Stormy Weather II

[oddoneout]

Timed my perambulation well. It was brilliant sun, blue sky and no breeze when I set out, and everything was looking all sparkly. % mins from home on the return leg the sun went, in the wind picked up(and found the gap between my scarf and collar) and various bits started falling. Just as I reached the door there was an onslaught of solid bits, looking just like dried sago - and just as painful as I imagine that would be if chucked in one's face with some force - and the sky and precipitation merged to blur visibility. Fifteen minutes later it was all over. The overnight freezing is going to make things interesting tomorrow I fear.

[DracoM]

NO BREEZE???????????????
Crikey...lucky you!!

And judging by a trip out just a half hour ago, it feels like a sabre sharp, pavement-cracking frost for tonight up here. Cloudless skies, sun-setting etc ....................wow! is it a hard COLD out there!

[Sir Velo]

NO BREEZE???????????????
Crikey...lucky you!!

And judging by a trip out just a half hour ago, it feels like a sabre sharp, pavement-cracking frost for tonight up here. Cloudless skies, sun-setting etc ....................wow! is it a hard COLD out there!

Come on! OK I admit, it is a trifle cold out there but, really, nothing compared to the real winters we used to have: 1979; 1982, 1990, even 2010. My app tells me that while there is a real temperature of -1C, the real feel is -11! Utterly ridiculous. It feels like one would expect minus1 to feel - ie cold, but no way -11C! Give me strength.

To put it to the test, I've just wheeled the dustbin down the road 100 yards in a sweater and cardigan; jeans - ie usual attire. You would think I would have been frozen alive according to the app and the met office, but here I am alive to tell the tale. Hands still warm, no missing digits; not succumbed to frostbite.

[Pulcinella]

Come on! OK I admit, it is a trifle cold out there but, really, nothing compared to the real winters we used to have: 1979; 1982, 1990, even 2010. My app tells me that while there is a real temperature of -1C, the real feel is -11! Utterly ridiculous. It feels like one would expect minus1 to feel - ie cold, but no way -11C! Give me strength.

To put it to the test, I've just wheeled the dustbin down the road 100 yards in a sweater and cardigan; jeans - ie usual attire. You would think I would have been frozen alive according to the app and the met office, but here I am alive to tell the tale. Hands still warm, no missing digits; not succumbed to frostbite.

So have you ditched the fur lined garb you used to sport?

[cloughie]

Come on! OK I admit, it is a trifle cold out there but, really, nothing compared to the real winters we used to have: 1979; 1982, 1990, even 2010. My app tells me that while there is a real temperature of -1C, the real feel is -11! Utterly ridiculous. It feels like one would expect minus1 to feel - ie cold, but no way -11C! Give me strength.

To put it to the test, I've just wheeled the dustbin down the road 100 yards in a sweater and cardigan; jeans - ie usual attire. You would think I would have been frozen alive according to the app and the met office, but here I am alive to tell the tale. Hands still warm, no missing digits; not succumbed to frostbite.

I trust the bin was grateful for the pampering! Actually you’re lucky to be so warm-blooded - at times keeping warm indoors is not guaranteed!

[oddoneout]

NO BREEZE???????????????
Crikey...lucky you!!

And judging by a trip out just a half hour ago, it feels like a sabre sharp, pavement-cracking frost for tonight up here. Cloudless skies, sun-setting etc ....................wow! is it a hard COLD out there!

Well quite - which was why I went out when I did. There's very much a breeze now, and together with snow showers currently and also later in the night there's going to be more drifting. This morning the depth varied from 4" up by the house to 9" along the north side of the garden and it was disconcerting the extent to which that made it difficult to work out where was lawn and where flower bed and other obstructions.

[oddoneout]

A pretty morning sky has been taken over by clouds dropping quantities of fat fluffy snowflakes. The sun isn't very much hidden though and should be around much of the day in between the snow showers, so I should be able to get out for a crunch and squelch round the common later. The ground was waterlogged(and some is under one or two of inches of water) before the snow and got badly churned by walkers but didn't freeze except round the edges before the snow came with its deep and crisp and even. Makes for interesting and tiring 'walking', not least as it's not easy to tell how deep the mud bits are before venturing on them, but its exercise and fresh(very!) air and pretty when the sun's out. I won't be venturing to the shops on foot for the foreseeable, and don't really want to have to get the car out - not least as it's blocked in fore and aft by drifted snow, and neighbours' cars parked don't allow for much manoeuvring, still less mistakes and slides, so am hoping things improve before bread and milk run out.

