iv never seen so many shops selling snow shovels and other winter related products so early as i have this year also the fire service i work for has really learned from the last couple of bad winters and have been making plans and getting ready for the possibility of a severe winter for some time now.
it may just be media hype but at a time when services are cutting back and not spending money then in my mind there must be some truth in these stories,and its not just my service all the emergency services are preparing themselves.