Better Winter for the United Kingdom: AccuWeather.com 2011-2012 Winter Forecast

Oct 28, 2011; 1:17 AM ET

Good news for residents of the U.K. worried about the coming winter weather. “This year’s winter is not going to be nearly as cold or snowy as last year,” AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Alan Reppert said.

Still, it’s time to pull out your scarves and winter coats. Reppert is forecasting that the coldest air of the season will blow into the United Kingdom in November and early December. By mid-December, Londoners will get a break from the cold that they experienced last year. In December 2010, London temperatures were 4.2 degrees C (7.5 degrees F) below normal. This year, temperatures will hover around normal, around 5.6 degrees C (42 degrees F).

In addition to the early bitter cold, higher elevations in England and Scotland will have above-normal snowfall in the beginning of the season. Unlike last year, there won’t be snowfall in southern parts of Wales and England. In London, Reppert expects that precipitation totals will be close to normal. On average, the city gets around 140 mm (5.5 inches) of precipitation during winter.

Later in the season, a persistent high pressure will build over the region. High pressure systems typically push in dry and warmer air that brings in good weather. Temperatures will be above average. The end of winter will be dry. Not much snow will fall on the islands in January and February, even in the mountains.

By Grace Muller, AccuWeather.com staff writer