rubble79

I know that Nov/Dec 2010 was a different set up but I was only ever forecast to get 5cm's max. I ended up with over 30cms and almost continuous snow fall for 3 days. Even on the night of the heaviest fall, the warning was a few cm's but nothing of note. As the night progressed the snow stalled and intensified over us and remained that way all night long. None of the TV forecasts predicted that. Who knows what will happen this week - unlikely to repeat the above but certainly possible for surprise snow to crop up.

quite surprised at how much has melted today around here. Thought temps were low enough to maintain most of it. Still very icy where the sun hasn't reached with quite a depth to the snow. Don't like this stage though as walking about takes much longer. You just can't tell where that very slippy bit is! Either way, we can't overly complain round here. Another decent cold spell with snow lasting for a week and cold for 2. It was only a few years ago that we'd have been euphoric over this. Just shows how things have changed round here the past few winters. Hopefully we've seen the back of the days of getting excited over 2cms of snow that all thaws by lunchtime!

No freeze over last night, just a very slow thaw continuing. In some respect that's made travelling a little easier today. The concern will now be that more thawing will take place and freeze over. With no expected snow fall this week that will make it a nightmare. Hopefully things will change and we will see a bit more snow before the end of the month but this weekends fall was still decent compared to most winters of the past.

I live in the same area as you. That photo from Titsey is in the Surrey Weather book. I always think of it when I drive over that spot. We live in a funny spot for snow but did really well Dec 10. Won't be the same this weekend but hopefully we won't do too badly

I'm in a dodgy part for streamers. The 2002 (?) one that took London by surprise only gave a dusting here. Only a couple of mins up the road was covered, so very close. Same happened another year. The top of the downs stopped it progressing here and I was under near blue skies but I could see the tops of the downs all white. However, 2009 was better but the best of the snow hit more to my West. 2010 was amazing. Right in the firing line and ended up with a little over a foot. Very rare to see that here so won't expect the same for many years!

could see outside but just felt there was something odd about the light change, looked outside to see light snow (decent size flakes) falling in West London. Wasnt expecting to see anymore after this mornings. Another bonus shower!

I'll just have to travel back to croydon tomorrow! The problem I've found with the snow round here is that the pavements are so dangerous! With so many people walking around on fairly limited snow depth, it just turns to pure ice. I was quite pleased being able to walk freely around today and not risking my life deciding if i'd be safer on the pavement or trying my luck on the road. Back in Purley, as there was much more depth it was far easier to walk around in. Can feel like travelling between 2 different countries sometimes during these spells!

I agree and he always takes it on the chin. Would be quite funny if tonight takes a sudden twist and we get loads of snow! I have no reason to think this, but I do feel that we'll see another fall of snow before winters out. I'm thinking a foot would be nice!

Poor old Yamkin, even when he's not here he still gets the mick taken! I'll stick up for the lad though as I live a couple of miles away from him. He's never reported any snow that hasn't actually been falling but I do think he exaggerates the levels of snow falling a little. Often I'd find myself looking out at moderate snow but he'd regard it as heavy etc Maybe it was heavier in Shirley...who knows. He did also point out, eventually, that over the weekend when it did pretty much snow all the time (albeit VERY light) that it wasn't actually settling and the thaw was well in place. Had all that snow settled, then I don't think we'd have gained any more then an inch or 2 at BEST, it was that light. Anyway, I'm stuck in west london again tonight, so not the best place for any settling snow. I'll be interested to see what develops elsewhere and will definitely look forward to Yamkins input!

Didn't look like any snow stuck over towards Ealing, West London last night. One thing I'll be pleased about with the thaw is the pavements should be less dangerous. That's the real issue when you are in an area that is heavily populated and doesn't get much settling snow depth. Anything that does settle gets compacted and turns to ice. The pavements outside here have been pure ice and it's not exactly and area where you can walk on the roads safely. Even this morning I was having to walk very slowly. It's such a contrast from having been in Surrey this past week (yes near the snow bound Croydon!) At least there the pavements have enough snow on to walk safely and the danger spots are, ironically, where people have cleared the snow! I still hope for more snow this winter. I'm desperate to see a foot of settled snow outside! I was in St Albans for the Feb event where our totals were much the same as this spell. How's this week looking for top ups?

How's the Croydon Pole Yamkin? Sounds like you've had more since I last asked? Typical that I come stay in West London for the night and miss a mini event!

How much has now settled Yamkin? it was only a dusting when I left Kenley earlier.

Poor Yamkin! I live just outside of croydon on a slightly higher elevation and he's pretty much been on the money when reporting snow. I'd say, unless the few miles between us make a difference, that often the 'heavy snow' is more moderate but it has generally been snowing much of the day but very light or snizzle. The thaw made it impossible for anything to stick but when I left home to come into town this evening, the snow fall was heavier and therefore dusting the cars and roads again.

heavier snow falling now which is settling at last. If this were to continue we'd patch up the thaw from today!

I think some of us work under different definitions of flurry, light snow, moderate snow, heavy snow, very heavy snow and blizzards! Oh and the classic 'white out!'

