Widespread frosts and ice, snow showers, sub zero temperatures and winds direct from the arctic aren't things normally associated with mid Autumn, but this week they're all going to be mentioned within weather forecasts for the UK.

Is this the shape of things to come for the rest of Autumn and into Winter though? Forecasters at Netweather.tv think it may be, as they expect a November with temperatures to be close to or below the average with the start of Winter following a similar vein.

Paul Michaelwaite of Netweather.tv comments:
"It's not unheard of to have a cold spell in October, but it is quite rare to see such a large amount of cold air toppling south across the UK at this time of year. We don't expect it to stay cold all the way through the remainder of Autumn but with temperatures likely to be close to the norm or perhaps slightly below, cold shots are never likely to be too far away."
Following on from a very successful Summer forecast, Netweather.tv have also been close to the mark with their long range Autumn forecast so far and have now put together their initial full winter outlook, which is summarised below:

- A cool start to winter is expected with a moderate risk of temperatures in December being below average. - Temperatures closer to average in January - Late winter likely to be milder - Rainfall close to or just below average across the season.

Paul Michaelwaite adds, "In recent years the start of winter has generally been mild, so with a change likely this year it's going to provide a shock to the system, white Christmas anyone?!"