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Once again it seems we are in for another Mild, Damp and Drizzly December/Xmas period


View Poll Results: What Weather do like best at Christmas?
1. Mild and Cloudy 26 25.49%
2. Cold, Dry and Crisp 42 41.18%
3. Cold and Snowy 34 33.33%
Voters: 102. You can't vote on this poll right now - are you signed in?

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Old 06-12-2016, 12:32
thefairydandy
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Apparently it was Charles Dickens who first romanticised the idea of a white Christmas and Hollywood followed suit..

January is nearly always colder than December
And conflation with Thanksgiving, which is often a snowy time in the US. Jingle Bells was actually a Thanksgiving song - it doesn't mention Christmas at all.

I did get a lot of white Christmases in the Lake District, and a couple in a row a few years ago, and my parents have had thick snow there already.
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Old 06-12-2016, 13:11
walterwhite
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Because there is no such thing as "warm and sunny" weather in December. The sun is simply not powerful enough at this time of year to make that happen. It could possibly in theory reach 10c in the middle of the day under clear skies if you are very lucky, (or you live in balmy Cornwall) but generally, your choices at this time of year are limited to cold and dry, mild and wet, or very cold and wet (snow).
Well apart from last December when it reached 17C in Kent and was well over 10C in almost the entire country.
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Old 06-12-2016, 13:48
d'@ve
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Not strictly true. It's quite common for parts of the Highlands to get snow nearly every day from mid-December to mid/late-February.
Including sometimes in the summer if you want to go mountaineering, even on Kilimanjaro near the equator. It's usual to ignore high altitude locations though when discussing general weather, so I did. They are of course a world unto themselves.
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Old 06-12-2016, 13:52
walterwhite
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Including sometimes in the summer if you want to go mountaineering, even on Kilimanjaro near the equator. It's usual to ignore high altitude locations though when discussing general weather, so I did. They are of course a world unto themselves.
They had 3 feet of snow on Hawaii last week as well so I'd agree that ignoring high altitude locations is the right thing to do.
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Old 06-12-2016, 14:10
Mark.
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Including sometimes in the summer if you want to go mountaineering, even on Kilimanjaro near the equator. It's usual to ignore high altitude locations though when discussing general weather, so I did. They are of course a world unto themselves.
Are you really comparing Kilimanjaro (16,000ft at its lowest point) to the Highlands (Ben Nevis, 4,000ft at its highest point)?

In any case, not every part of the Highlands is at high altitude.
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Old 06-12-2016, 17:26
cnbcwatcher
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I don't understand the fascination with a white Christmas as well. Does it really make any difference what the weather's going to be like? It seems like some sort of fantasy world promoted by the movies and Christmas adverts. Snow is annoying and can cause a lot of problems for people who have to work and travel over Christmas. I'd rather it was cold and dry or mild and wet. I would love to do Christmas in Australia one day. Christmas on the beach (wearing a swimsuit!) sounds much more fun than wearing Christmas jumpers and watching bad TV It would be an experience.
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Old 06-12-2016, 17:27
Steffan_Leach
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Well apart from last December when it reached 17C in Kent and was well over 10C in almost the entire country.
That was due to a significant warming of the worlds oceans (strongest el nino on record) combined with a constant stream of tropical martine air and direct south-westerly winds, causing extremely mild, overcast, rainy weather. Had it been clear skies the temperatures would have never gotten that high.
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Old 06-12-2016, 17:35
Steffan_Leach
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The lack of logic is astounding, isn't it?

The fact that the weather is changing from colder to milder means it can change back again within a similar timeframe. But no - because it starts getting wet and mild from tomorrow (later today for some) it must stay like that for the rest of the month.

Most Decembers I remember have had a spell of weather that's closer to being autumnal. Which shouldn't come as a surprise because while the meteorologists like to be neat and tidy, aligning the seasons to months, December is still in the autumn-winter transition period.

Mind you, I do like it being cold on Christmas Day. It brings back childhood memories of getting a new bike and being determined to try it out despite minus temperatures outside.


Not really... See these posts from the Weather Watchers thread.


