Our trans-Atlantic friend Mark Vogan sends us these morning shots from the United Kingdom of frost last week across Scotland. Mark, an avid weather enthusiast who keeps a close eye on weather trends in the UK as well as here in the U.S., wonders if it's not possible this autumn's earlier frost arrival might offer at least a hint on the nature of the coming winter across the UK. He tells us:
“Last year there was not one morning where the temperature dropped low enough to support frost. To the best of my knowledge the earliest frost of last year was October 31st. This year we had frost as early as mid September. Typically first frosts arrive in late October across the central lowland region, earlier in the highland valleys and glens.
With year after year of very balmy winters across the UK and the early arrival of frosty mornings in 2007 on the backside of the coldest September in Scotland since 1994, could we have a considerably colder winter ahead, even if we average overall warmer-than normal? I beleive this winter may bring back some true cold and perhaps a modest snowstorm, that perhaps blankets the ground for a 5-7 day period to produce a cold week of freezing days and bitter nights. Something we haven't seen much of over recent years. Any snow that has fallen of late has melted within a couple of days, with no cold air in to take advantage of the fresh snow cover.”
An interesting observation indeed and one which is worth watching as we move more deeply into the new cold season.
--By Tom Skilling, WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist
