Freezing winter predicted

Leading winter maintenance company, Ice Watch has taken delivery of more than 3,000 tonnes of salt in preparation for the upcoming season. The reason? Because Ice Watch is predicting its “busiest season yet”, weather which could benefit those selling seasonal tyres.

Apparently the only gritting, snow clearance company that employs a full-time in-house meteorologist Ice Watch is predicting a cold one – a conclusion reached based on data from weather forecasting partner MeteoGroup, which supply forecasts to the BBC and hundreds of government agencies worldwide.

Ice Watch meteorologist, Timo Strom commented: “When you look at winters that follow similar summers to 2020, there’s an increased chance of higher pressure over the Arctic bringing cooler Arctic air. This would bring cold weather to the UK and businesses need to be prepared.

“We are heading into a negative phase of ENSO (El Niño–Southern Oscillation) called La Niña. During November and December, the Met Office says La Niña can lead to an increase in northerly/north-westerly winds which would bring colder conditions to Northern England and Scotland, and the increased chance of snow, sleet and ice.”

In previous years, cold winters have supported winter tyre sales, but this is by no means a certain correlation. And since the last run of winters cold enough to support winter tyre sales, large tyremakers have shifted strategy in favour of year-round tyres.