The weather so far this autumn/winter has been relatively benign. Yes it has been windy some days (in a windy year overall) but not atypical for a British autumn/winter at all. Rainfall over the area covered by Steve has been well within average amounts, and quite dry in the east. Temperatures have been several degrees above average, in fact this is the most remarkable statistic, today it reached 15C, that's way above the seasonal norm. I've only recorded 3 air frosts at my weather station in south Oxfordshire, all of them in late November. The night time minima have been remarkable too, 12.7C last night, that's insane for mid-December. The lowest daily maximum temperature so far has been 5.9C.
Couldn't really ask for much more that that, so I don't think weather can be blamed, it couldn't really have been much better!!