Quote:
Originally Posted by renard gris
A vote here for a sunny, clear and cold Xmas period!

The last thing I want during the Christmas period, is mild, damp and icky weather. Therefore, I'm hoping for the return of the clear blue skies, winter sunshine and the crisp coldness.



well im afraid youre likely to be out of luck.

once the jet has kicked in across the uk, ill be surprised if it goes anywhere fast.

ill take a punt..... i expect the coming unsettled spell to last into the new year, only in later january will we get a more anticyclonic, blocked, cold spell.

oh c'mon man ...... youre long in the tooth enough to know that real cold spells that produce snow dont just happen overnight as a rule. the synoptic pattern needed builds up over a period of time. so yes, IF there was going to be a cold snowy spell over crimbo the famous 'building blocks' would be starting to be manifest now... we can see into the future enough to be reasonably confident that those building blocks are simply not in evidence, and time is running out.

snowy crimbos of 1981, 2010, had already started by now in some form.


Once a mild atlantic spell comes in it often takes weeks for the wind, rain and mild temperatures to clear.
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Old 06-12-2016, 18:14
1manonthebog
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Not really... See these posts from the Weather Watchers thread.










Once a mild atlantic spell comes in it often takes weeks for the wind, rain and mild temperatures to clear.
Yep you beat me to it, this current spell won't shift in a day or two as you folk are expecting, last winter it lasted for months giving us mild windy and very damp weather, it's just arrived later than expected this year.
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Old 06-12-2016, 18:33
mal2pool
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too much pollution with all the cars spewing out fumes, and aeroplanes, messing up the weather. remember when there was ice on the inside of our windows.
river thames used to freeze over as well. sledging was great, even if it was snowy kids wouldnt go out
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Old 06-12-2016, 18:44
Mark.
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Yep you beat me to it, this current spell won't shift in a day or two as you folk are expecting, last winter it lasted for months giving us mild windy and very damp weather, it's just arrived later than expected this year.
And yet the monthly outlook on the BBC disagrees with you:

Whilst there is some uncertainty surrounding this period, I'm sure you're keen to know if we're expecting a white Christmas! Currently, it is most likely that the pressure will continue to build toward the end of December, leading to a continuation of settled conditions. If the pressure does build then we can expect it to be drier than average for most areas with light winds. Temperatures are also then likely to be below average with sharp frosts and some fog around in the morning where skies clear overnight. There will also be plenty of crisp winter sunshine by day. There is the potential for some unsettled weather, but this looks less likely. So, although the Christmas period looks likely to be cold, it's unlikely to be white, but things could still change, so keep an eye on the forecast.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2635167#outlook

While the usual caveats about long-range forecasting apply, you'd think that if you were right then the outlook would reflect that.

Note that I've never suggested we'll have a white Christmas; just that the milder weather won't necessarily last.
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Old 06-12-2016, 20:31
EStaffs90
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I would love to do Christmas in Australia one day. Christmas on the beach (wearing a swimsuit!) sounds much more fun than wearing Christmas jumpers and watching bad TV It would be an experience.
I'm hoping that I'll be able to do something like that at the end of the month - although replacing "Australia" with "Tenerife" and "swimsuit" with "bikini".
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Old 06-12-2016, 21:58
Steffan_Leach
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It seems that as soon as the milder weather starts the rain comes back. Still much prefer a mild, wet south-westerly to a cold easterly scenario though.

It's been cool and cloudy and foggy today, about 6c. But when I set off outside about 6pm it felt a little milder, with a fresh south-westerly breeze. When I was walking home I felt a few raindrops, rain I thought? Yes, it did come on raining, but nothing major, just some light rain/heavy drizzle.

I was wearing shorts and a hooded sweatshirt tongiht, and I often wear this combo in milder wetter conditions, and often in Summer as well. Daft as it sounds, I actually enjoy wearing shorts in wet weather. Not if it's pissing it down but if it's just light rain/drizzle then the raindrops against my legs feel good. And my legs are more waterproof than any trousers are anyway. If my shorts get soaked I can always take them off and leave them to dry anyway.

