The blast of foul autumn weather we were treated to this weekend came as a shock. Perhaps we had been spoilt by the run of warm, calm and sunny weather that felt like the promised barbecue summer had finally arrived and might see out the rest of the year.

Alas, no such luck. Yesterday brought a full-blown gale, sending the leaves flying off the trees and lashings of rain. Gone are the extraordinary balmy days of October, which almost hit 20C (68F). Gone, too, is the long dry spell — the driest combined September and October for 53 years — that was the nearest thing to a barbecue autumn anyone could have wished for.

Now Britain is facing the fury of the Atlantic. Yesterday’s storm was just a taste of the wet and windy depressions expected for the rest of this week and possibly longer, with only brief interludes of sunshine. The surface waters of the Atlantic are unusually warm, which will help to fuel vigorous depressions. And those warm seas will also keep the westerly winds at temperatures around average for the time of year, although it will feel pretty cool after such a warm October.

November is usually a wet month. This one looks like it could be wetter than usual.

Does this week’s weather hold any signs for the months ahead?

“Ice in November to bear a duck, The rest of the winter will be slush and muck” goes a folklore saying, meaning that if we get a cold November the coming winter will be mild and wet, although the record books show the ducks are unreliable.

The Met Office has been predicting a milder winter than last year. There is always a chance of things turning cold, but long-range forecasters believe that unusually warm waters in the Atlantic should herald a reasonable winter — with the inevitable cold snaps, of course, to catch everyone by surprise.