BBC Weather: Amber warning issued as Britain bombarded with heavy snow and sleet

UK snow mapped: Amber warnings as snow brings ‘Beast from the East’ to UK

London snow forecast: Capital braces for snow as up to 20 INCHES to fall across UK – map

Three headlines from recent on line editions of the Daily Express, designed to appeal to its declining elderly readership, or perhaps literally scare them to death. As I was not born yesterday, I decided to consult the Met Office website and found a rather different story. To paraphrase, it goes like this:

• For the next week or so, it’s going to be colder than usual in the north
• In the south, it’s going to be warmer than usual
• But it could always get cold
• Beyond five days, forecasting is little more than guesswork
• Er…
• That’s it

Not quite, I’m sure you will agree, a ‘bombardment (of) heavy snow and sleet, but I suppose it gives us something to talk about with the supermarket assistant when we are carrying out our essential shopping. (“Yes, I cannot survive without a bottle of single malt.”)

What I don’t understand is why newspapers set out with the deliberate intention of scaring people. It is entirely possible we could have a cold snap, accompanied by some snow, for the simple reason that it’s winter. I mean, the weather looks the same no matter what the season but in January it’s the cold version. Yet the red tops – it is not just the failing Express which does this – act as if winter weather in winter is somehow a surprise.

Surely, we should know that in England in particular, we ‘enjoy’ what is known as a maritime climate, which basically means we don’t get many extremes and it pisses down with rain for much of the year? (I think this is an accurate scientific description of our weather.)

We are more likely to get more extreme weather events because of climate change and it’s entirely possible we might get them pretty well anytime. Peering through the Bristol gloom this morning, it just looks like another day to me. No amber warning needed yet.