Well, I know little about weather forecasting, but to me it looks like it is stalling over the west country. Leading edge of the rain/snow has taken 6 hours to get from Lands End to Taunton(ish). If it moves at a similar rate overnight, by the time it gets to London/Midlands it will be warm enough for it to fall as rain since it will be mid morning (ish).
Of course I could be totally wrong, but have a look and have a guess (forecast) for yourselves.
www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/radar/
I sometimes wonder whether that "no hurricane" forecast in 1987 by Michael Fish has lead to all weather forecasts being greatly exaggerated. Case in point was last snowfall which apparently led to few teachers being able to get to schools in Tonbridge area so they were closed. BBC showed happy pupils tobogganning on grass to illustrate the huge snowfall in the area along with motorways with the occasional sprinkle of the white stuff
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Phil
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"Of course I could be totally wrong"
And I am sure that you won't hesitate in telling me so when I am proved wrong!
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Phil
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Looks like Herts and NW Essex is catching a bit right now. M25 by S Mimms M 11 should be fun - ISTR the M11 getting caught out a few years back?
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Nope, no chaos for me at all. My 30 mile commute from near the M1 to near Birmingham airport.
Took me the usual 35 minutes and I got to work for 7.
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Very little here in Bath area. Bit slippery getting out of the village as the road is a hill but once on the level and on the main road no problem at all. Roads just wet. Bit disappointing though, I was hoping to get my toboggan out. Quite funny to see the cats go out, the kitten hasn't seen snow before.
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I sometimes wonder whether that "no hurricane" forecast in 1987 by Michael Fish has lead to all weather forecasts being greatly exaggerated.
That was 20 years ago. Weather forecasting technology has advanced considerably since then.
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L\'escargot.
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Had a very disappointing half inch of snow when I left Nottingham this morning. Here at work in Chesterfield though theres 1.5 inches in our office car park and snowing quite heavy, but the main roads are slushy. Bring it on! I love the stuff.
Bit concerned about my girlfriend in her MX-5, and wish I'd bought a bag of gravel to put in her boot. Knowing Nottingham though it will be raining before lunch time.
;o)
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Terry Wogan has just read out a message from a listener who stated he had got up ready dressed, grabbed a sandwich and a drink and arrived at work just in time.
He then switched on his computer to send the message to Terry.
The listener also added that there are real benefits in working from home...:-)
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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Minimal snow in N Staffs. Does not stop the Crewe-Stoke railway line being closed and passengers being bussed.
Green policy? Integrated Transport Policy?
No chance....
madf
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Notice no postings from anyone in the south-east yet today?! I hear there's been 2 huge inches...!
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North London.......approx 2.5 - 3 inches. Side roads treacherous, main roads not coping very well..... but ..... amazingly........most people don't seem to be driving........roads fairly empty......snow coming down like a good one though, so worse to come.
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.......most people don't seem to be driving......
because most schools (all these are state schools) are closed, the school run is not happening today. my neighbours children go to primary and secondary schools just off the main roads ( a bit slushy but open) here in surrey and their schools are shut - the chilren are out playing in the snow.
however indepepndent schools are open and some parents (like myself) had to get up at 6 in the morning to clear 3 inches of snow from the car, and drive through untreated roads to get to a school 15 miles away located miles away from main roads. the school was open at 7 am (as confirmed on its web site) and all the teachers have got in and most pupils have got there too. motivation, that is what people need to get around the exortation by the authorities who continually advise "do not travel unless your journey is absolutely necessary" !
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"> motivation<"
I concur, these state types need a good kick up the rear end, they really should buck their ideas up.
And as for those poor children who will have to spend the day playing in the snow, it will be awful for them. They should be stuck in classrooms, and possibly thrashed should the need arise.
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micky :
gotcha. hook,line,sinker.
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">gotcha. hook,line,sinker.<"
In what way? I'm merely supporting the God-given righteousness of the independent school system and all who sail in her, your epic account of tackling the snow-ridden roads of wherever-it-is should be preserved in the annals of posteriority.
