For the last couple of days, Scotland has been living up to its status as a hard and biting land with some areas having seen six inches of snowfall (which thanks to the winds up there has been drifting) and causing traffic problems (as seen here)
However, for Scotland, this is an annual occurance and of no great consequence to the rest of the United Kingdom, starting today however it will become of consequence to the United Kingdom as this chart demonstrates:
The second “Beast from the East” in three years has started today and will see the whole of the United Kingdom experience below freezing windchills with the eastern coast experencing windchills as low as -10°C (14°F) and if you are unlucky enough to live in the mountains (where any precipation will fall as snow and settle) windchills could range from -14°C (7°F) to -18°C (0°F) and there is even a suggestion that here in coastal Western Wales we could get an inch of lying snow (and that’s after the protection of the Cambrians)
So in the next few days do not be suprised if you see headlines like these from this side of the pond on your evening news broadcasts and remember the only reason is that London and the South East is having to experience what Scotland experiences every winter