Spring vs. Winter. This year the first round went to the winter corner and now winter dug in Northern Europe and spring seems to be struggeling. Unfortunately it looks like the current cold and unsettled conditions will last well beyond March 21st this ye ar. A relatively small but persistent ridge forming across Scandinavia and the North Sea is blocking the Atlantic lows on their track across Europe giving way for some very cold polar air at the same time. Like often the British Isles are somehow sandwiched between these two systems creating this c hilly and often wet weather.

However, let's have a look at the recent years taking London Heathrow Airport weather station as an example. Lacking the severe frost that we were having earlier this month real spring feeling did not come up until mid-April last year, when lowest night-time temperatures eventually last to stay above 5°C. 1999 was all different when temperatures had already reached a comparatively mild level and winter tried a last desperate and eventually hopeless comeback around mid-April. 1998 was the perfect template for 1999, when the last cold spell came around mid-April too and only 1997 saw another significant winter spell in May.