I don’t care what the weatherman says when it’s just hysteria | Martin Kettle

Thank you, forecasters, for warning us it is going to get very cold. But it’s not your job to tell us to wrap up warm

It is January. It is therefore not a total surprise that the weather across Britain is likely to be cold this week. This happens sometimes in winter, especially in the north and on hills. Temperatures fall. So, occasionally, does snow. But there is no need to panic. Most of us have lived here long enough to know how to cope with a cold snap. Some of us even enjoy winter. And the Britain of keeping calm and carrying on is a cliche that has impressed visitors from at least the time of Montesquieu. What was it they used to say? Britain can take it.

Unfortunately, no one has told Britain’s weather forecasters. Too often, weather bulletins these days are delivered amid something close to hysteria. The Met Office acts increasingly as though Britain is facing an invasion. There are far more weather warnings than terrorism warnings. The default setting is now melodrama, danger and sometimes even panic.

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