Jetstream goes berserk as January ends in wild weather

Be warned: the long run of calm, dry weather across Britain is about to end in some wild weather. High pressure has kept conditions fairly benign, apart from some bouts of frost and fog, and Scotland and Northern Ireland have been unusually dry for most of the month. But this is the lull before a major storm named Éowyn hits Britain on Friday and Saturday with strong winds, heavy rain and flurries of snow.

The change in weather comes after a brutal rush of cold air from the Arctic has swept across North America, leaving large parts of the US and Canada in sub-zero temperatures. That resulted in the fifth-coldest inauguration day in Washington history on Monday, and the ceremony had