Synoptic Situation at 0600 30/12/1962          next day

High stretches from SE Greenland to Scandinavia, where a new centre, 1029mb,
has formed and is intensifying.  Low, 978mb, has moved NE to be 100 miles SW
of Cornwall at 0600.  Occluded front has moved NE through W parts of France
and is continuing to move NE.

Weather over the British Isles:

Frost persisted in all S areas of GB with light snow in S counties by day,
and heavier snow coming in from the SW into this area overnight, and
extending to the Midlands and S Wales, with blizzards in places.
Precipitation totals were: Hurn 13mm, Guernsey 30mm, Plymouth 3mm, Gatwick
16mm and St. Mawgan 30mm.  Places further N had a few snow showers but
accumulations were small.  An easterly air flow covered all places,
approaching gale force in the S overnight.

Maxima:  Gatwick 0C, Hurn 2C, Plymouth 1C, Cardiff 0C, Bristol -1C,
Birmingham -1C, Watnall -1C, Manchester 0C, Newcastle 3C, Dyce 0C, Glasgow
1C, Wick 3C, Lerwick 1C, Tiree 2C, Belfast 1C and Valentia 1C.

Minima:  Gatwick -3C, Guernsey 1C, Plymouth -1C, Birmingham -5C,
Cardiff -3C, Watnall -3C, Newcastle 0C, Manchester -1C, Glasgow -6C,
Eskdalemuir -7C, Wick -7C, Lerwick -2C, Tiree -2C, Belfast -4C and
Valentia -1C.

Weather over the rest of Europe:

A slack pressure gradient covered most areas away from France, and later
parts of W Germany.  Most places were cloudy except for much of Scandinavia.
Rain/snow moved NE across France during the period, followed by much milder
air

Maxima (1200 GMT):  Oslo -6C, Stockholm -3C, Helsinki  -10C, with as low
as -26 in central Norway.  Coastal Norway was -1 to -8C.  Murmansk -8C,
Moscow -12C, Minsk -10C, Warsaw -7C, Belgrade 1C, Zagreb -6C, Berlin -5C,
Prague -6C, Cologne -9C, Paris -3C, Brussels -5C, Brest -2C, Bordeaux 8C,
Madrid 8C, Nimes 10C and Venice 1C.

Minima (0600 GMT): Minsk -7C, Warsaw -9C, Belgrade 0C,  Berlin -7C,
Cologne -10C, Paris -4C, Brussels -4C, Brest 6C, Bordeaux 8C, Madrid 6C,
Nimes 8C and Venice 2C.  Oslo -5C, Stockholm -9C, Helsinki -17C and as low
as -25C in the far N.


Forecast:  Over Wales, the Midlands and S counties it will remain cloudy
with snow or rain at times.  Further N it will be clearer with snow showers.
Cold or very cold, but a partial thaw is likely in some S counties.


Some other 1200 GMT temperatures:

Jarjan (Sib) -44C, Chesterfield -31C, Goose -30C,  Gander -12C, New
York -2C, Washington -4C, Chicago -1C, Toronto -1C, Pensacola 17C, Dodge
City -4C, Calgary -20C, Regina -28C and Vancouver 8C.