Stormy Weather

[cloughie]

Not a smidgeon of snow here till an hour ago when it blizzed heavily for 10 mins. My car is now covered and will require clearing, but our well-treated roads are fine. Must go and shop before work. Working 12.30 - 8.00 today, so I hope the snow stays off.

Commiserations to all those affected by the weather, and the travelling difficulties. I shall be glued to BBC2 at 5.30 tomorrow for the reminder of how we coped 50 years ago. Meanwhile, South West Train's management should be ashamed of themselves, and I would draw their attention to this.

I can remember the days when severe weather closed roads and the railways were theonly way through - there were instances when freight lines reopen for passengers.

[eighthobstruction]

Nowt here in Airedale....very biting cold, bit of wind chill making it ugly and white finger inducing....

[Serial_Apologist]

In my last job everyone but me lived upcountry so I was expected to get into the office come what may, so I have walked a mile through deep lying snow (until the ploughs move in where I am, on such a steep hill, with any depth of snow it's impossible to negotiate by car and the bus stops running) but although at the moment it would be possible to get out I'm very doubtful about getting back home again so I intend to go stay put and if I'm marooned for a few days, as long as the power remains on (!), I'll just have to make the most of it.

It was raining just after midnight, but not freezing at 3° and it's 1.1° now, not sure what time the snow started but it's coming down steadily in very fine, quite wet, flakes. The Police shut all the mountain roads last night, part of the M4 at Bridgend is already shut and lots of problems on minor roads of course. Edit: Just checked website and all bus services suspended.

With any luck, Anna, if it remains above freezing it will be difficult for the snow to settle, that is, unless it snows very heavily.

Here, snow arrived at about 9 o'clock, and has been coming down steadily but not particularly heavily since, but with none of the strong winds forecast, so far. A quarter of an inch in just over 2 hours; minus 2.5 C - didn't hear any grit-spreading vehicles hereabouts but they must have passed by since surfaces on the main routes are wet. (It has to be below - 6 C before salting becomes ineffective). They clearly haven't gritted our side road, and I guess I should have been out and salted our pathways before it started, but that would have meant venturing beyond the bedclothes before nine!

Must now check the forecasts.

[Nick Armstrong]

Cycle ride to work: achieved

Snow settling but the roads in central London were merely wet (I avoided the Parks)... The main problem was the biting wind and the small snow flakes (S_A will have the appropriate adjective ending in "-ic"... ) i.e. borderline blizzard, battering the face and making one blink (glasses help): so, a little dangerous.

but with none of the strong winds forecast, so far.

....blowy enough to make one swear, though but!!

Remains to be seen what the return journey is like...

[mangerton]

Cycle ride to work: achieved

Snow settling but the roads in central London were merely wet (I avoided the Parks)... The main problem was the biting wind and the small snow flakes (S_A will have the appropriate adjective ending in "-ic"... ) i.e. borderline blizzard, battering the face and making one blink (glasses help): so, a little dangerous.



....blowy enough to make one swear, though but!!

Remains to be seen what the return journey is like...

Well done you, cycling in that. I'll look forward to reading S_A's "-ic" word; meanwhile I'll bet you the Daily Wail's would be "cataclysmic".

[salymap]

Cycle ride to work: achieved

Snow settling but the roads in central London were merely wet (I avoided the Parks)... The main problem was the biting wind and the small snow flakes (S_A will have the appropriate adjective ending in "-ic"... ) i.e. borderline blizzard, battering the face and making one blink (glasses help): so, a little dangerous.



....blowy enough to make one swear, though but!!

Remains to be seen what the return journey is like...

Why not use your chauffeur on a day like this. What a day to prove how tough you are

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Why not use your chauffeur on a day like this. What a day to prove how tough you are

Sadly, Caliban is minus a Chaffeur at the moment, following a regretable incident arising from a blocked sink.

[Serial_Apologist]

Why not use your chauffeur on a day like this. What a day to prove how tough you are

Indeed, and I take my wooly hat off to Caliban! At least he'll have the wind behind him on the journey home tonight. I think I'm in a somewhat sheltered location here, flanking a hill mass to the east, so I could be getting a biased take on the wind strength - which I'll find out when I go out later this afternoon!

[Anna]

With any luck, Anna, if it remains above freezing it will be difficult for the snow to settle, that is, unless it snows very heavily.

Ha! <hollow laugh emoticon> We haven't got as much as some parts but our weather station has been monitoring and reports 11cm (4.3") so I think it's definitely been settling! It seems to have more or less stopped now and a few people are out and about walking dogs and there are children with sledges. Part of the main road to and from here has been closed due to jackknifed lorry and diversions via B roads. What is worrying is the Met Office's animation for more snow tomorrow, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I briefly got satellite signal back but it's gone again now so I probably wont be able to watch local update at 1.30.

[Serial_Apologist]

Ha! <hollow laugh emoticon> We haven't got as much as some parts but our weather station has been monitoring and reports 11cm (4.3") so I think it's definitely been settling! It seems to have more or less stopped now and a few people are out and about walking dogs and there are children with sledges. Part of the main road to and from here has been closed due to jackknifed lorry and diversions via B roads. What is worrying is the Met Office's animation for more snow tomorrow, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I briefly got satellite signal back but it's gone again now so I probably wont be able to watch local update at 1.30.

Can't radio signals penetrate through snow, I'm thinking? Just like my thermometer: every time I want to take a reading, I have to clear the snow off!

[Nick Armstrong]

Why not use your chauffeur on a day like this. What a day to prove how tough you are

Sadly, Caliban is minus a Chaffeur at the moment, following a regretable incident arising from a blocked sink.

Not sure I follow the sink reference, ferns....

In fact, Blenkinsop has every other Friday morning off to visit his father in Parkhurst



Anyway the heating in the Hispano-Suiza is a trifle antediluvian.

[Serial_Apologist]

Not sure I follow the sink reference, ferns....

Nor me, Cal. References in general seem to be getting more and more obscure these days...

[salymap]

I couldn't get it either but am only a silly woman and,just sometimes, I understand but pretent Idon't because I'm not meant to. Please explain when you find out.

[Nick Armstrong]

I couldn't get it either but am only a silly woman and,just sometimes, I understand but pretent Idon't because I'm not meant to. Please explain when you find out.

[Anna]

I couldn't get it either but am only a silly woman and,just sometimes, I understand but pretent Idon't because I'm not meant to. Please explain when you find out.

They're men saly, one doesn't expect them to make a lot of sense at the best of times let alone when they are over excited about the snow!

Plough has gone down the hill, couple of cars making their way gingerly along the lower road. My road doesn't lead anywhere so is low priority for ploughing. Satellite now receiving again, caught the local forecast, not too good, further outbreaks leading to more accumulation. We've had another hour of snow since I said it had stopped, sky still looks full of it. Started to cook a curry while listening to R3