Shades of grey obscure the year’s shortest day
THE shortest day will be upon us on Wednesday, but it has been so cloudy and grey over much of the country in this exceptionally mild December that the winter solstice may pass all of us by. Perhaps if we had more “sol” in the seven hours and 49 minutes of daylight we will get, it might make more of an impression, but then the winter solstice is all about the sun being as far away as it ever gets from us, down over the Tropic of Capricorn.
Over central and southern England, as well as Wales, the high pressure system that has been dominating will stay put. So decent temperatures – 50F (10C) in Plymouth, 48F (9C) in London – thanks to the southerly wind from the near Continent, but gloomy skies and fog for some parts in the morning. Further north, a weather front heading in on south-westerlies will push the mercury up a bit further, 46F (8C) in Glasgow and Edinburgh, and anything up to an unseasonal 55F (13C) in sheltered glens in the far north.
The week before Christmas is not looking particularly promising for those wanting it to be white. It will get slightly colder in the southerly half of the country by Tuesday, with lingering fog leaving temperatures struggling to get above 41F (5C) in some parts. In Scotland, a weather system off the Atlantic will bring more rain.
The blizzard conditions in New York State this week may provide a glimmer of hope. Engulfed in a mass of Arctic air, it hit 14F (-10C) and the snow was thick on the ground. But whether such conditions reach us depends on whether the jet stream passes north or south of these islands.
If the latter, there is just a chance that it could look as lovely as the Christmas cards. Watch this space.