WEATHER WATCH

Thursday morning saw temperatures again dip to -6.4C at Benson, Oxfordshire, contrasting with 10C in Aberdeen.

Just a modest 1in (25mm) of rain so far in the far north of Scotland. Some early spring bulbs have already surfaced, but we often see winter volatility by mid-January leaving nature confused.

On this equivalent Sunday in 1987, on the BBC Countryfile TV weather forecast I suggested that ‘The only bright thing on this forecast is my tie’. What was about to unfold was a bone-chilling Siberian blast of wintry weather bringing the coldest week of the entire 20th Century.

Next week is likely to bring more changeable conditions with more rain. But it will only take small changes in the orientation of the jet stream to herald a significant cold episode in the near future.