This winter was one of ten mildest on record

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Experts say this is because of high pressure conditions over Scandinavia, which has acted as a "shield" over Europe.


As a whole, the UK has had the ninth mildest winter since records began in 1910.



Grahame Madge, a spokesman for the Met Office, said: "This winter has been quite unusual because of the pattern.



"To get a relatively mild, dry winter is climatically quite unusual."

He added: "That is basically because we had high pressure over Scandinavia this winter.





Looking ahead, Mr Madge said: "The fact that we had one set of conditions does not necessarily mean that those set of conditions will continue.

"Obviously we are able to produce forecasts for the next five to seven days.

"Beyond that, the picture is more chaotic.

"It's a little like a football game. Most times the favourite might win, but it doesn't always mean you can predict the outcome. You do frequently get surprises. It's the same with weather.

"You look for subtle cues. But just because your team is favourite to win, doesn't mean they will on the night."

Climate Scientist Dr Mark McCarthy from the National Climate Information Centre said: "This winter has been dry for most of the UK. What is unusual is the combination of mild and dry conditions, as these factors do not usually go hand in hand in a typical UK winter.
