Iceni

Very simple. They have a continental climate, we don't. Cold dry air meets warm moist Gulf air and bingo. We all have to get real. We live on the edge of an ocean which is like a radiator retaining heat. Unless it's blocked by GL/Scandi high pressure system, and the w-e jet stream is diverted south, we'll get warm moist air, winter or summer.

The farmers break up the ground (plough it) in September. And in 2010, badgers got so hungry they attacked cjickens because they could forage for worms. Orchards need deep cold in order to have acdormancy period, but seemed the apple crop was better than ever last year and that was relatively mild. Birds are fine, voles are fine, they can still find insects. The only problem is the muddy fields, but cattle are usually over-wintered under cover these days. Sheep don't care.

No one wants people to die. My friend is staying inside until the blizzard is over tomorrow - he's an artist/photographer - then he'll go out and take some shots. Apparently, it's not that cold ... yet. People adapt to this stuff, called a North Easterly and they've happened before and will happen again. Last year it was further north and NJ got a covering, but Boston had 6 FOOT. roofs were collapsing under the weight. I'm planning to relocate Stateside this/next year and had visions of living out in the back woods. Now I'm not so sure. I couldn't manage this without huge logistic planning in the middle of nowhere. Yes it's bad when people miscalculate, but common sense comes into it. The worst thing you can do is leave your car. Clear it when the blizzard stops and just wait, don't set off without a blanket, thermos, chocolate and charged phone.

Princeton NJ today. Theyve got another 12 hours of it to come. National Guard are busy. My friend promises more shots tomorrow when the blizzard stops. Got to be about 4 ft by then. PS. That road in the last frame has already been ploughed so is supposed to be clear - Just WOW!

Well this winter - sorry 'Spring'- has got interesting. Still need a fire at sunset, still not a single leaf out, still wearing winter jumpers, hats and gloves. And a big blow last night. Little tip, plant a hedge - they really don't take all that long if done properly, they're superb at filtering the wind and you'll have no more fence panel problems. Good for wildlife too. Ours get cut once a year in October.

Occado delivery man said ther are lots of trees down. As it's been dry and they don't have leaves, that's quite a storm.

Wind woke me up or something being blown over did. Bet it's the bin. Looks like Nature will be doing the recycling tonight instead of the Borough Council.

Any news of Princetown, NJ? I have a friend who was travelling home from visiting his mother in Augusta yesterday. Hope he made it. He said if it snows, you've got to get out there and clear the snow off your car before it freezes, otherwise it's going to get damaged when you're removing it from the drift. Lesson: buy a house with a garage.

You are all so kind. We really are a community. Your thoughts mean a lot. She is my best friend. She always hated the stuff. Probably something to do with struggling through winter 62/63 with 4 young children and an absent husband for most of it (Dad was on a business trip to Brazil). Not helped by living out in the country on top of a steep hill. We relied on a neighbour who had a LandRover, but we survived. Beautiful lovely Mum. But just maybe... she's pulled through before and I must stay positive.

I don't want it to snow. My dearest beloved mother is in hospital with heart failure not likely to make it. Snow will always have negative connotations for me. Instead of being a joy, it will be e heart ache. Just not now.

Heavy sleet mixed with snow here for the past 5 mins... Got all the logs/bird feed/etc just in time. Thank goodness for netweather.

That looks as though it's going to track further east to me, not due south. Yes I think it's get a lot of logs in time.

Agreed. My Nana used to say "It's too cold for snow" what she meant was the temp was cold, but the dew point wasn't, although she wouldn't have known what a dew point was. She was a country girl and could forecast snow just by sniffing the air.I remember her saying "Snow's coming" on Christmas Day lunch in 1962. We all know what happened the next day...

This is a great link worth bookmarking.... BGS map of earthquakes over the past 50 days in and around the British Isles. There are quite a few, sometimes as many as 20 over the period are recorded.http://www.earthquakes.bgs.ac.uk/earthquakes/home.html Bear in mind the Richter Scale is logarithmic. The 3.8 Oakham one would have been felt, but not too destructive. Mainland British earthquakes are caused by the natural settlement of sedimentary layers of rock - they just give- not by two tectonic plates moving past each other as on fault lines

Visited Mum in hospital, talked to ambulance crew man and he said they'd been given a snow warning for tomorrow. Just sayin'

When it gets light, I'll look out for field fares (birds) they're always around before a snowy blast from the n/nw. It'll be nailed on if I see any.

From a friend in Princetown NJ. We have a blizzard warning tonight so, as I mentioned in the previous e-mail, we'll get real snow over the next two days, an "Alberta Clipper" as they call it. We get Albertas and another kind of storm, a "Noreaster." The Norester is usually more moisture and we get at least one every year or two. I'll send you some shots, particularly New Jersey / NYC images after a Noreaster. What's amazing around here is how quickly the road crews clear the roads. They do it in the first day after a snow storm, even the back roads. And their forecast... 3' of snow from one storm 😳

Most of the snow I've had has been from a northerly, even a north westerly. In 2009 I watched it cross the whole country from Cheshire to my location. Gave a respectable covering too.Easterlies hardly ever happen, the coast gets it and then they fizzle out. As I was saying...

Can anyone point me to some free radar? I've got car business tomorrow and won't get any sleep otherwise.

Don't hate me but my car needs the doctors tomorrow. I'd rather it didn't snow until Thursday.

I do so agree. I remember my brother and sisters running into my room to say, "It's snowed!" Then we'd wolf down our breakfast go up to the loft to get the sledge and play all day.

Car is covered in frost. About -3°C out in the sticks.

Did anyone see that lovely Countryfile jet stream heading south next w/e? Almost brought tears to my eyes. And I've got 1000 litres of oil for 39p a litre coming Happy days are here again.

Got this map from SSE and most of Scotland looks like one big power cut. https://www.ssepd.co.uk/powertrack/ Whether this is still the case, I don't know... But emailed friends in Kinrossie, Perth this morning and they haven't replied so far which is unusual. They have iPads and mobiles, so perhaps that's the explanation if the signal's been knocked out as well. Thanks for the tip off - I was quite worried. Hope they get their act together and it's back to normal soon. It's quite breezy here in Suffolk tonight although this morning was nice and calm.

My dog is terrified by thunder. I know exactly where to go if the same happened to me, he always tries to get into our little downstairs loo to shelter - no windows and no exterior walls. I can't imagine how scary it must feel. Take a torch and read a nice story to your little one. Might make her sleep and it will take your mind off what's going on.