Some of you may have noticed that November is starting to prove noticeably colder in the UK than months such as July and August.
Meteorologist are attributing this change to the fact that winter is pretty much upon us.
And not only does winter signal the onset of fewer hours of sunlight and falling temperatures, it also signals the arrival of the Daily Express's annual predictions of 'snowpocalypse'.
Today The Express warned us of a record breaking cold spell, adding that the worst of this 'big freeze' may occur during "the December to January period".
Or "winter", to give it its proper name.
Each year these headlines limp into view around the same time the supermarkets are dusting off their CD of Christmas music and with a similar degree of tired inevitability. However, at least when Noddy Holder screams 'It's Christmas!' it definitely will be, at least for one day.
Because at this point it's worth remembering some outstanding work done by Scott Bryan earlier this year which revealed the extent to which The Express's scare stories about the weather are so consistently wide of the mark.
For example, last year The Express ran its annual "BIG FREEZE WILL KILL THOUSANDS" headline as early as 20 October and ushered in the second warmest November in over 100 years according to the Met Office. Its guarantee of a snowbound Christmas became, in reality, "generally cloudy, breezy and one of the mildest on record, with 14°c and no snow reported anywhere."
And its 27 January prediction of "BIG FREEZE TO LAST A MONTH" was a precursor to The Met Office declaring "a significant number of stations recorded their highest February temperature on record".
So maybe take the Express's predictions with a pinch of salt. But save some for gritting your front path, because it is winter.
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