Winter 2025/2026

[GloriaSmud]

We’re a few weeks from the start of meteorological winter on the 1st December but there are already some musings on websites about what the next season might bring….

So here are the thoughts of:

Netweather ~ (Vegemiteandhoneyontoast posted a link to this one on the Autumn thread).....
https://www.netweather.tv/weather-forecasts/news/13184-winter-202526-outlook-what-four-decades-of-weak-la-nina-winters-tell-us

Two from TheWeatherOutlook…..
https://www.theweatheroutlook.com/weather-news/7632/winter-2025-26-weather-outlook
https://www.theweatheroutlook.com/weather-news/7672/uk-snow-or-cold-snap-in-november---here-is-what-the-model-data-says

And SevereWeatherEurope (a new one that I haven’t come across before, has some well put-together explanations)….
https://www.severe-weather.eu/long-range-2/winter-2025-2026-outlook-colder-season-forecast-for-united-states-canada-europe-fa/

My thoughts (more gut feeling than anything and based on the weather we’ve been having recently!), is that we’re veering towards a fairly quiet but colder than average winter. I don’t think we’ll have many storms but there’ll be rain at times (which will go some way towards upping the reservoir levels.) I think there’ll be some cold snaps (maybe more at the start of winter), plenty of sunny days and nighttime frosts. Hopefully (for those that like it!), we’ll get some snow and the chances of that will increase if the quiet, settled weather stays and systems from the Atlantic try to move in. Any snow will probably last a day or two rather than the ‘so much snow that the country grinds to a halt,’ sort of thing.

So we’ll see if any of these predictions come true!......

Bless you. Sending gentle hugs. Yes, it's a flipping nightmare and I'm sick of it too. I'm disabled so get really panicky when it's wet or icy. I fell badly on the pavement on 1st december and really screwed both my knees and am still in pain now. Today has been slightly milder thank goodness but at times I just wish I could hibernate tbh.

Sorry to hear of your fall, @RainbowZebraWarrior We've got Yaktrax for snow and ice. They're basically snow chains for your boots and work really well on icy snow. Not good indoors, though!

There's also a gadget you can attach to your cane if you use one. Developed in the USA. For ice.

I'm sorry to hear about your fall @RainbowZebraWarrior I hope you feel better soon. The weather has been awful here too. Nearly constantly raining, damp and grey.

That’s really rubbish and sorry you aren’t healed yet. I second yaktrax, they aren’t great on black ice (the type when it rains and then the temperature suddenly drops) but on anything else they are great.

I’ve just been out on a mooch to look at lights. It rained funnily enough but it was quite nice to see them all twinkling on the drizzle.

It’s freezing cold here in London/SE.

We’ve been wondering if it will snow in January/February.

Reports of hard frost in central and southern England today, yet this wasn't forecast, I don't think?

Also reports from friends that it's already frosty in parts of England tonight. Other than some areas of Wales, again I don't think this was forecast.

NE coast of England here and 6 degrees right now. Bizarre how much it seems to be variating.

Car iced up this morning and again at 6pm this evening. It's cold in Wales now.

Earlier this year I read a really interesting book called Moonstorm by Ffyona Campbell. She has a theory that weather repeats itself in 8 year cycles.

I don't really understand all of what she says, but there does seem to be some evidence for the 8 year cycles. If so, we will have a cold February as 8 years ago we had "The Beast from the East".

I‘m in the NE and although we’ve had a brisk, chilly wind, it was really quite warm in the sun today.

The dog wasn’t doing what she was meant to tonight (too y things to sniff) and although it’s clear, it’s not really cold.

I’m relishing the dry tbh. I can see drizzle on the LT BBC forecast but this will tide me over.

AnnaQuayInTheUk ~ that's interesting because if you go back 8 years, you come to the winter of 2009/2010, which was a cold one. It'll be interesting to see what the winter of 2025/26 has left to bring us....

Popped up on my FB pictures pre Christmas
People were snowed in. Kids sledging daily. Made snowman and Igloo. In February I recorded -14 at night.

We had -13 that winter. We had booked to go to Paris just before Christmas which was a huge mistake, almost didn’t make it, almost didn’t get home. The cat escaped the blocked up cat flap because he went stir crazy and almost froze. Horrific journey to work via foot/train/metro/foot. My school had no snow days though so 😖.

I think my dog who is more of a princess than any member of the RF would have probably needed smelling salts to get her out of the house if I had had her then!!

I think it was that Christmas of 2009, that my Uncle attempted the journey from their house in Gloucestershire to East Sussex, to pick up my 95 year old Grandma and take her back to their house for Christmas. He had an awful journey due to the snow and it was after that, that the family persuaded Grandma that she really needed to move closer to either my Uncle and Aunt or to my parents. It brought home to us all just how far away she was if there was an emergency.

2009 was horrible. Our heating packed up and we were using a gas heater and the gas ran out one evening while we were watching a film but we didn't have a spare gas bottle. I was under a blanket and noticed the temperature in the living room had gone down to 8C. It was vile. We went to stay with family for a few days and the warmth was so good.

According to Netweather, Jersey had a white Christmas (but only because sleet and snow fell on Christmas Day....it doesn't sound like it settled!)
And it's continuing to look cold as we head into the New Year....

Couple of snowflakes appearing on my forecast for next Friday and again a few days later (just when we are about to return back to school!)

@Northerndoglover I was relishing the dry, too, but yesterday was a mizzly drizzly disappointment so I stayed largely indoors.

That matches what I’m seeing forecast from Twitter @RainbowZebraWarrior cold with possibility of snow.

ETA: Met office hasn’t quite caught up with that yet.

👀 🛷

Some thoughts from Netweather for those that like snow....🌨❄
<considers giving the sledge another quick polish>

Come on snow!

Just for Friday and the weekend. I don’t want to have to move too much of my AL.

I remember that year. I think we got snowed in - in London!

Gosh it looks very cold next week - especially Sunday.

Note to self: Fill The Grit Bins!

2009 was great. I had a double buggy and could drop the dc's at nursery and walk to work. I was proper smug.

Jakers. Saturday and Sunday Us too 🙈🌨️🌨️🌨️