The snow not turning up I can deal with but this thawing is doing my head in! I'd say we've lost almost 50% of our snow depth now and my super size icicles are vanishing. I'm down the road from Croydon and we do still have light snow but it is light - as in almost non existent light, the odd few flakes coming down. Apart from the heavier showers yesterday, nothing has settled or if it has, it's not added any depth. It's not heavy enough to settle on cars. On the bright side, we've had falling snow on 6 consecutive days and laying snow for 5. In the past 4 weeks we've had 2 fairly substantial falls of snow (10cms +) and 1 decent rain to heavy snow the monday before christmas (around an inch accumulated in just over an hour or so). If you want to be really optomistic, then we had a slight dusting since NY day. Throw in last Febs fall, then we've done amazingly well by any standards in the last year!

Still very light down the road here in Purley. I do mean light though, just the odd few flakes. It's a shame this hasn't kicked off in the way we expected. It looked quite promising earlier with the heavy showers that passed over. Tiny thaw but that's to be expected generally with compacting snow and the wind doesnt help. Fantastic icicles all around. It's been many, many, many years since i've seen them this size.

It gets very confusing on here during these periods! Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but from what I understood the 'main' event isn't expect to arrive until later on tonight and through out tomorrow (hence the SWW lasting till tomorrow 23.59). The snow bands or showers which some areas have seen today are not part of this, so if it was snowing in your area earlier but now isn't, it's just because those showers have passed but the main front is yet to arrive. How much snow falls and where is really, as Steve is having to point out so many times, is up in the air until it hits our shores and we can determine what goes on at that point (convection, wind direction, DP's etc) So everyone take a deep old breath, watch the TV, have some dinner and take a break from watching every weather forecast on the BBC, ITV, Sky News, C5, CNN and following blobs on the radar. Enjoy whatever snow some of you have had instead! I do think a lot of this is being missed because of being glued to a PC/Laptop screen!

As others have said, that black cloud on approach would normally make you think a thunderstorm was on its way. It's now over us but like everywhere else, it's just a big old dark cloud!

It's getting quite difficult to plan anything with the forecasts changing so much. I'm not a radar watcher, prefer to just see what arrives, if it arrives etc and I know better then to watch every weather forecast on the box (you'd go nuts with the rates they change depending on channel and presenter) So, at the moment, my idea (based on what I'm hearing) is that there could be some snow this afternoon, Which could be fairly heavy. There could be some more showers tomorrow (fri) but not huge amounts. The weekend is a million miles away but we're keeping an eye on perhaps some very heavy falls on either Sat night/Sunday Finally, almost a billion years away, there could be some snow still falling Monday morning. Yamkin - are there any more updates for Croydon from the MetO?

Near Caterham/Purley. Just been out and I can hear dripping. It's still snowing constantly but fairly small flakes. I'd be surprised if this changes over night.

For my part of Surrey this isn't quite as amazing as people were suggesting. I still love it though and any snow is a bonus! Certainly doubt we'll have staggering totals. I'd say we have 5cms. What I've noticed is that the snow has been sliding off cars and our conservatory roof. Also, around the edges on the patio there is also a thaw. Some parts of the road are also patchy. This didn't happen in Decembers fall, so temps must be slightly higher then that night. Interesting to see how things look in the morning!

I'm one of the many lurkers on this site due to not having the skills or knowledge to make forecasts based on the model outputs (not to any decent degree anyway) and I tend to just post when extreme/unusual weather occurs to help others locate what's going on where. I just wanted to point out to people that its become far too easy over the past few weeks to get complacent over the weather we're experiencing. Many of us in this region have seen snow falling, snow laying and it has been cold. Has it been extreme? Well, if we constantly compare today with 20/30/40 years ago, then no, but if we look at it in terms of recent winters, then yes. How easily we forget just how we'd have given anything to have a period of weather like this in the past few winters. Have we forgotten how often we are usually in an Atlantic driven pattern with mild, wet and windy weather in this period? And How everyone is normally desperately searching for any signs of cold in the charts? We've been spoilt and it's only just turned January. We get so consumed when in a cold spell to look for the breakdown that we often miss what's going on outside. As I've said, I'm no expert at all but I do know that models chop and change from each run but the most important part is that we are locked into a decent cold spell - whatever develops from that is very much down to nowcasting. Models don't 'take away' snow, if it's going to snow on the 10th January, then it's going to snow on the 10th January and no model can change that. We have to rely on the model output to figure out what 'could' happen and discuss that from there. I am baffled by people getting upset when the models show a breakdown that is over a week away. I mean, how many times have we have a cold spell that lasts that long? I'm sure it will snow at some point over the next week but no matter what the models say, what the BBC forecasters say, however much the media hype it or whatever colour warnings the MetO update, you can only be 100% confident of it snowing when you look out your window and see it for yourself. Enjoy this weather because this is unusual and if we get no snow from it, then it doesn't make it any less remarkable. Over the past few years we do seem to be moving back into 'normal' winter conditions, so who knows where this could all eventually lead??

Ive witnessed 5 crashes in the last 10 mins walking to the station. Crossing the roads I soon realised why. Its shear ice. Never seen anything like it. Cars are stuck everywhere too. Please be very careful guys.

We had about 40 mind of heavy wet snow. Had been rain much of the day. Settled around a cm and decapitated the tilting snowman.