Warm and mild before a nip in the air returns
THAT extra hour’s sleep we have enjoyed overnight should insulate us against even the worst the weather can throw at us, but fear not. Much of the country today will be pleasantly bright and beckoning with unseasonably good temperatures creeping up towards 60F (16C). Indeed, though the clocks have gone back and moved us into winter mode, the start of the week ahead will see little change from the autumn bonus we have enjoyed during half term week.
What is keeping everything so mild and dry is a combination of benign south-westerly winds and a highpressure system anchored over much of the country, drawing up warmer air from the continent. So, today, London will experience 59F (15C) and Plymouth 57F (14C). The only exception will be in the far north of Scotland and across some parts of Northern Ireland. There, colder, wetter conditions will prevail, with Aberdeen stuck at 53F (12C).
As the week progresses, though, that taste of winter in the north will extend its grip down over the country, driven on by chilly winds from the Arctic. So in place of those magical, misty mornings, bright afternoons and pink and gold sunsets we have been having of late, there will be more frosts at the start of the day, and a noticeable nip in the air. While southern parts of Britain could just hold on to the remnants of autumn, Scotland may see the first snowfalls of winter on lower ground. And, according to some siren voices among the forecasters, the flurries will be just the first taste for a big freeze ahead in what, come December, is being billed as potentially our worst winter for five years.
But do not lie awake worrying about it quite yet, even if you do have an extra hour in bed to play with. Such dire predictions have a habit of causing us sleepless nights and then never materialising.