South Central England Cold Spell Discussion

[Moisty]

BBC News just showed the snow band pivoting through the night, with the southern end passing over Soton and Pompey, so there's still a chance!

Not sure what to believe with that graphic, it should be raining over Hampshire at the moment and maybe snow later clearing about 5am, at least North Hampshire has seen solid snow for hours now and if it stays like that its going to be pretty damn deep by the morning

[WhiteFox]

A few more pics from the Reading area. Getting some awful tales of people stuck (including my heavily pregnant missus, desperate for the toilet!)

Addit: The last two are the M4 believe it or not!

Edited December 21, 2009 by WhiteFox

[katemart]

A few more pics from the Reading area. Getting some awful tales of people stuck (including my heavily pregnant missus, desperate for the toilet!)

Addit: The last two are the M4 believe it or not!

Cripes - very glad I don't have to go anywhere much this week: those pics of the M4 are mad!

Hope your better half gets home soon, WhiteFox. Still persisting down here in Soton.

[Joneseye]

A few more pics from the Reading area. Getting some awful tales of people stuck (including my heavily pregnant missus, desperate for the toilet!)

Addit: The last two are the M4 believe it or not!

the first pic made me laugh... I think Pooo sums up the conditions quite nicely!

[*Stormforce~beka*]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Just been out to measure the snow. And it's more rain and sleet now. Don't melt my snow

1 1/2 inch out. Why has it gone back to sleet?

[Dean E]

Hello from a very wet south coast!

I popped over the downs ealier and there was soo much snow around petersfield just 12 miles north of Portsmouth! Its soo anoying that its soo close but yet so far!

Not sure if the band will come back and give us a dumping. Probably 1 in a million chance!

Temperature: 1.2c still with some patches of iced snow

[Matt Taylor]

I live in Portsmouth and I feel a little blessed to have been here in Reading since the first snows last thursday night, what I've seen here today is the most snow I have seen since 1991, and fortunately I've been able to get out and about with my camera to record it all.

[john w]

Odd conditions Frimley where I work was quite wet, as journey progressed from 4:15 it quickly go tworse to Bracknell. Took 3 and a half hours and I have just done the longest we we ever!

Level snow...going off the brick wall outside in the garden = appx 55mm.

I actually hope there is no more

[Optimus Prime]

According to the local BBC forecast we're gonna reach 8c on Wednesday. Giving their poor performance so far this cold spell I don't think I'll bother with them until summer.

Currently 0.6c with all the snow stopped.

[Joneseye]

I concur with the measurements of between 5 and 5.5 cms of level snow.

Just been out and made a snow blob.. couldn't find any gloves so gave up after about 20 mins. The snow is the sort that compacts well when you roll it, but it soon became too heavy to pick up hence making a blob! Reminds me of 1981 nr Cambridge, however that was with 8" of level snow so about 4 times as deep as it is here today.

[WhiteFox]

Spoke to the missus; she made it to the Crowne Plaza at Caversham Bridge where she's resting before making the remaining 0.5 mile journey home... It took her about 5 hours from Green Park to Caversham Bridge; around 3 miles I think for anyone who knows Reading!

[*Stormforce~beka*]

Sleet here with blobs of snow mixed in. Hoping it will move in as snow. Not convinced yet as the line doesn't seem to move! ...

http://www.raintoday.co.uk/

[WindWatcher]

Same here, it looks so close to turning to snow, the rain is chucking it down and nearly all the snow has been washed away.

The road grit will have been washed away, so that is a major problem for the morning if it freezes.

[WhiteFox]

Looks like snow is falling again at J12 of the M4:

Looks like snow is falling again at J12 of the M4:

With updated image this time (full editor not working!)

[gottolovethisweather]

Hope there's good news for most people by now on their journeys back, some horrendous stories out there.

I hate to be a killjoy but if the NW radar is anything to go by, some parts of the central south i.e. North Hants, East Wilts and maybe me in Berkshire look like getting plastered in the next few hours! Or am I reading it wrong? Could be 6 to 8" lying snow here in Newbury by early tomorrow morning.

During this event (now nearly 10 hours duration) the strangest thing is the consistency of the Air temp and subsequent dew point, barely budged 0.2c either way ever since the start at 1pm.

Still 0.2c and -0.2c dewpoint and light snow flurries at this moment.

Eyes to the skies and on the radar.

Take Care

STORMBOY

[Altostratus]

It is snowing again here :lol: We've taken a hammering today. I haven't measured the depth but I'd guess we have about 5-6 inches.

[Kiwi]

It is snowing again here :lol: We've taken a hammering today. I haven't measured the depth but I'd guess we have about 5-6 inches.

Yep, I'd given up on more but down it comes again. Unreal!

My biggest issue now (with 3 boys on their school holidays) is where is the best place for sledging?

[WhiteFox]

Definitely snowing again, fairly heavily judging by this picture of the A33 just south of Reading:

[*Stormforce~beka*]

Yay snowing here again after the sleet that started melting it lots. This must be our last lot surely especially with it moving away east.

[Dean E]

Light snow, M27 Southampton

http://www.trafficengland.com/trafficcamera.aspx?cameraUri=http://public.hanet.org.uk/cctvpublicaccess/html/19156.html

[Matt Taylor]

Reading IDR still gridlocked at 23.00 and many abandoned cars in the area.

Still snowing.

[stewfox]

Reading IDR still gridlocked at 23.00 and many abandoned cars in the area.

Still snowing.

Yes i was there and I think many if they were quick booked into local hotels B&Bs

Very heavy snow there

[Kiwi]

Yes i was there and I think many if they were quick booked into local hotels B&Bs

Very heavy snow there

Still snowing now (7 miles south of Reading)

[gottolovethisweather]

Hello,

It ended up with 90mm of level snow here in Newbury, Berkshire. Not bad for this location in recent times.

I think it must have cleared my location at around midnight so a 11 hour event.

Air Temp -1.8c and DP -2.2c as I type. How are the models going to cope with all this lying snow around, short time forecasts at the least will possibly be wholly inaccurate.

Snowy Cheers

STORMBOY

[Stargazer]

About 8cm of level snow here in Reading. No chance of getting to work in Basingstoke today - definitely working from home.

After 4 hours trying to get to Tesco in Chineham last night (anywhere to get a bite to eat and dump the car for the night) I gave up and abandoned the car in the business park. It took nearly 3 hours to get from the ring road to the first roundabout on the A33 (less than half a mile) and it was obvious that the A33 was effectively closed. Walked to the station and eventually got the train home - a total journey time of 6 hours 20 minutes.

Anyway, as for yesterday's weather: bright, very cold start, rain at lunchtime quickly turned to heavy snow and you know the rest. Maximum 0.6, minimum -4.4. Wind light N.

Today: cloudy, 0.3 deg C, wind light N.

Just got to work out how I'm going to recover the car...

Edited December 22, 2009 by Stargazer