What a difference a year makes as warm weather continues... and forecasters say there is no big freeze on the way

-Pub in Yorkshire buried in 16ft of snow this time last year is now serving Caribbean cocktails
-Unusual weather caused by warm air blown up from southern Europe
-Average rainfall in the first two weeks of November was 25mm - less than half than is usual


By Jaya Narain


What a difference a year makes: Hannah May, 5, sits in the garden in Portchester, Hampshire, watering the geraniums today, right. A year ago she was out on her sledge


With plenty of sunshine, blue skies and mild temperatures, winter seems a world away.
But rewind 12 months and the picture was about as different as it could be with early snow and freezing conditions.

This time last year, Hannah Walker was having fun sledging in her garden and building a snowman in Portchester in Hampshire. But this year the five-year-old is watering the geraniums and relaxing in the unusually warm weather that has been with us for weeks.

And on the North Yorkshire moors, regulars at the Lion Inn in Blakey Ridge are enjoying Caribbean cocktails in sharp contrast to last year when they faced the ‘ultimate lock-in’ after the pub became buried under 16ft of snow.


White out: Paul Lawton, head chef at the Lion Inn, digging his way through deep snow near Castleton a year ago today


One year to the day when the big freeze started: The Lion Inn's Paul Lawton raises a cocktail to the warmer weather

One year on: Walkers dress up in hats and coats - but there is no snow in sight at the Lion Inn


Two guests and five workers were stranded by snowdrifts which covered the road and buried cars outside, cutting off any escape from the 16th-century freehouse, which, at an elevation of 1,325ft (404m), advertises itself as the country's fourth-highest pub.

Co-owner Paul Crossland had to put a warning on the Lion Inn's website urging customers not to attempt to reach the pub.

He said: 'This year it's a very different story.

'We're pretty high up and pretty exposed up here but the snow still caught us a little by surprise last year.

'It all seemed to fall within the space of one evening's shift - then the drifts really cut us off.

'We were stuck until about December 6, when we still had plenty of food and drink left but had just about run out of Calor gas for the heating.

'It was fun at first but I prefer this. There's only so much painting and decorating and cleaning you can do.

'I'd rather be out here with a cocktail than breaking my back with a snow shovel in my hands.'


Winter wonderland: Walkers in Castleton on the North Yorkshire Moors on this day last year

Bright autumn day: A year later it is unseasonally mild - and a lot greener in the North Yorkshire Moors

Now weathermen have put their necks on the line and told us there will be no repeat of last year's big freeze - so it might just be the time to stock up on winter woollies, gloves and scarves.

Just days before the beginning of December it is more sultry in Sussex than in Syria.

The weather has been so unseasonably mild that Met Office forecasters say Britain is on course for its warmest ever November, and December won't be much different.

Much of the country has enjoyed unusually warm weather in recent weeks, with the temperatures hitting 18c (64.4f) in parts of the UK.

Many people have yet to reach for the gloves, scarves and thermal vests, and it could be a while before they have to do so.

The Met Office says figures for the month so far reveal the average UK temperature has been 9.4c (48.9f) – the November average is 5.9c (42.6f).

The mean temperature in the South-East and East Anglia – traditionally one of the UK’s warmest regions – has been a balmy 11.2c (52f), which is 4.5c above the usual average.

The average temperature for Middlesex is 11.8, 4.3 degrees warmer than normal.
The Met Office says the unusual weather is caused by warm air blown up from southern Europe. It is also drier than normal.

Average rainfall in the first two weeks of November was 25mm, less than half of what would usually have fallen.


UK weather outlook for today and tomorrow - it is set to remain unseasonably warm but will be wet in the north


Almost like a summer's day: Feeding the ducks at London's Serpentine lake in Hyde Park

Warming to the theme: A grey squirrel sits in fallen leaves in St James's Park in London


Northern Scotland had just 10.9mm of rain during the first two weeks of the month - just one twentieth (six per cent) of the long term average.

Sarah Holland, of the Met Office, said: ‘The warmest November ever recorded in the UK was in 1994, when the average mean temperature was 8.8c (47.8).

'It’s too early to say whether it’s going to be above that, but it looks like it could be one of the warmest.’

She said the weather this weekend would be ‘unsettled’ for much of Britain but that temperatures would remain unusually high.

They could top 13c (55.4f) in Sussex – double the November average and warmer than Damascus in Syria, where the mercury is not expected to rise above 11c (51.8f) this weekend.

And while November has been warm. that is set to continue into December as a repeat of last year's extreme weather looks increasingly unlikely.


Picnic in the park: It has been shorts weather for part of November, with this group enjoying the sun in London's Hyde Park

Stunning display: The autumn hues of leaves stand out as the UK continues to experience unseasonably mild weather


Met Office forecaster Dan Williams said: 'There’s no signal for a repeat of last year's December cold spell.

'Last December saw a very prolonged period with wave after wave of cold spells and snow, ice and sub-zero temperatures.

'But rather than that, it looks like we're in for a mixed, unsettled December this year, with some cold spells but also milder spells.'


Buckingham Palace and the Mall in the heavy snow that brought parts of London to a standstill in the build up to Christmas last year


Last year's Arctic conditions forced flights to be cancelled and made for treacherous driving even on motorways



source:dailymail