Balmy Britain: Experts say there'll be no big freeze this year

PA

This time last year Britain was covered in a blanket of travel chaos-causing snow.

But things couldn't be more different this year, as blue skies and above-average temperatures continue to allay the cold winter we're all expecting.

While strong gales and snow in Scotland have been predicted for the weekend, experts are not predicting the kind of freeze the UK saw in 2010.

And many people have yet to start layering up in winter-warming scarves and gloves, with November being slated as one of the warmest ever on record.

Met Office figures show the average for the month so far is 9.4C – almost double the November average of 5.9C .

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

And she said that although this weekend will be 'unsettled', temperatures will still be high. And the unusually warm temperatures are set to continue into December.

Met Office forecaster Dan Williams told the Daily Mail: '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.'

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