Weather Services International Expects Mildest European Winter since 2007-08
Coldest Winter Temperatures Expected across France and Iberia


Andover, MA, November 21, 2011 — WSI (Weather Services International) expects temperatures for the upcoming period (December-February) to average lower than normal across France and Iberia with above-normal temperatures common elsewhere, most notably across the Nordic region.

“So far, November has clearly been quite mild across most of Europe. While no immediate change to this pattern is expected, we do foresee a trend towards colder temperatures across western Europe and the UK in December,” said WSI Chief Meteorologist Dr. Todd Crawford. “The winter pattern will be dominated by the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). During the last couple of years, a strong negative phase of the NAO has been dominant, which has resulted in very cold winters. It does not appear that this extreme negative NAO phase will occur again this winter, which, we think, will result in a much warmer winter. We still feel that there will be enough spells of negative NAO to result in a slightly colder-than-normal winter across parts of France and Iberia. However, we have warmed our forecast temperatures in most western European locations for both December and January due to a continued lack of any sign of a sustained or strong negative NAO pattern. We expect the mildest winter in Europe since the 2007-08 winter.”

In December, WSI sees the monthly breakdown as:
Nordic Region* – Warmer than normal
UK * – Colder than normal
Northern Mainland* – Warmer than normal, except France
Southern Mainland * – Warmer than normal, except Iberia

In January, WSI forecasts:
Nordic Region – Warmer than normal
UK – Warmer than normal
Northern Mainland – Warmer than normal, except eastern sections
Southern Mainland – Colder than normal, except Iberia

In February, WSI forecasts:
Nordic Region – Warmer than normal
UK – Warmer than normal
Northern Mainland – Warmer than normal, except southern France
Southern Mainland – Warmer than normal, except Iberia

WSI, providing customized weather information to energy traders, will issue its next seasonal outlook on 19 December.