Winter set to blast in early

Here we go folks - it's the first severe weather warning story of the winter, on the front page of tomorrow's Daily Express.

When I saw it, I wondered if it was a spoof splash - a story one of the nationals might lead on for its first editions, available late tonight in London, so as not to give away a much better story and give its rivals time to nick it.

When you check it through, the story's slightly flaky. Yes, it's getting colder <MEMO sub editors, it's autumn...>. Current forecasts also say it's going to rain quite a bit. In fact, the Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for eastern England for Sunday into Monday.

But the Met Office also says "there remains a large amount of uncertainy at present in the detail..."

And far from the predicted icy blast, we're looking at a westerly gale on Monday. It'll be a bit lumpy on the rivers, but if the predicted downpour materialises, it might colour them up a bit and kick start the pike fishing in the Fens by the middle of the week