Harsh Winter Ahead?

[Cheryl]

I read in the press the other day that the met office are predicting a warm winter this year - after their "barbecue summer" predictions earlier this year I did wonder about immediately putting in an order for thermals

There seems to have been masses of berries this year: rowan, sloes, hawthorn, pyracantha and I've always thought that that was an indication of a harsh winter ahead - or is that just an old wives tale?

[Kayleigh]

I think there were lots of berries last year and it wasn't that bad so I will wait and see what happens..

[eeyore]

well its flipping cold out on the downs tonight and i passed a gritter on my way way home so quite possibly

and last year we had over two foot of snow here so that qualifies as a hard winter in my book

[Geoff F]

The theory was that berries fatten up the birds ready to face the winter. So a lot of berries was just nature 'forward planning' to get the birds really fat to face a bad winter.

Nothing logical there.

Last winter we had the worst snow for several years here, in the deep south - nearly 5 mm one day, and it laid for several hours!

[david156]

Originally Posted by Cheryl

I read in the press the other day that the met office are predicting a warm winter this year - after their "barbecue summer" predictions earlier this year I did wonder about immediately putting in an order for thermals

There seems to have been masses of berries this year: rowan, sloes, hawthorn, pyracantha and I've always thought that that was an indication of a harsh winter ahead - or is that just an old wives tale?

I always thought that you got a good amount of berries if you had ideal conditions in the spring and summer before and berries are only the atractive casing for the seed within.
Good conditons early=loads of berries=loads of new plants when eaten and digested. Not forward planing by nature, just nature being clever as usual.
See. thats why its mother nature. only a woman could be that organised!

[ron1863]

I take no notice of the forecasters - we were forecast a long hot summer, it lasted for two days. As for a Harsh Winter Ahead, we are having it now.

[Elean0r]

I think it's going to be quite a cold winter.

The wind seems to be coming from the east again, it was very much colder today.

[foxy mars]

Elean0r, how right you are about a harsh winter on the way. I go to work on a twilight shift whilst you lucky people go to the pub or stay snug around the fire on the cold dark evenings, whilst I cycle to work in the cold damp weather.

Anyway, I've been into the Go-Outdoors store today and got some softshell water/windproof over-trousers. I was going to wear them for the Sunday ramblings, but I have some Paramo Fuera windproof trousers which will do for that instead, so I will start wearing the Hi-Gear trousers tonight for work. It was foggy on Teesside early this morning.

[James M]

The berries thing is an old wives tale, more of an indication of the weather that precedes them.

I'm hoping for a cold winter, wouldn't mind one similar to last year, we had quite a bit of snow at time .

I really wouldn't put much faith in any long range forecasts, atm I'm keeping an eye on the El Nino currently developing in the Pacific, it's moderate at the moment. A top end mod/strong El Nino tends to mean a mild winter for us in the UK, and in turn a strong flat Jet Stream across the Atlantic bringing in depressions, but there are lots of other factors to play so we'll just have to wait and see!

[david156]

Saw the long range winter forecast a few days ago. They said "it would be marginally better than average but an average is just that with good spells and bad spells."
So from that i think we will have cold snaps followed but wet times followed by warmer periods but it could be in any order.
Just like a normal winter then!
I think i'll prepare for the worst and just take each day as it comes!

[sunnydale]

Originally Posted by foxy mars

I've been into the Go-Outdoors store today and got some softshell water/windproof over-trousers. I was going to wear them for the Sunday ramblings, but I have some Paramo Fuera windproof trousers which will do for that instead, so I will start wearing the Hi-Gear trousers tonight for work. It was foggy on Teesside early this morning.

Are you being paid by the manufacturers to advertise their products Foxy
Hope the Hi Gear's kept the chill out!


I'm hoping we'll get lots of really hard frosts......and then a whole heap of snow too!

[BloomingMarvellous]

Time to put a few extra layers on me thinks...

[foxy mars]

Originally Posted by sunnydale

Are you being paid by the manufacturers to advertise their products Foxy
Hope the Hi Gear's kept the chill out!

Wish I was, Sunny. But I think the money I've spend in there since it's opened early in the year, I must paid a percentage of there wages.

The overtrousers are a very good buy, kept the heavy rain off coming home tonight on the bicycle. I can recommend them and only £15 (for now)

[Doggle Avaddit]

I'm with David who says the glut of Berrries is to do with the favourable conditions that produced such a glut. I don't think even Nature has a crystal ball.


Predicting Weather is not exactly an exact Science, as it is essentially Chaotic in the longer term. But, given the amount of data and computing power and software modelling available right now, it can produce some fairly accurate predictions for the few days ahead. Anything beyond that and you are into the realms of best guesses.

[SparklySarah]

Well I hope it's not too cold as the windown in my room doesn't fit the frame so it gets a bit chilly in there..... At least we've got the heating sorted out now so it actualy turns on!!! But there does seem to be quite a few berries on the trees from what I've seen, but in the city centre you don't really notice it much.

[snowdrop]

This thread reminds me of my rather dour straight backed gran, a double for the old Queen Mary... no, not the ship Lol... who every year in the manner of an official launch, grimly predicted a 'good' killer, clearing out pernicious, (her word), bacteria and all who harbour them.

Oh, how I miss my grandad!

[Hedera]

Surely the good crop of berries and fruit means that more insects pollinated the flowers! Judging by my garden they did a good job, weather permitting. Some bumbles still working on mahonia and evening primroses now.