IF you dread waking up in the morning to de-ice your windscreen, did you know it could be because Wanstead has its own microclimate?

Scott Whitehead, who lives in Aldersbrook, has been keeping track of Wanstead’s weather patterns and thinks the town has a different climate to surrounding areas.

As a result, Wansteadians might have to put in a bit more elbow grease to get their vehicles going on colder mornings.

In a microclimate, conditions are particularly different to those of the surrounding area. Within that area, there could be little pockets of weather that are either colder or hotter than the general climate. They make forecasts very hard to get right.

Mr Whitehead, who lives on the Aldersbrook Estate where the surrounding land is higher than neighbouring areas, said the microclimate is a product of the location and its surroundings.

He said: “I happened upon microclimates by mistake. I was looking at temperatures across London and noticed it was warmer on some days than others and colder in the winter.

“There is probably more frost in Wanstead and people might have to scrape their cars more than if there in Leytonstone or Ilford. Their heating costs might also be more. It could be frosty in Wanstead but two degrees more in Leytonstone.

“The microclimate is most noticeable when the weather is calm. We get colder air coming down hill on a calm night. Aldersbrook is in the middle of a green island. Sometimes it can get hotter in summer and colder in winter.”

Mr Whitehead, a journalist by trade, is an amateur meteorologist. He has tweeted and blogged about Wanstead’s climate since 2013.

His interest in recording weather data is encouraged by the positive response he receives from fellow enthusiasts.

Mr Whitehead said: “I have been a meteorologist ever since I can remember. It has always been something that’s interested me. It’s a hobby – I do a lot of background reading and try to keep up with the developments on things like climate change.

“Ever since I started tweeting about this I have been surprised by the amount of interest in Wanstead’s climate. There are other people out there who find the stuff fascinating, which spurs me on.

“As the technology has gotten cheaper it’s easier to have your own weather station in the back garden and collect accurate statistics.”

According to BBC Weather, tomorrow will be sunny from 9am to 10am, cloudy with sunny spells until 8pm, when it is due to rain.

But just over the North Circular in Enfield, it's due to be sunny until around 2pm, rain from 3pm until 4pm and be cloudy for the rest of the day, with rain from 11pm. It's much the same in neighbouring Barnet. 

The Guardian has approached The Met Office for comment.