Is Britain colder than Iceland? It’s a frosty issue
SOME parts of the country have seen temperatures tumble so far down these past days that we have been officially “colder than Iceland”. Presumably that is the country, not the supermarket chain, but as they are locked in a court battle over the name, it may be best to check it out.
Sennybridge in Powys recorded 14.5F (-9.7C), the lowest for November in England and Wales since 2010. And today will see little change in the dry conditions, sunny by day, frosty by night, with a south-easterly cold wind pushing in. The warmest spots will be in the South West, with Plymouth 48F (9C), but Aberdeen will get no higher than 37F (3C). Quite a contrast with last year, when the start of December saw the North West battered by Storm Desmond, bringing 11 inches of rain in just one day.
This December’s settled conditions will continue into the working week, but low pressure will start creeping up on us on a south-westerly wind by Tuesday, raising temperatures but also ushering in breezier, damper weather that will steadily expand its grip.
For those of you planning Christmas Day, the news is encouraging. After more unsettled spells in the middle of the month, the high pressure is due to return in time for the 25th, giving us more of those crisp, clear days, and cold, frosty nights that will leave icicles on your outdoor decorations.
But, as we often learn, longer-term predictions should be taken with a pinch of salt. Which is precisely what they needed in Saudi Arabia this week, when freak conditions left a layer of snow on roads and sand dunes in the northern Al-Jawf region as temperatures dropped to 37F (3C) against a seasonal norm of 68F (20C).