Britain is unlikely to enjoy favourable winter weather as Russia’s gas cuts usher in an expensive heating season, forecasters said on Monday.
The prediction comes despite an unusually warm October that has eased energy costs in parts of Europe.
Austria and Switzerland on Monday reported their hottest October on record, after Germany’s gas use plunged during a warm spell.
But the weather in the months to come will determine how bad the crisis gets, whether power cuts become necessary, and how much Europe's gas stocks are depleted by the spring.
The weather in Ukraine is also being closely watched for signs of how snow, mud and ice will affect Russian President Vladimir Putin’s troops.
The impact of Russia’s energy games on the rest of Europe will depend not just on the heat but the wind, which can produce more than half the UK’s electricity on a gusty day.
However, a three-month forecast released by the Met Office on Monday said neither the temperature nor the wind is likely to play in Britain’s favour.
The chance of an unusually cold season is 30 per cent higher than normal, whereas a mild winter is less likely than usual.
Meanwhile, a windy season is 50 per cent less likely than usual, with November and December expected to be unusually calm.
“For the whole country, the likelihood of impacts from strong winds is decreased as compared to typical risks for the season,” the Met Office said.
“With chances of a cold season being greater than a mild one, impacts from wintry weather are more likely than seen in recent years.”
Unlike many European countries, Britain has held back from urging its citizens to save energy this winter.
Energy bills are rising by about 27 per cent under a guaranteed price scheme that expires in April.
In Germany, where ministers are stepping in with up to €200 billion ($199bn) of subsidies, an energy-saving drive has paid off in a warm autumn.
Household gas use was down by 40 per cent in the most recent weekly figures, exceeding a Europe-wide target of 15 per cent.
It came as German temperatures were 2.5ºC higher than normal in the third week of October.
Switzerland said on Monday that its October weather was the warmest in 158 years of records and 3.7ºC above the average from 1991 to 2020.
The Alpine city of Chur recorded a temperature of 25.4ºC on Sunday, while many places in Britain reached 20ºC or more at the weekend.
In Austria, the mountain weather was the warmest since records began in 1853, while the lowlands had their hottest October since 1795.
Parts of southern Spain saw 35ºC weather this month, and France was 4ºC above average for nine straight days.
The warm spell was credited with reducing European gas prices from their summer peak.
A spokesman for Austrian company Energie Steiermark told broadcasters that energy costs were down an estimated 50 per cent in October.
Storage tanks being filled earlier than expected — with Germany’s already at 98 per cent of capacity — has also calmed markets.
Environmentalists have been quick to say that a warm October is nothing to celebrate because it reflects a warming planet.
The Met Office said its predictions were affected by climate change reducing the likelihood of a very cold winter.
Nonetheless, when one member of the European Parliament described the autumn heat as typically spooky for the month, Klaus Mueller, the head of Germany’s power grid regulator said: “But it helps to save energy.”
Challenged on how this squared with Germany’s climate goals, he said: “Just saying the truth.”
New schools in Dubai
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The biog
Alwyn Stephen says much of his success is a result of taking an educated chance on business decisions.
His advice to anyone starting out in business is to have no fear as life is about taking on challenges.
“If you have the ambition and dream of something, follow that dream, be positive, determined and set goals.
"Nothing and no-one can stop you from succeeding with the right work application, and a little bit of luck along the way.”
Mr Stephen sells his luxury fragrances at selected perfumeries around the UAE, including the House of Niche Boutique in Al Seef.
He relaxes by spending time with his family at home, and enjoying his wife’s India cooking.
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The specs: 2019 Cadillac XT4
Price, base: Dh145,000
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged in-line four-cylinder engine
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 237hp @ 5,000rpm
Torque: 350Nm @ 1,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.7L / 100km
The%20specs
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Company profile
Company: Rent Your Wardrobe
Date started: May 2021
Founder: Mamta Arora
Based: Dubai
Sector: Clothes rental subscription
Stage: Bootstrapped, self-funded
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
CRICKET%20WORLD%20CUP%20QUALIFIER%2C%20ZIMBABWE%20
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The bio
Academics: Phd in strategic management in University of Wales
Number one caps: His best-seller caps are in shades of grey, blue, black and yellow
Reading: Is immersed in books on colours to understand more about the usage of different shades
Sport: Started playing polo two years ago. Helps him relax, plus he enjoys the speed and focus
Cars: Loves exotic cars and currently drives a Bentley Bentayga
Holiday: Favourite travel destinations are London and St Tropez
Squad
Ali Kasheif, Salim Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdulrahman, Mohammed Al Attas, Abdullah Ramadan, Zayed Al Ameri (Al Jazira), Mohammed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammed Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Essa, Mohammed Shaker, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah) Walid Abbas, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli), Tariq Ahmed, Jasim Yaqoub (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Muharami (Baniyas)
History's medical milestones
1799 - First small pox vaccine administered
1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery
1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases
1895 - Discovery of x-rays
1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time
1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin
1953 - Structure of DNA discovered
1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place
1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill
1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.
1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Married Malala
Malala Yousafzai is enjoying married life, her father said.
The 24-year-old married Pakistan cricket executive Asser Malik last year in a small ceremony in the UK.
Ziauddin Yousafzai told The National his daughter was ‘very happy’ with her husband.
The National in Davos
We are bringing you the inside story from the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, a gathering of hundreds of world leaders, top executives and billionaires.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
How it works
1) The liquid nanoclay is a mixture of water and clay that aims to convert desert land to fertile ground
2) Instead of water draining straight through the sand, it apparently helps the soil retain water
3) One application is said to last five years
4) The cost of treatment per hectare (2.4 acres) of desert varies from $7,000 to $10,000 per hectare
