Well I have just heard on the local news here that Snow is on the way, some falling already in "some areas".
As usual we are getting the "make sure you have shovels etc" in the car, just waiting for the "only make your journey if necessary" quote that always follows.
Now as I write this I am looking out of my office over the River Clyde, sky is blue, its cold but no sign of snow and most likely sun will come out.
Why do we go into panic mode at the mere thought of the possibility of perhaps maybe a touch of sleet or snow falling?
And whats the bet (he said in a Michael Fish type prediction) that no snow actually falls!
2007 Seat Altea XL 2.0 TDI Stylance
2005 Skoda Fabia vrS
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Earlier, in my youth, I used to travel regularly between London and Aberdeenshire, stopping off in Birmingham and passing Manchester & Glasgow on the way - there's a very marked variation in preparation/panic the further south you go.
In Aberdeenshire, they know they're cut off as the bus doesn't get through, they don't try going home just spend all night in a hotel bar and walk to work in the morning.
Glasgow seems to just take it in it's stride.
Manchester slows down, everyone moans, but they survive.
Birmingham shuts down, everyone leaves work early at the first snowflake which gridlocks the roads until next morning making people later than if they'd left at normal time.
London - everything stops usually because it's the "wrong sort" of snow.
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over here on the higher ground of Fife/Tayside there was snow falling when I let the cat out at first light. Took snowballs upstairs to wake the kids with! Had to clear a good inch or so of the car before setting off.
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Nawt here, nawt in Wales where I may be setting off either today or tomorrow depending on work and ironing.
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There's snow flurries out of my window here high up in the Pennines. Doesn't look too worrying though - it's not really lying as yet - in five years here there's only been once where it's been very tricky for driving. Is it me or are our winters getting milder? I'm sure I recall five foot snow drifts when I was a kid.
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Inch and a half of snow in the back garden here in East Yorks. Been like than since around 0900.
Bright sunny day at the moment and it's slowly melting off the conservatory roof. Village roads are compressed and slipper snow but traffic has cleared the main road through the village.
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A dusting on the Mendips this am though not yet deep and crisp and even.
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It seems the BBC news 24 team will be out pointing their cameras at themselves (after the news intro of pointing the cameras at themselves) with a backdrop of a little snow on a road.
While some poor foreign places go to hades in a handcart, with hundreds dead and mass murder on the streets, London (Does anywhere else exist?) would seem to be well covered with cold gesticulating bods reporting in due to `snow flakes falling on the roads`
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No snow but a cold wind here in upper Ribblesdale. Two of my friends have just left to go and price up a job in Swaledale....if they dont make it back over the Buttertubs they may get stuck in the Farmers at Muker. Shame..............
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No sign of snow, down here inside the Southwestern sector of the M25; but hey! Why not have a good panic anyway? We have worked all year for it!
I believe the fundamental problem is that the further South one goes, the less snow there is, therefore the need to invest in equipment and training reduces.
You mark my words (he said drawing himself to his full height of four foot eleven inches and grasping the lapels of his double-breasted suit jacket) if there is any snow at Heathrow, British Airways will be the worst affected airline. They couldn't organize a drinks party in a wine bar.
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"ironing"
That's the second reference to ironing you've made. Have you really spent the whole of the festive season ironing creases into your slacks?
Anyway, for the past week there's been a fresh nightly sprinkling of snow where I live which worryingly shows up how frequently intruders are coming into my garden during the night and sniffing around my patio doors.
Most of the roads are clear, not that a few inches of snow would slow the Poles down. I think it's going to be a cold winter though, it was minus 11 at 8 oclock this morning when the IRONING LADY came.
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The temperature falling from +5C to -2C is not plunging or plummeting! The forecasters should be forbidden from using these emotive words, together with Siberia, Arctic conditions, gripped by cold etc. There is an article in today's DT (Can't post a link) about winter in Siberia. Agreed they are better prepared but schools don't close until the temp is -30C and kids play outside in -40C. Policemen on traffic duty are issued special boots when the temp falls below -35C, open air markets operate in -30C and so the list goes on! Cold? We aren't even close!
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I laughed my socks off this morning when the R2 newsreader said 'make sure you've got a food parcel in the car'.
Better nip down the supermarket then! :)
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look, it's getting REALLY deep out there.
groups.msn.com/honestjohn/snowon3rdjan08.msnw?acti...7
I'm away to ask the boss if we can go home.... :)
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Here in London there are a *few* tiny flakes to be seen. Very very few.
Anyway, I've got my snow chains in the car, so I'm OK. (Largely because I don't plan to use the motor.)
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Nothing in Durham to speak about. No more than an inch.
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Better make sure I get "winter" diesel before going up north ( :-0 )
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Better make sure I get "winter" diesel before going up north ( :-0 )
We'll all keep on with the cap-sleeved t-shirts (blokes) and miniskirts and high heels (girls, mainly) until it gets down to -10.
Can you drink winter diesel, though?
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I don't think they are called flakes any more. I can't remember what a recent DT correspondent noted was the latest euphemism, but I think "flake" smacks too much of ice cream and summer. Something to do with global warming, I think.