[BBMmk2]

A pretty morning sky has been taken over by clouds dropping quantities of fat fluffy snowflakes. The sun isn't very much hidden though and should be around much of the day in between the snow showers, so I should be able to get out for a crunch and squelch round the common later. The ground was waterlogged(and some is under one or two of inches of water) before the snow and got badly churned by walkers but didn't freeze except round the edges before the snow came with its deep and crisp and even. Makes for interesting and tiring 'walking', not least as it's not easy to tell how deep the mud bits are before venturing on them, but its exercise and fresh(very!) air and pretty when the sun's out. I won't be venturing to the shops on foot for the foreseeable, and don't really want to have to get the car out - not least as it's blocked in fore and aft by drifted snow, and neighbours' cars parked don't allow for much manoeuvring, still less mistakes and slides, so am hoping things improve before bread and milk run out.

Only go out, if you have to. Stay in, stay safe! Trying to snow down here, at the moment.

[Serial_Apologist]

A pretty morning sky has been taken over by clouds dropping quantities of fat fluffy snowflakes. The sun isn't very much hidden though and should be around much of the day in between the snow showers, so I should be able to get out for a crunch and squelch round the common later. The ground was waterlogged(and some is under one or two of inches of water) before the snow and got badly churned by walkers but didn't freeze except round the edges before the snow came with its deep and crisp and even. Makes for interesting and tiring 'walking', not least as it's not easy to tell how deep the mud bits are before venturing on them, but its exercise and fresh(very!) air and pretty when the sun's out. I won't be venturing to the shops on foot for the foreseeable, and don't really want to have to get the car out - not least as it's blocked in fore and aft by drifted snow, and neighbours' cars parked don't allow for much manoeuvring, still less mistakes and slides, so am hoping things improve before bread and milk run out.

I have to admit that I'm lucky to be living within five to ten minutes' walking for basics such as milk, but will still probably be doing my weekly main shop tomorrow at the nearest Sainsburys, a good 20 minutes walk away - and that's on non-frozen surfaces - especially given that tonight London is set for possibly the coldest night in 10 years.

It now appears that we are (most of us) in for a soft landing as milder air invades, gradually bringing temperatures back to above snow values through Saturday. There are some disagreements over the modellings thereafter, the BBC predicting above average temperatures through the middle of the month, others a re-strengthening of the European block after the temporary retreat.

[Serial_Apologist]

Some beautiful footage from highland Scotland yesterday in this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18VAwdF0d7M&ab_channel=BraemarMedia

[LezLee]

Some beautiful footage from highland Scotland yesterday in this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18VAw...l=BraemarMedia

Some impressive icicles!

[oddoneout]

I have to admit that I'm lucky to be living within five to ten minutes' walking for basics such as milk, but will still probably be doing my weekly main shop tomorrow at the nearest Sainsburys, a good 20 minutes walk away - and that's on non-frozen surfaces - especially given that tonight London is set for possibly the coldest night in 10 years.

It now appears that we are (most of us) in for a soft landing as milder air invades, gradually bringing temperatures back to above snow values through Saturday. There are some disagreements over the modellings thereafter, the BBC predicting above average temperatures through the middle of the month, others a re-strengthening of the European block after the temporary retreat.

It's a 15 min walk to Morrisons, but with severe lumbar osteoporosis I am risk averse when it comes to icy pavements. It's also why I prefer to go round the interesting snow/mud combo on the common - I reason that the landing from a misstep would be messy but less likely to cause problems - and yes I do take a long stick to help with balance.
Today's outing was a pleasure, with brilliant sunshine and virtually no breeze(Sir Velo may poo poo wind chill but those of us closer to where the east wind lands are thankful for any diminution in its effects), although in a couple of places the snow was a lot deeper than it looked, but fortunately just that essential smidgeon less than the top of my wellies.

[BBMmk2]

Boiler went out yesterday. Why, oh why?!?!? Typical!

Cold again today, -3C!

[oddoneout]

Boiler went out yesterday. Why, oh why?!?!? Typical!

Cold again today, -3C!

That's not good, I hope you can get it fixed quickly - are you on any kind of priority service list?
I was discussing this last month when my boiler was getting its annual service and the engineer said that sometimes the timing is because the extra load from cold weather may tip an existing fault over into a complete fail, and that's been exacerbated recently by lockdown meaning people are at home and having the heating on all day.
It got very cold overnight as forecast - down to -8 . It's due to get less cold for a while through today, but I'm not going to be risking the pavements yet. The bin men have finally managed to get round - even harder work than usual trying to move the bins around the piles of frozen snow, and big caps of snow on top of many where rubbish doesn't need to be put out each day. They are cheerful folk and I always thank them if I'm there when they arrive, not least as they are good about putting the bins back beside the gate where they live to save me having to do it, which I struggle with.

[oddoneout]

Family member in far NW Scotland mentioned that there is a wildfire risk alert in place there now. Strange times...
More here https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/...extreme-freeze
Although the conditions may encourage the lighting of fires the number of folk around outside to do it is minimal which is something, but again it also means that there are fewer to see when it does occur - swings and roundabouts.