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Notice no postings from anyone in the south-east yet today?! I hear there's been 2 huge inches...!
No probs for me. Took the usual 20 mins to do my 6 mile commute to work. Also gave the ESP a testing a couple of times - whoops!
ps, 4 to 5 inches of snow in places.
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Madf, I work in Crewe (or thereabouts) and there is indeed minimal snow... in my experience the weather is usually worse, or rather has more effect, in Stoke as Stoke has hills and Cheshire doesn't.... but even allowing for that, I cannot believe they've closed the railway!
How would we cope if we had New England weather here in Olde England? Why are we so pathetic? And why are we surprised EVERY year? In fact, never mind New England, how about Central Europe? They don't grind to a halt every year. I've worked at the Geneva show many times, and it's just considered normal to snow. Or rain. Or be windy. Or not. They cope whatever. Why are we so hopeless? : (
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Foul weather in Warsaw today, awful horizontal ice/snow driven by a cold wind that really hurts when it hits the face.
Nothing gritted again of course.
I hit the brakes every now and again (if it's clear behind) just to see how much grip I've got. Then you're not caught out as you approach a queue of traffic. Every road is different, combinations of packed snow, fresh snow and ice all make huge differences. I'm usually surprised either by the amazing level of grip available or the total lack of it.
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i'm going to stick up for Blighty a little bit........our tyres are carp for driving in snow and because we don't get that much in reality we don't change over to winter tyres.........hence a little bit of snow causes chaos
but then back to reality
in the last 20 mins i've seen the following
- total doom brain overtook two cars through all the slush on the main road, because they were sticking to about 15 mph (which is more than reasonable in my opinion), his snaking acceleration gave no confidence at all
- Merc coupe just done a lovely little 180 as she drove into the entrance to an industrial estate to turn around
- on way to paper shop helped to push a Corsa van out of a parking space cos the local plumber couldn't get it out
- industrial esate now has two chaps in reflective jackets stopping traffic on the main road to allow traffic out of the estate as they need a 'run' to get out
and now SWMBO informs me no satellite signal on Sky........Good God does that mean i'll have to talk to her now
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I presume you've got the winter tyres on ? If not, then...
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Free enterprise is the basis of western economy.
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They cope whatever. Why are we so hopeless? : (
Because too many people in this country think the roads should be altered to suit their driving not the other way round. If they skid off the road at a corner was it because they were going too fast, or braking too heavily, no it's because the council didn't grit the road.
The mentality of some people probably means they expect the council to vacuum up fog so they don't have to slow down.
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That's a fantastic idea. I wish I'd thought of it!
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Drove to Oakham station to catch train to Birmingham. Drive OK but when I went to buy my ticket I was warned that there was no guarantee of a return trip so I chickened out, despite having a £25 non-refundable theatre ticket. Drive back home was OK but not as easy as an hour earlier. With Birmingham schools shut is seems like a good decision - I hope!
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Nothing here, other than heavy overnight rain. Kids very unhappy.
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">Weather forecasting technology has advanced considerably since then.<"
But the accuracy hasn't. For the UK, the forecast is usually 66% accurate, The statement "we will have the same weather tomorrow as we had today" is 66% accurate.
Compare and contrast UKweather and the BBC website, they cannot both correct, and they frequently aren't.
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That was 20 years ago. Weather forecasting technology has advanced considerably since then. -- L\'escargot.
The point is (was) that Michael Fish got it TOTALLY wrong - other forecasters got it right!
He said that they (the other forecasters) were wrong.
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The point is (was) that Michael Fish got it TOTALLY wrong - other forecasters got it right!
We don't get hurricanes in this country. He predicted high winds that turned out to be severe gales, yes, but we didn't see a hurricane.
--------------
Mike Farrow
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Well there was about 1" of snow this morning, but I think we are on the very edge of where it started, no snow in southampton and I am about 2 miles to the north so we got a light covering - just enough for me and my daughter to have a snow ball fight - but it is bright sunshine outside now and the snow has all but gone ;.o( Suppose I had better get back to doing some work.