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Does anyone have a view on which would have the lower running cost / resale value - Huskies or a Skidoo ? ;-)
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normd2, like the idea. I've followed suit -
groups.msn.com/honestjohn/snowon3rdjan08.msnw?acti...8
You can see why there would be severe weather warnings and blanket coverage on 24 hour news channels.
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The snow in the UK is terrible today. I don't normally go in for panic buying, but I have bought in large supplies of bread, milk, eggs, meat and beer just in case ;-)
Snowed a little in Maidstone this morning, well I say snowed, more like snow grain really. They had forecast wide disruption here with 'plummeting temperatures and about 1cm of snow'. Don't know how anyone would have coped. Very disappointed- I love the snow.
We lived in Northern Romania a few years back where temps regularly got cloes to -20c. I remember waking up one morning having gone to bed with no snow to waking up to nearly 3 feet of the white stuff- what amazed me was the trams running normally by about 8.30 and the battered Dacias going about their business as usual (ie. badly!).
Snow... Cold... We don't really come close. Just the majority of the UK (well the Southern part) don't know how to deal with it.
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I initially read that as Northern Rhodesia !
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They may struggle if it snowed even more than we do!!
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No snow here in the Vale of Evesham yet, but it's very cold. Had to make an obligatory visit to The Fleece at lunchtime and sit in front of the inglenook fireplace with a blazing log fire. (aplogies to anyone at work today!)
Bring on the snow!
Pat
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With a nation facing imminent gridlock when the first flakes fall, how thoughtful of HJ to bring to our attention the first class range of "bladder weakness products" on offer at the top of the page.
It's little touches like that which distinguish the BR from other, somehow cruder places on the internet.
I have no connection etc.. No, I'll go further further - I have never consciously used a bladder weakness product in my life!
Edited by Nsar on 03/01/2008 at 16:34
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I pity the poor met people .... they are damned if they do, and damned if they don't. These guys are scientists and understand the meaning of risk and probability. Unfortunately, the weather picture has to be sensationalised to make an appetising, digestible story for our dummed-down nation.
Nowadays, I work in the open air and so keep an eye on the weather forecasts - they're a useful guide. I remember a few years ago, mindful of a dodgy forecast, I left the office in Cambridge an hour early (I was working towards semi-retirement, anyway ;-)). My mate left an hour later ..... and spent the night in his car on the M11.
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Nothing here in Bristol, bloomin' cold though!
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Nothing here in Oxford, extremely disappointed. Will be having words with the BBC Weather department.
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There's a thicker layer of salt on the roads now than any snow I've seen for years. I do wish that the council would stop using it on most roads.
Oh - snow? Where?
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Northampton and back today (from Berks.) - no snow, just a little sleety rain on the way back after J6 of the M40. Agree with Waino - the met-men have to make a noise if there's even a chance of snow, as there's always an outcry if it snows and they didn't forecast it.
Northampton - 90 miles from here - 1.5 hours each way. London yesterday - 35 miles by train and tube - nearly 2 hours going and 2.5 hours coming back. That's why we still use our cars.....
In fairness to First Gt. Western, delays are nearly always caused by the sheer incompetence of Network Rail. It's amazing how trains - quite complex pieces of machinery - rarely break down, whereas to proceed without delay in a straight line from Reading to Paddington is half the time quite beyond Network Rail. The ultimate blame is of course with the idiotic politicians (naming no names but we all know who they were) who set up the system of separate companies for trains and track.
Edited by Avant on 03/01/2008 at 17:44
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Just watched the news....snow in January - What next ?
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Where I live outside Chicago they know how to handle the snow. About 5 PM on New Years Day we drove 10 miles to the cinema, and it was really coming down and settling. By the time the film was finished and I drove home the roads had been cleared!
However, at O'Hare they don't know what they are doing. A bit of wind or rain, or god forbid half an inch of snow and it's thrown into chaos. I always fly out of Midway though, they don't seem to suffer the same problems, despite only being about 20 miles away. It must have its own micro-climate.
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trains dont break down much? u not been on virgin much then have u
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Just three " gritting in progress" signs on the NE corner of the M25.
So we are still waiting for our annual two days of snow in SW London. ;- )
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Yeh - we've got snow in Scotland - just means we have to light the barbie earlier as the coals take a little longer to heat up...... Might have to put on a jumper if the temperature goes below zero (fahrenheit)..................
Best thing is, our main office is in England, where they panic if they see more than two flakes, so let us go home early!
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Maybe mandatory training for news reporters should be daily weather reporting from an alpine area, (no skiing allowed!).
Deep enough to ski on = snow.
Not deep enough = lumpy rain.
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One pearler from N24 yesterday. "10 cm of snow fell in no time at all" eh ?
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Thread creep: staying up late last night I was amazed to see a long (5mins +) BBC TV weather report on piste conditions in Europe and the US.
How much does that cost to produce for the 3 people up at half past midnight who are going skiing any day now, but who don't have access to the internet?
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Cancelled my regular Thursday evening Pub meet with friends as I thought that the road conditions would be too bad for driving (In South London). Result - no snow but plenty of nasty gritty salt on the roads again.
Let's hope it rains aplenty to wash the damned stuff away.
Don't panic Mr Mainwaring!
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