Well after a fairly mixed summer thus far perhaps we can now turn toward the end of the year for the season that draws the most interest from boards.ie users (and which provides the most emotional volatility): winter.

It's now been 7 years since the famous spell of late 2010, a world away from the consistently average-to-mild winters we've seen up until now. Since then there hasn't been a major cold spell lasting more than a day or two, with some parts of the country, particularly the east and south, having seen very little lying snowfall at all.
Will we strike gold this year? Are there any indications of major patterns in long range forecasts? Any hunches?