Fleeting glimpses of a winter wonderland
CHRISTMAS Day may have been a disappointment for those of us wanting the view out of the window to match that on the cards on the mantelpiece, but the tail end of December has seen picture-postcard winter-wonderland scenes with morning frosts, crisp, dry, sunny but short days, and fog and temperatures as low as 23F (-5C) overnight.
There was a brief change last night, as many revellers gathering to sing
Auld Lang Syne at midnight were treated to a downpour. A weather front, which had been hovering over northern Scotland for a few days, picked up pace and made its way down over the United Kingdom, drowning out some parties with rain.
In its wake, winds from the north will bring a new wave of Arctic air. So enjoy the milder temperatures today – 48F (9C) in London, 50F (10C) in Plymouth and 41F (5C) in Glasgow – because what follows will be largely greyer and colder, no more than 45F (7C) in many places and substantially less in a few. The breeze will add a bite, and the frost will return.
As the week progresses, a highpressure system out over the Atlantic should start to push up the mercury to a decent enough 52F (11C), before the cold once more reasserts itself.
If you are left indoors, searching for reasons to be cheerful as 2017 gets off to a nippy start, then turn your minds to our butterflies and bees. Our recent run of mild winters and poor summers has caused havoc in their habitats, the National Trust has reported in its 10th annual wildlife survey, with numbers of bees spotted by one centre in Somerset down 85 per cent, and a Dorset survey finding sightings of marbled white butterflies down 73 per cent. They need a cold January.