Severe winter weather forced British Airways to cancel its flights to and from Bermuda to Gatwick yesterday.

Meanwhile, after several years of mild winters, Bermudians may be in for a more "typical winter," said Kimberly Zuill, of the Bermuda Weather Service.

According to Ms Zuill, mild winters in the past few years, a less than average occurrence of Hurricanes, changing weather patterns and El Nino may be setting Bermuda up for a cold winter season.

"The heat energy from the equator needs to get to the poles somehow, this is how the earth self-regulates temperature-wise, and thus if it does not do so in the form of hurricanes, then the potential for stronger winter gales and storms is higher," said Ms Zuill.

"We have been due for a more typical winter season for a while."

And according to Ms Zuill, while rainfall last month was below average, January is shaping up to be a wet one.

"Average rainfall for January is 5.3 inches," she said.

"As of the end of the climatological day January 12, we had 3.12 inches of rainfall whereas normally for January 12 we have averaged 2.05 inches.

"We are 1.07 inches above normal rainfall for this year so far to date."

The high winds, rain and cold have forced several flight cancellations recently and has kept Bermuda dark and wet for some time, Ms Zuill explained: "January, February, March and April are the months where Bermuda experiences winter gales and storms.

"The frequency of these systems is greater this year, and they started affecting us sooner, in December," said Ms Zuill. "Usually we'll see greater frequency in January through March. Once again, following mild winters and hurricane seasons I am not surprised that we are experiencing a colder, more active winter. "

And according to Ms Zuill, Bermuda can expect this weather to last for some time.

"We are in winter, so expect winter conditions," she said. "Normal winters for Bermuda have gales, winter storms and occasional bouts of grapple (small hail) and a couple of severe thunderstorms.

"Winter gales are the normal pattern for a Bermuda winter, with short breaks between them when high pressure, or high pressure ridges move over the area.

"Bermuda is sub-tropical, not tropical, and as such we experience tropical, sub-tropical and mid-latitude weather.

"The Bermuda-Azores high pressure centre remains in the eastern Atlantic and thus Bermuda is exposed to all the weather systems migrating across the US."