see any snow in these parts for a few more weeks .Think if I had a choice of mild and dry over wet and mild  , the former would be my preference but do not look forward to any mild type for the next 5 month. I am purely snow driven. That's why I decided to live one mile in the sky !C

[Severe Blizzard]

Why I am not feeling enthusiastic about the coming winter. Where do I start?

(1) Winter's which are preceded by endless wet, dismal and depressing weather through the autumn (2019). Bad enough having to suffer cold, wet, disappointing snow-less dross through the winter months without extending it back into the autumn, although it hasn't been too cold yet.   
(2) I am a keen cyclist and dislike endless days of rain, especially if in small and frequent amounts such as every day like at present. Sick to death already of having to juggle ride times to avoid rain, cold and wind or grin-and-bear-it and have an unenjoyable ride in the vile weather followed by wasting endless hours sorting out wet clothes and repairing the bike parts which wear quicker in the dampness and wet, possibly being without bike for a while if more extensive repairs are needed at the shop. I love cycling and being outdoors and not stuck indoors with day-in day-out vile weather. Timing of the rare 'decent' day coinciding with days in the week when I can't ride (work) followed by days off being wet, too cold or windy for a decent ride or having to cancel.
(3) Winters dominated by marginal snow setups which deliver everywhere else while Guildford misses out again and gets cold rain. 
(4) I work in retail and Christmas is sometimes a nightmare and adds to the misery of a miserable season.
(5) Colds, coughs and flu which last longer in winter and having to slog away at work with a hacking cough, especially near Christmas in the cold, damp and unpleasant conditions. 
(6) Transport chaos, especially at Christmas when I have no choice but to have to visit relatives (father suffering with dementia) and have to cycle in bad weather. Yet another Christmas period of chaos and disruption due to the usual engineering works and another strike (name and shame: RMT and southwestern railway). Dreading Christmas already for this reason and if the weather is anything but mild and dry with light winds then the entire period is going to be a real nightmare with having to cycle 17 miles each way with a heavy rucksack.
(7) Long periods of darkness and little sun.
(8) As I get older, I am beginning to dislike low temperatures all the more but still appreciate 'inversion cold' or proper severe cold with snow which can be very exciting. I just loathe the false / pseudo-cold with high wind chill in damp and dull conditions. 
(9) Getting to October / November and knowing >20 deg.C won't be reached again for 5-6 months. Sad seeing the summer / early autumn fade away. 
(10) People ramping and getting excited about a synoptic situation that will not bring snow or an interesting event to the area where I live, especially if this fever-pitch excitement is in November before the winter has even started. If December is really going to be like 1981 or 2010 with proper snow and impressive severe cold, then there really is something to be excited about and interested in, although the ensuing travel chaos is not welcome.
(11) Media hyping that it will be the coldest winter since 1963, like it was last year, the year before and the year before that etc.   
(12) Features of specific winter weather which I dislike: (a) Ice and icy roads after marginal snow event failures and then the wet surfaces freeze when skies clear after the fronts move away (2017/2018).
(b) Missing out on the all to rare interesting events such as snow and winter thunderstorms / hail (winters 2014/2015 and 2017/2018 before late February).
(c) Rain in small or mediocre amounts on a daily basis (2014/2015 winter - a truly vile one).
(d) Easterly situations that just produce disappointing cold, damp and drizzly weather although the synoptics suggest something more interesting (2005/2006). 
(e) The Azores High causing cold zonality and the set-ups unfavourable for snow in the south but still have to suffer unsettled weather without anything of interest. If it's going to be cold - we want snow and proper low temperatures or it can stay mild.   
(f) Drizzle - hate the stuff.
(g) Long periods of strong winds in a westerly or W.N.W.ly warm sector rather than a milder S.W.ly warm sector (another feature of the much-disliked cold zonality set-up).
(h) Cold weather extending into March after mediocre conditions in February and the cold is not of the snow-bearing type (1996, 2001, 2006, 2013 - a disappointing month in the Guildford area but good elsewhere). 

I used to dislike the Bartlett high situation and dry winters like 1991/1992, mainly due to the absence of snow and 'boring' weather. These winter scenarios are appreciated much more these days as I have enjoyed a few snowy winters (2008/2009 through to 2012/2013) and the yearning for snow has lessened a bit. However, I don't enjoy missing out on the snow if there is a chance of a favourable situation. I'd take dry (mild or sunny cold) any day over cold and wet as I can get out on the bike much more in the favourable conditions. 

The late February warm and sunny spell of 2019 was truly beautiful. It was a pity that this was superseded by a windy, drizzly and unpleasant period through March and not by a memorable snow event as in 1891 when a similar February 'heatwave' gave way to a major snow event in the south between 9th~13th March!  

[James1979]

The endless dark, compounded by seemingly endless days of a grey lid above. As a child and young adult I enjoyed everything about all seasons including light levels, the 'cosy' dark nights were something to look forward to but since about the age of 30 (40 now) I've come to dread them and it gets worse every year culminating now in a mini melt down around mid January. I can handle it better if there's wind and rain (or heaven forbid some snow) and actual weather going on but the perma grey lid with dry conditions and the same boring temperature all day long and through the night do my head in. I'm not sure if you are born with a form of SAD or if it develops as you get older but I defintely feel it these days. I used a sun lamp and vitamin D for the first time ever last winter and psychological/placebo or otherwise it did seem to help a bit. I think the lack of anything resembling an actual winter these days whilst watching the continent and US freeze every year (same jealousy applied in the summer re storms) grate on me too. Oh for the weather of yesteryear (apply rose tinted specs). Anyway, soon be Christmas.