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Rural NW Oxfordshire here, between 6-8inches of powdery snow, B roads are still only just passable with care, lorries still cant make it up the hills (no ploughs or gritting). All local schools closed and just spent the last two hours sliding down snowy hills with my daughter. Much more fun than the usual commute!
Will spend the rest of the day working from home and joining in a telecon meeting.
The car will stay nice and safe under the big pile of snow on the driveway.
StarGazer
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Around 3" of sticky snow here in NE Derbyshire. Chickened out of going to Buxton and brought some work home.
Main roads seem to be OK and side roads interesting.
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I wasna fu but just had plenty.
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Perhaps 3-4 inches here in souh Northants. Decided on a work at home day rather than chance 6am drive and train to London. Council had gritted all the roads it says it will. At 10:00 village lanes still heavy slush, former A45 between M1/J16 and ring road wet with occasional slush piles. Much improved by 11:30 but snow falling in lumps again now. Peugeot 406 nose down in ditch between here and next village, another who expected road to adapt?
SWMBO rung by head at 06:50 to say no teachers needed today - school closed, ditto kids comp at other end of village. Not an issue of state sector=lack of motivation; teachers could have got in if they had to. Senior schools here are 1500 place rural comprehensives with 80% of kids bussed in, bus companies not willing to take chances and heads not wanting a school full of stranded kids if they do get in.
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">SWMBO rung by head<"
I say, that's a bit harsh isn't it!
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This would be farcical if it was not so pathetic. I was brought up in NE Scotland where schools closed when drifting snow (>50cm) stopped the gritters.. otherwise it was school as usual. I walked 3 miles every day to/from school often in 12cms of snow along virgin pavements.
Progress!
PS If the snow was in N England or Scotland it would not be news. Only the crowded roads and incompetence of Southern Councils make it a guarantee of chaos...and thus headline news. Civilisation stops north of Watford.. (missing out many areas I know:-))
madf
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When I was at school in Derbyshire in the '80's, we occasionally used to get the day off because the schools' boiler used to pack up. (Quite why it failed when some snow fell is not clear.)
I heard a small snippet of local radio in Nottingham this morning, and it said that one of the schools would be closed today, "just as a precaution".
I have had it confirmed by text from my g.f. that in Nottingham the snow did indeed turn to rain at around lunch time.
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Just spoken to daughter who is supply teaching in north London - school open today but due to 'staff travel difficulties' it will close tomorrow! No pay for her then - and looking at the webcam in Kentish Town there is no snow!
I remember in the 70's the junior teachers rushing into school early (Stockwell/Brixton borders) as the head had suggested the first few teachers in were to decide whether the school would open - the anticipated power meant we were all there!! lol Pupils still turned up in ankle socks and no coats as per usual.
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This would be farcical if it was not so pathetic. I was brought up in NE Scotland where schools closed when drifting snow (>50cm) stopped the gritters.. otherwise it was school as usual. I walked 3 miles every day to/from school often in 12cms of snow along virgin pavements. Progress! PS If the snow was in N England or Scotland it would not be news. Only the crowded roads and incompetence of Southern Councils make it a guarantee of chaos...and thus headline news. Civilisation stops north of Watford.. (missing out many areas I know:-)) madf
I agree with you entirely and I'm from Surrey. It's pathetic.
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What about the chaos tomorrow (Friday) morning, with the freezing fog forecast?
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freezing fog forecast?
At least the futile fog light brigade will have a reason to use them, unlike today when a lot of numpties thought they were snow lights.
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> It's pathetic.
I disagree. Days like today (in southern and central England anyway) seldom occur more than once or twice a winter, and that's hardly sufficient to justify all the resources that would be needed to keep everything open as usual when it snows. It would have to be paid for, of course, and you'd soon hear the bellyaching about 'snowploughs that do nothing for 360 days a year'. When this happens, a few people grumble and a lot more enjoy a slack day or even a free day off. No real harm done, given that most of us work too much anyway, and there's now a seven-foot-tall snowman in my back garden that wouldn't have happened if the schools had been open.
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