Rob Deacon

Why should the BBC pay the Met office anyway? I thought both were funded by the British tax payer to provide a service for the public?

I've ordered new sledges for all the family, told all my family and friends really cold weather is coming, with snow very likely to. What can possibly go wrong lol

How exciting It's looks like proper cold is 100% coming next week. What sort of temperatures are we expecting over night next week in southeast away from London? This will be a real test for me and my cars, I've converted both my Toyota Hilux and BMW 5 series to run on used cooking oil (cooking oil sets solid around -6c) , I been doing this since 2006 but in 2009-2010 I lived on the coast in Peacehaven East Sussex, so wasn't quite as cold as it could of been. Now I live in Haywards heath which is 15 miles inland and the other side of the south downs, so I expect this next week will be the coldest I've ever had to deal with since running on used cooking oil. My Hilux has some new aggressive Mud/Snow tyres fitted, so it's ready for this

I have often wondered what would happen now days, if we had a period of cold like the winter of 63. Much has changed since then with the way people live their life's, back then most people lived and worked in same area, family close by etc. closer community. now days people often have large distances to travel to work, more chance that families have distance between them, I guess due to the rise of the car over many decades has lead to this. Then you have the difference in the way houses are built and heated now days, back in 1963 not many houses were fitted with boilers for heating (if any really) heating usually came from fireplaces, coal would be bought in advance of winter so you knew you would have heating. Hardly any houses built since the 70s and 80s have fire places, with gas fired central heating being the only heat source in many houses. I can imagine a scenario one day where Europe gets a very cold spell that hits the UK, and everyone using more gas and we run out! we used to have massive gas storage tanks dotted about the country with gas reserves that could last a winter, most of them have been got rid of over the last few decades (often for more housing) Where I live in southeast has loads of new housing estates going up, or already finished in last few years, they just keep adding them on the already existing services like water and gas, one day all this could cause a problem if we get that crazy cold spell that lasts a couple of weeks or more with ice days and blizzards etc. In a modern house with just a gas fired boiler and radiators, all it takes for you to lose 100% of your heating is either no gas or no of electric, in a power cut the boiler cant run as it needs electric to run its pump plus its controls and thermostat etc. Are food networks are also different to 1963, now days most the population is feed via supermarkets, which rely on lorries driving hundreds of miles every day to keep them filled up with food. it doesn't take much snow to stop a lorry getting where it was going. I feel it is amazing we got away with it for so long, but one day a harsh winter will hit us in the UK and we will really struggle more than we did in the past. I'm up for it though, bring it on But I do have a generator with around 3000 litres of fuel, and i lovely fireplace including one in the bedroom.

how long away is this really cold snowy easterly now? dont tell me its still 10 days lol

What the hell is going on lol? I went in the MOD/MAD thread, first few pages were horrible feeling like winter was really over, then all of a sudden it's THE BEAST FROM THE EAST coming!! Then I read the Met office long range, my interest has perked right up! why do i do this? going to be a right come down when its 2c and raining lol

I had a few days away from watching the models and this forum, as this winter has started to do my head in lol. What have I missed? is the cold and snow from the East still 10 days away like it has been most of winter?

Oh come on don't suck me in again lol, I've already had a sleepless night this week where I had to keep looking out the window. Is there any chance for Sussex in this, or am I getting a good nights sleep?

Here in Haywards Heath we reached a max of 3.9c, so i'm not gutted anymore that we didn't get any snow here, as it all would of melted long before I got home from work anyway. Incredible if this is the coldest week of winter with temps like this, hopefully tonight/tomorrow will be colder? Has anyone seen the Hi-Res models for tomorrows snow /rain event? I normally rely on people in here to post them up but haven't seen any today. I'm going to order a indian take away for me and my son to help cheer us up lol

No need, I'm sure they already know Sussex wont get any snow, takes something really special now days to get snow in these parts

Bone dry here in Burgess Hill, the few flakes that left half a dusting have gone. Currently 2c but feels colder in the wind, tomorrow will either end up rain or fizzling out altogether before it reaches this parts, basically game over for winter 2018 lol, better like next time

0.3c in Haywards Heath, tiniest little dusting of snow. I see tomorrows snow looks like missing me to lol. I think I'm going to have to do one of my Road trips and take my 6 year old boy with me so he can see some snow for once, Wonder how far I would have to go this weekend to find some snow?

Absolutely bugger all here On my drive in to work at 5:30am it was +1c to.

Still only got down to 1.8c here in Haywards Heath West Sussex I thought it would be colder by now, well maybe that should be hoping lol, i bet it bloody rains here after all this

Where abouts in east sussex?

Temperatures don't look good here in Haywards Heath, my weather station which has been calibrated shows 3.9c and DP 0.1c

Good evening everyone I've just got in from doing a bit of gardening today, preparing for any snow lol. I've cut the grass to show maximum deepness and picked up all the dog poos, as don't want any land mines lol I've even put 6 x 20kg bags of sand in the boot of my rear wheel drive BMW so I got a chance of getting up the village hill if we do see any snow. Which brings me on to the question, to save me reading the last 20 pages of here and MOD thread, where are we at with snow in south east tonight and tomorrow? I see the radar shows some blobs, are we expecting more to develop? hoping they do, and come more west so Haywards Heath can have a go.

Sorry guys I think I just wreaked our chances of any snow, or in the south east at least anyway. I've only gone and told some family and friends it's going to snow next week lol, what have I done? it always goes wrong when I tell people lol

Looking good for cold weather next week on most of the weather models I have a good feeling that Sussex is finally going to get some snow soon after 5 years of waiting...

No where near as windy here as last weeks unnamed storm. I recorded 67.2mph last week, 40.5mph Max today so far

Blustery morning here in Sussex. Looking at my weather station it has been windy since around 4am, max gust recorded in my garden so far today is 40.5mph @ 5:29am

Is that a large Squally line forming in front of the main band? Wonder if that will reach our region?

What difference would it make if the Met Office had given a amber warning for wind? most people don't take any notice or even see them anyway, it's mostly people like us that are in to the weather. Trampolines need to be anchored down with U shaped stakes in to the ground, then they don't blow away and smash themselves up, or smash fences down on there way, but most people don't bother, as it's then a little more awkward to move it to cut the grass. My kids trampoline is still exactly where it always is, but I've got it staked down into the soil, my garden recorded top wind speed of 67.2mph...

67.2mph gust recorded on my garden weather station at 5:07am this morning, strongest gust I've recorded with it in the 13 months I've had it set up. the peak wind here in Haywards Heath, West Sussex was between 5:00am and 6:40am. No damage to my garden or house, glad that my 240ft fences stood up to it no problem, I replaced them all on my own last year, glad I used concrete posts and 2 foot deep holes with loads of concrete in them.

Ah chin up guys! We still have a good 6 weeks of prime time for our snow chances (not including March) I'm not saying we will get any but the possibility is certainly there, as it always is this time of year in Mid Winter. It's been 5 years since I had any laying snow in Sussex, if anything I see that as increasing my chances of getting some this winter, just due to law of averages. Like if you roll a dice, eventually you roll a 6. The other thing I will be doing is driving to the snow up north if they have good amount in next few days/weeks, nice road trip with the kids and a night in a hotel somewhere be good family weekend away