snow in UK

[mnm mom]

I just read that the UK got some snow. Sorry to hear that but hey it's only 10 inches. Here it would just be bothersome.
Well enjoy it, I read the kids are.
mnm mom

[andyb]

It's ridiculous - the first flake of snow and the country grinds to a halt.

Didn't see any gritting lorries until late this morning - we live on a bus route and I didn't see any buses either until after the road had been salted.

Apparently, no buses ran in London this morning and most of the London Underground network ran only a limited service. All three London airports suspended flights and short haul flights from Heathrow have been cancelled completely after a plane slid off the runway.

On the M25 - the motorway that encircles London and is jokingly called 'the world's longest linear car park' due to congestion - there was a 32 mile long tailback of vehicles.

Just about every bed in every hotel in London has apparently been snapped up.

Hearing stories of folk who conscienciously struggled into work only to be sent home again for health and safety reasons(!)

Between 4 and 12 inches of snow have fallen so far with another 4-6 inches expected by 5pm - then it apparently turns to rain, which will then freeze overnight - no doubt causing more chaos tomorrow. I'm just glad I can work from home if I need to...

more here on the bbc news website:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7864395.stm

andyb

[GuzziHeroV50]

I live on a hill...and Im really glad I dont have to park my car outside anymore

Most car drivers are complete numpties, doubly so in snow.  I think I should fit bullbars to me bus

[CalamityJane]

Great link Andy - enjoyed looking at the photo's.  Reminiscent of where I live x 4 in December...........

Jane

[Uncle Matt]

Well...

Here in N.E. Derbyshire, we've had fair bit.

Not enough to stop me, though. Having learnt to drive in the snow, I'm OK with it.

Monday is normally kick-boxing night, so not wanting to let the side down, I got changed, donned the wellies, and got there OK. Had a great evening, and got 99.99999% of the way back.

I came around the back of the crescent (it's a "running track" shape, with the access road on the long side), and I started slipping. Dropped the clutch, and slipped it back in very slowly... Everything fine again. Creeped very slowly up the hill (it slopes slightly from one end to the other). Everything fine until the kids decided to wander about in front of me.

"Get out of the way" I shouted (at no-one in particular). In that weather, I might not have been going very quick, but I sure has hell couldn't have guaranteed to stop when I braked. The car is very heavy, and should I had have hit one of them, it would have hurt them more than the car.

Other than that, it's still snowing, and looks likely to continue. Should make for an interesting commute tomorrow

[CalamityJane]

T'will make for an interesting commute indeed. UK weather is much like ours (usually), and now UK is having the same weather we had in December.

There's a part of me that really enjoyed the quietness and the beauty of the pristine stillness......but since our last bout occured just before Christmas, it was an anxious time for a few days.

Hope everybody is OK, enough food, etc. And utilities, lights still on. It is indeed a very big snowfall to totally snafu the ALL the London buses.

Take care all, Jane

[CalamityJane]

I just read that the UK got some snow. Sorry to hear that but hey it's only 10 inches. Here it would just be bothersome.
Well enjoy it, I read the kids are.
mnm mom

Can't resist mnm mom -- but where in USA are you? 10 inches!! That might be over the top of my boots! T'was in fact in December in parts. That amount paralyzes us. Heck, evern 2 inches causes problems...........not equipped, wrong tires, etc.

Jane

[mnm mom]

I live in New Jersey USA.

[CazAngel]

Wow.. Does it usually snow about like that in the UK in the winter? Surprisingly, it's only snowed here about 3 times this winter, though has got down to -5 F (Kansas here)

[andyb]

Hasn't snowed like this in the UK for 18 years apparently.

We have of course had snow more recently but not to the extent that it has fallen this time.

What I can't understand is why all the schools immediately close down as soon as a few flakes fall on the playground. My DD is at home second day running. What if it were to snow for the rest of Feb are they going to keep the schools closed?

I remember when I were a lad if you made it to school but your teacher didn't because of the snow you were just lumped in with a class that did have a teacher, or the caretaker (who lived on site) would take you for games in the Main Hall. If the heating broke down you just kept your coat and scarf on, broke the ice in your inkwell, and carried on anyway...

[GuzziHeroV50]

The school thing...if they cannot guarantee a certain temperature in the classrooms, they have to keep the kids off.  Sometimes the boilers just cant cope, I mean how often do they clean/maintain the radiators?  I never used to understand it as a kid, I just enjoyed a day's freedom!!!

The snow was apparently caused by wet air from France meeting cold air from Russia, doing a little dance, then heaping a few million tonnes of solid-state H2O all over us.  Thanks, guys! :p

[CazAngel]

Hasn't snowed like this in the UK for 18 years apparently.

We have of course had snow more recently but not to the extent that it has fallen this time.

What I can't understand is why all the schools immediately close down as soon as a few flakes fall on the playground. My DD is at home second day running. What if it were to snow for the rest of Feb are they going to keep the schools closed?

I remember when I were a lad if you made it to school but your teacher didn't because of the snow you were just lumped in with a class that did have a teacher, or the caretaker (who lived on site) would take you for games in the Main Hall. If the heating broke down you just kept your coat and scarf on, broke the ice in your inkwell, and carried on anyway...

Wow, it always seemed in all the states here in the US that I've lived in that it was VERY VERY rare for school to be called off, unless several inches of snows, black ice and/or a blizzard. Eeek. 

[andyb]

..
The snow was apparently caused by wet air from France meeting cold air from Russia, doing a little dance, then heaping a few million tonnes of solid-state H2O all over us.  Thanks, guys! :p

Looking at the 5 day forecast it looks like the same thing is going to happen Thursday evening/Friday morning....

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/ - severe weather warnings issued for the southern counties.

(of course 'severe' is a relative term; -5C would be 'quite warm' in some countries this time of the year  )

[mnm mom]

Well to everyone who is having trouble because of the snow I send you And hope you all get thru this okay.
mnm mom

[itchychick]

I just saw this, guys, and had to jump in....
 
Like mnm, we get several big dumps a year here.  The schools in the city NEVER shut down, unless there are power disruptions which prevent the heaters from working, as Guzzi describes.

However, in the suburbs, they do occasionally cancel school bus service... and occasionally will close the schools too. 

I remember only one "snow day" when I was growing up - and it was fabulous.  They closed my younger son's school for the day a few weeks ago, but that was because there was a flood at a central transformer station, and a huge chunk of the city lost power for over 24 hours.  We, luckily, retained our power (as it was -20C that night), but the school was on one of the grids that did lose power. 

Ah well, any excuse for a day off, eh?