In the bleak mid winter

In London during the early hours of yesterday it was 12.6C(55f) ridiculously warm for this time of year and four times the 30 year average. RAF Leeming, in North Yorkshire, recorded 11.5C(53f, the warmest January night since records began in 1945.

People were out in T shirts yesterday. Hibernating animals are refusing to sleep. Migrating birds are staying put. Gardens are in a state of confusion. Rhododendron flowers are still on plants because of the lack of frost. Oaks are still in leaf. Daffodils are already with us. Butterflies are about. Bees are looking for pollen. Frogspawn can be found. Local authorities have mountains of un-needed rock salt.

By contrast we have the following news item on the web:
Fierce storms are to batter Britain for the rest of the week, forecasters have warned. Freakish fluctuations in weather will start with a frost tonight, before high winds and heavy rains rip across the UK, reports claim. Gusts hitting 70mph are predicted and there is an increased risk of flooding.
The forecast comes as Britain recovers from some of the wildest New Year storms for years.
Celebrations in Edinburgh, Newcastle upon Tyne, Glasgow, Belfast and Liverpool were abandoned amid gales and downpours.
The high winds and torrential rain are expected to continue until the end of the weekend, hitting the South West, Wales and the Midlands.
The Met Office told the Daily Express: "The area of high pressure moving through on Wednesday will mean cold, clear spells and we can expect frost overnight.
"Then heavy rain and strong winds will quickly spread back in from the West. It will be very windy."
At the same time, it is so mild that daffodils have been blooming months ahead of season and leaves are staying on trees for far longer than is usual.
Parts of the country have hit record temperatures for this time of year.

What's going on?