UK weather: This winter has been one of the warmest but wettest on record, thanks to Storms Desmond, Eva and Frank
Anybody wanting to flaunt an expensive winter coat or chunky jumper this winter has been out of luck, because it's shaping up to be one of the warmest on record.
According the early statistics from the Met Office, the average temperature in the UK this winter was 5.6c, making it the third warmest year since 1910 and practically tropical compared with the long-term average for the season of 3.7c.
Perhaps what you should instead have been investing in is a sturdy umbrella and some wellies. Early figures peg this winter's total rainfall at 515mm, placing it well above the long-term average of 330.4mm and making one of only two years on record with rainfall above 500mm.
The winter rainfall figure was somewhat boosted by the winter storms, including Desmond, Eva and Frank, which badly affected northern parts of the UK late last year.
The only year to be rainier so far was the winter of 2013/14, where a total of 545mm of rain fell.
What you definitely shouldn't have spent money on this season is a pair of sunglasses. Thanks to the increase of rainclouds in the skies, this winter has also been much duller than average, with far fewer hours of sunshine.