As we head towards winter we will be using this forecast chart more and more.

It shows the next 42-days expected weather regime from the ECMWF long range model.

The regimes are shown across the top of the chart.

It is interesting to note that there is a battle between purple (Atlantic ridge) and blue (positive NAO) for supremacy.

It does seem that a western flow (positive NAO) does wind through across the Atlantic, but that this is mixed in with an Atlantic ridge.

That means that pressure is probably higher than average over the southern UK (hence drier) but still with the westerly flow tending to bring in fronts which are probably giving most of any rain to western Scotland.

One to be watching!