Winter snow: A sight of the past? Photo credit: Jose Miguel Calatayud http://www.flickr.com/photos/josemcalatayud/4394277941/
Britain is on track for the mildest winter since records began. Woolly jumpers, mittens and hats have languished unused in wardrobes across the country, with the average temperature from December to mid-January reaching 5.5 degrees celsius, according to The Daily Mail. Admittedly, that does not sound exactly tropical. But the 0.6 degree rise on the average December temperature has seen spring flowers blooming, birds nesting and hedgehogs neglecting to hibernate, reported The Guardian.
The warmer weather is not necessarily cause for celebration, with reports that the rising temperatures may have serious environmental repercussions. And there’s still plenty of time left for the mercury to drop and snow to fall.
Price of fruit may rise. “This year has been so warm many trees will fail to set fruit,” wrote Louise Gray in The Telegraph, pointing out that fruit trees need a cold snap before spring in order to flourish. Gray said that a poor harvest, coupled with the ongoing drought in the South East and the Midlands, could push up fruit prices; apples, blackcurrants and cherries are particularly at risk. There’s also bad news for Britain’s rhubarb growers: according to Mark Branadan in The Independent, rhubarb producers in Yorkshire are facing the prospect of a poor crop this year because of the mild weather.
Equine disruption. “The mild winter is playing havoc with horse management, with reports of mares being in season ‘almost constantly’, early moulting and exacerbated skin conditions,” said Flora Watkins in Horse & Hound. Watkins reported that several readers have complained of problems with over-stimulated mares.
Gas industry drop. It’s not just Britain that has been affected by milder-than-average temperatures; the US has also experienced a mild winter – that is, until the recent blizzards that battered the Northwest and snow forecast for New York. According to Gregory Meyer in The Financial Times, this may prove “a knockout blow to a starkly bearish gas market”, with supply outstripping demand as consumers neglect to put their heating on.
Snow ahead? Don’t rule out the possibility of snow and freezing temperatures, Dan Williams from the Met Office told The Daily Mail: “Either we will continue to get mild temperatures or it will get much colder, with wind bringing widespread frost and snow in some areas.” Essentially: prepare for anything.