If it's frosty or snowy outside though then I do wear something more seasonally appropriate for the weather, I'm not that bonkers.
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Old 06-12-2016, 23:49
InMyArms
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Christmas Day is the one day of the year i'd be happy to wake up to mountains of snow outside the window, no need to go anywhere and it really intensifies that Christmas feeling.
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Old 06-12-2016, 23:56
SegaGamer
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We have had less rain in the last month than we did at any point during the summer where i live........typical.

It's always so cold and clear in the winter and warm and rainy in the summer.
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Old 07-12-2016, 02:50
dee123
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I would love to do Christmas in Australia one day. Christmas on the beach (wearing a swimsuit!) sounds much more fun than wearing Christmas jumpers and watching bad TV It would be an experience.
A Seafood platter is the Aussie alternative to the traditional Xmas ham or turkey, which does still occur.
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Old 07-12-2016, 11:26
cnbcwatcher
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I'm hoping that I'll be able to do something like that at the end of the month - although replacing "Australia" with "Tenerife" and "swimsuit" with "bikini".
Sounds like fun
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Old 07-12-2016, 11:49
Ben_Copland
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What do you have against drizzle?
Lemon especially goes great on a muffin.
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Old 07-12-2016, 12:49
walterwhite
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That was due to a significant warming of the worlds oceans (strongest el nino on record) combined with a constant stream of tropical martine air and direct south-westerly winds, causing extremely mild, overcast, rainy weather. Had it been clear skies the temperatures would have never gotten that high.
You said it couldn't get above 10C, I never mentioned sun.
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Old 07-12-2016, 16:23
Steffan_Leach
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You said it couldn't get above 10C, I never mentioned sun.
I said that it would be very unlikely (in most parts of the country) that it would get above 10c and be sunny at the same time. With a dry easterly that is just not going to happen... To get very mild temperatures in December you need south/south-westerly winds bringing cloudy, damp, murky, windy, rainy weather.
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Old 08-12-2016, 15:27
Steffan_Leach
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We have had less rain in the last month than we did at any point during the summer where i live........typical.

It's always so cold and clear in the winter and warm and rainy in the summer.
Where do you live?
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Old 08-12-2016, 15:43
Funk You
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Snow on Xmas day then be mild and sunny for rest of the holidays I hate the cold and winter as a whole. If it was in the summer I'd love it more.
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Old 08-12-2016, 22:26
Steffan_Leach
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Love the mild spell we're getting at the moment.

Went out tonight in just my zip-up sweatshirt to my martial arts class tonight. Temp about 8/9c with a 7mph south-westerly breeze and humidity about 95%. Felt a bit damp but with higher air temp it didn't feel too bad.

It's in an old building with carpet from the stairs missing and they don't have any proper heating, just a few portbale heaters. It's a really good class though with a nice people and a good instructor. You can often see your breath in there. Just as cold inside there as outside. However as I have pretty good circulation once i get going I soon warm up. There was no heaters in there tonight though, presumably because of the milder weather.



All the old fogeys keep telling me how in there day they had snowball fights in the playground and it was always cold all winter. People also say that we used to get hotter drier summers than we do now. Nowadays it is quite common for it to be 12c and raining in the middle of Summer or 12c in December. The time of year makes no difference.
So the seasons now seem closer together if you know what I mean. I quite prefer this "middle oground" weather though tbh, rather than having it boiling hot and sunny all summer and freezing cold all winter, even if in many peoples head's that's how it's supposed to be.
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Old 08-12-2016, 22:39
Multimedia81
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Where I live, people could have had a White Christmas last year .... by postponing it to March 4th this year!

I voted for cold, dry & crisp as this is genuinely wintery but easy weather for going out.
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Old 09-12-2016, 12:40
Steffan_Leach
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Typical Lancashire Weather here at the moment. Currently 12c, blanket grey and raining. We get many days throughout the year with exactly the same conditions be it July or December.


As usual North West England gets all the rain. Grrrrr...

http://www.raintoday.co.uk/

Why can't it go further South over Cornwall for a change.?
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