Edited November 7, 2019 by James1979

[Durham Weather]

I think the reason most of us don't look forward to winter in the UK is that it very rarely lives up to expectations. if it snows, it usually turns to slushy muck within a few days, and if the winter is mild we just get endless rain and very rarely blue skies and anticyclonic conditions. If winter is to impress, it has to be a proper one.

[swfc]

Dark nights,rain rain and rain.I find it a miserable time also given the lack of seasonal weather in generall or bright and frosty,snowy spells.we currently have epic rain in Sheffield and minor flooding.given the forecast and being in a catchment area things could be shocking later.il literally get my coat!!!

[Jamie M]

One of the many reasons I have is:

- Never usually lives up to anything here, a bit of wet snow a year but not much

- Bitterly cold winds on certain days which just freeze you up & you wish that summer was back.

[IanR]

Reasons for not looking forward to Winter,   where do I start?    at least the night starts getting lighter in just over 5 weeks time .... a faint glimmer of hope,   Then the horror of January needs to be ridden out , then its uphill again to spring ,  Febs not great but dont mind it as most the horror months are gone ,and spring is not too far ahead   

 

   You guessed, I dont like winter 

Edited November 10, 2019 by IanR

[HafrenLMP1]

So far, this winter is the perfect example of why many of us don't like 'winter'.......

[Dorsetbred]

For me, a couple of reasons:

1) It makes the car mucky

2) People struggle to accept the global weather in the Northern Hemisphere is changing, and seek historic events

 

[lassie23]

What winter, probably have two days of winter in Smarch

[B87]

It's cool, dark and wet a lot of the time.

The UK is not a cold or snowy country, so those expecting snow will always be disappointed (though personally I hate snow and cold).

[Met.]

Constant frontal rain, drizzle, no sun, low cloud, short daylengths, too cold, more windy, too gloomy, too dark, colourless and drab scenery with skeletal looking leafless trees, no snow, basically a mindnumbing nuclear winter that goes on and on relentlessly.

[ManiaMuse]

I've always wondered what the Netweather snow freaks actually do when it snows...

What I hate most of all about winter is the darkness. Really in the UK it is unbearably dark from mid October to mid March, that is nearly half the year! Then Summer inevitably flies by with disappointing whether and we are back into darkness yet again.

[Snowyowl9]

Just 3 things Wet Wet Wet.

[Froze were the Days]

I think this winter sums it up perfectly...wet, cloudy, mild and little in the way of purposeful frosts!

[snowray]

I don't think I can handle another British winter after this one, just miserable, mild, and non stop wind and rain. Probably go away somewhere for at least a month next year.

[Buzzard]

It’s the wind. Being a runner too, this is torture. Constant windy weather.  

[stainesbloke]

A particularly grim winter in the UK, unless you’re a wind and rain lover, or a duck. Drier in Central Europe but no snow and very little weather that has garnered any excitement. 

[Azazel]

This winter has exemplified the topic title perfectly and ticked all the boxes.

Utterly foul.

Edit: and to add to this, it seems to be the norm now for winter to get going at the start of spring, thus prolonging the misery and torture.

Edited February 20, 2020 by Azazel

[Scorcher]

1 hour ago, stainesbloke said:

A particularly grim winter in the UK, unless you’re a wind and rain lover, or a duck. Drier in Central Europe but no snow and very little weather that has garnered any excitement. 

I actually don't like the winter weather in Central Europe- I don't like the lack of breeze in some parts. I find it uncomfortable for some reason. I was in southern Germany last month, east of Munich and not too far from the Czech border. It was cold, extremely still most of the time and lots of fog. I was very uncomfortable there. Perhaps I like being on an island. Relentless fog is worse than relentless rain for me.

I do agree however that the UK can be too much the other way- too windy during winter. But at least this keeps things moving and gives the prospect of something slightly interesting.

If Central Europe is snowless with high pressure during winter, it can extremely still and boring.

Edited February 20, 2020 by Scorcher

[stainesbloke]

4 hours ago, Scorcher said:

I actually don't like the winter weather in Central Europe- I don't like the lack of breeze in some parts. I find it uncomfortable for some reason. I was in southern Germany last month, east of Munich and not too far from the Czech border. It was cold, extremely still most of the time and lots of fog. I was very uncomfortable there. Perhaps I like being on an island. Relentless fog is worse than relentless rain for me.

I do agree however that the UK can be too much the other way- too windy during winter. But at least this keeps things moving and gives the prospect of something slightly interesting.

If Central Europe is snowless with high pressure during winter, it can extremely still and boring.

It is not as windy here in C Europe as in parts of NW Europe. But it still can blow a hoolie here in Prague, actually much more often than I thought would be the case, with at least 2 damaging wind storms occurring each winter. That was the biggest surprise for me, moving here. 
 

I do enjoy fog and still weather, have had quite a lot of fog here earlier this winter. For the most part, though it has definitely been a boring winter. At least summer here can be decent, in particular with regard to the amount of thunder days. 

[AderynCoch]

Scorcher, if you prefer windy mildness to cold stillness you should fly here as soon as possible as that's all we've had for weeks now. I can't remember the last time I had a weather warning which didn't concern wind. I'm actually under one now (by the way wind events here are nothing compared to the UK, so a wind warning doesn't necessarily mean it will be interesting in any way). As for cold stillness, that doesn't necessarily preclude the possibility of snow. In any case I'll take snowless Euro High faux cold over the current weather pattern any day. 

Today is the twelfth day in a row above 8C (though looking like first in a week not to reach 10C - small mercies and all that). The February mean so far is 5.9C with the mean maximum at 10.1C. Such figures would be disappointing in my old stomping ground of Merseyside never mind here. There is of course no sign of anything cold even in FI. 

I wish this "winter" would just die.