Canalboy

I spent last night at my mother's near Clacton on Sea - a six inch fall which started around 9:30pm and finally stopped at about 8:00 am the following morning. An interesting drive back to Hornchurch this evening along the A12, I counted four cars in the farmers' fields or on the pavement by the side of the road. Judging by the types of car, the boy racers have been losing their no claims bonuses on a fairly regular basis. Back home tonight a similar fall was apparently experienced, although I have been surprised as the temperatures have been a bit higher than I'd anticipated. Currently 1.1 outside although the Hennessey VSOP has improved my mood.

Temp has risen here too from 0.3 C at 7pm to 1.1 C currently. 0.2 mm of perfunctory snizzle.

Started raining steadily here in Hornchurch about ten minutes ago, getting a bit heavier now.

I still remember February 1991, living in West Horndon. I measured 13 inches of level snow in the front garden after two and a half days of almost incessant heavy snow, even the rose bushes disappeared and we couldn't get the front door open... That's certainly the most in my memory. -5 daytime maxima in Central London and Icicles the size of Esther Rantzen's teeth hanging off the Black Cabs.

An interesting article taken from an American newspaper of December 24 1978, presumably penned just before the onset one of the four coldest UK winters of the 20th Century. Even then they were muttering about warming. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=dTVVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=1z0NAAAAIBAJ&pg=6551,7545597&dq=weather+london+snow&hl=en

More boring south westerlies coming and I see it is going to be twelve degrees celsius tomorrow night! Even Riga was 10 degrees celsius daytime in midweek. Oh well at least I'll be able to have a fag outside the Royal British Legion in Hornchurch without shivering tomorrow. Drizzle here today turining heavier around three o' clock and then stopping at about five o' clock, seven degrees celsius. Ou sont les neiges d'antan?

Approximately four inches in Hornchurch near the London/ Essex border as of 23:00. It has been been heavy since 4:00 pm. Substantial falls in the South East are now threatened for tomorrow evening, and local daytime maxima of -2 to -3. I never thought I'd see these conditions again.