Worst of winter over in Britain

LONDON - Britain is set to witness a cold - but normal - start to the new year as the worst of winter is over, forecasters said.

After nearly a month of sub-zero temperatures and repeated snowfalls, the southern part of the country Tuesday reached a thawing 11 degrees Celsius. Over the next few days maximum daytime temperatures will hover between 5 degrees and 8 degrees, the Daily Express reported Wednesday.

And though temperatures may dip at the weekend, they will not plunge to the depths of recent weeks when -18.2 degrees was recorded on Christmas Day.

On New Year’s Eve, when thousands will attend open-air celebrations, temperatures should be about 0-3 degrees Celsius, with the coldest spots in the North.

Met office forecaster Michael Lawrence said: “From now on this winter, the weather will generally be fairly benign and we are looking to get back to near normal temperatures.”

The Met office said the rest of the week will be drier and milder than recently though it will be much more dismal and grey.

January and February are now expected to be “tamer” than December, which is predicted to shatter records as the coldest since records began 100 years ago, says Jonathan Powell of Positive Weather Solutions.

“We’d be naive to believe that it’s plain sailing for the remainder of winter, but it won’t be as bad again,” Powell said.

“The threat of disruptive snowfall remains during mid to late January and early February. But spring will get underway unhindered, unlike last year.

“By March we should be clear of winter’s grip.”

But he warned: “The early indications are that summer may not be anything special.”