Cold Spell Discussion

[Optimus Prime]

Quite a few winters here spring to mind 78/79 81/82 87 pretty sure 76/77 did fairly well. 79 we had a spring melt in march.

Like you said depends where you are.

With you up north how can you not class this as exceptional? Nor northern areas it's been the coldest December since 1981...nuff said.

[Tucco]

Rather depends where you are I'd have thought. Today is the 20th consecutive day with complete snow cover, and I've never know snow lie that long...and I'm 38 (although I don't look it). Sunday night/Monday morning dropped to -12.2C, which is the lowest I've recorded in 12 years, and possibly the lowest temperature I've ever experienced in England, and for the past three weeks, the temperature has not climber above 2.7C.

My parents can't remember anything like since since 62/63.

By any stretch of the imagination, this is an exceptional winter.

Last time Upper Eden had 20th consecutive days was probably late Jan96 into Feb 96. Before that 1991 and 1987 etc.

If this mornings ECM run comes of it would into the 80's events comparisions.

Whats lacking is a severe snowstorm/low temps. Snow depths are notable but no anywhere near past events. The 12 years you've been in the area have been lacking in snow events.

Jan/Feb 96 was more severe in terms of snowfall/condtions. 30/40cm with offical blizzard conditions in Eden Valley. A66 was closed just near where Centre Parks is due to drifting snow.

Mark

[Bartlett Low]

To get school closures and all buses cancelled in inner city Manchester is exceptional.

[drgl]

So one in 30 years isn't exceptional to you?

I was standing on a hill on the edge of the village on Sunday night, with lots of kids sledging, when one of the dad's came along and complained that the snow wasn't very good for sledging. It was 4 inches of true powder snow. Some people are never happy. Ok, I rarely am myself, but you know what I mean.

Indeed! We've only had a few dustings but in some places the ground has been frozen solid for weeks now! I'm getting sick of the moaners to be honest! In some years we have had to wait until Feb/March for these kind of events when the sun is growing in strength & hence they end up being 2-3 day events.

To get school closures and all buses cancelled in inner city Manchester is exceptional.

Is it though? Or is it just the madness of the modern UK where things get cancelled for anything, i can remember walking to school with snow going over wellies, it only got cancelled when the heating system FROZE!

[Bartlett Low]

Is it though? Or is it just the madness of the modern UK where things get cancelled for anything, i can remember walking to school with snow going over wellies, it only got cancelled when the heating system FROZE!

Its over kids wellies here mate, two cars stuck on our road, loads of people off work. This is an old school 80s event here for sure. No question.

[gpspete]

slightly off topic but the will it rain today website http://www.raintoday.co.uk/ and the traffic cam website http://www.trafficengland.com/map.aspx?long0=-403.4613960041688&lat0=3276.6173111324606&long1=173.3223076995351&lat1=3027.4688365561897 have ground to a holt and are almost unusable at the moment

[wysiwyg]

To get school closures and all buses cancelled in inner city Manchester is exceptional.

LOL I remeber getting on the bus to go to school in (I think) Jan 1981. After 10 minutes sat on the bus we realised we had only covered about 200m so we all got off and walked the 3 miles left to school. Much more fun given the opportunities for snowball fights along the way

As drgl says I think we only had school closures if the heating failed of which I don't remember any at my school but a couple of other schools did close.

[drgl]

Its over kids wellies here mate, two cars stuck on our road, loads of people off work. This is an old school 80s event here for sure. No question.

Excellent to hear! Enjoy

[Optimus Prime]

If teachers can't get to school and neither can the pupils then there really isn't any point in opening up.

These days there are no excuses in not being able to do some work from home.

[Bartlett Low]

If teachers can't get to school and neither can the pupils then there really isn't any point in opening up.

These days there are no excuses in not being able to do some work from home.

Tell that to the wife - she's off work and heading to the pub at opening time!

[Eugene]

Wow amazing scenes in leeds and yorkshire on BBC news 24, anybody seem much of IB or jemtom lately

Edited January 5, 2010 by Eugene

[kar999]

Main band of heavy snow (1 inch in an hour) has passed through here quite quickly.

Temperatures and dew points behind the front seem to be rising. Now +1ºC & 0ºC. I wonder if they will stay this high?

Edited January 5, 2010 by kar999

[Cakie]

Met office have just upgraded their warnings

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/uk_forecast_warnings.html

[Optimus Prime]

Met office have just upgraded their warnings

http://www.metoffice...t_warnings.html

Tome to evacuate the SE and SW?

"Exceptionally heavy snowfall upto 40cm"

[Stargazer]

Probably should have evacuated the office in Basingstoke some time ago . The heating isn't working properly anyway

See you all on the A33 this evening (again)!

S.

[Optimus Prime]

See you all on the A33 this evening (again)!

S.

Lol- You're gonna need a shovel when you get back. Or maybe some snow cling-on shoes to climb up the snow drift through the top window.

Ok, perhaps a slight exageration. NWs predicting Torrential 10mm of rain (10cm of snow) for us at midnight and over the space of 3 hours.

[Snowgrowler]

Looks like my planned journey from Essex to Loughborough tomorrow afternoon is going to be an interesting one

Have to get my daughter back to college just outside Loughborough between 6 and 9pm - normally set off 3pm ish, me thinks an earlier start may be in order

[Liam J]

12.48pm temp -1.9c DP -4

that band looks tasty up in scotland just now send it this way guys....

[The PIT]

Used to go to school in a foot of snow. In 1968 my father had to carry me over the drifts to get to school. Soft these days for fear of the dreaded lawsuit.

[Rich44]

Used to go to school in a foot of snow. In 1968 my father had to carry me over the drifts to get to school. Soft these days for fear of the dreaded lawsuit.

That and poor maintenance means heating keeps breaking down, no snow to speak of in Norfolk today yet a large number of schools are closed due to faulty heating

[Osbourne One-Nil]

Used to go to school in a foot of snow. In 1968 my father had to carry me over the drifts to get to school. Soft these days for fear of the dreaded lawsuit.

Good god man, you're so dismal!

Times change, and I'd rather reduce unnecessary risk where possible.

[nick sussex]

Oh dear the UKMO looks like it's taking a load of criticism for its long range winter forecast with the knives out! after the barbecue summer that imploded the media are really picking up on their original winter forecast, perhaps just as cold and snow lovers can sometimes hopecast perhaps the ukmo are now so obsessed with GW that they've fallen into the even larger teapot theory which looks to have been blown into the stratosphere!

Edited January 5, 2010 by nick sussex

[Neilsouth]

Oh dear the UKMO looks like it's taking a load of criticism for its long range winter forecast with the knives out! after the barbecue summer that imploded the media are really picking up on their original winter forecast, perhaps just as sometimes cold and snow lovers can sometimes hopecast perhaps the ukmo are now so obsessed with GW that they've fallen into the even larger teapot theory which looks to have been blown into the stratosphere!

But did you see the cold weather thats affected many parts of the world (bbc news) , even india is shivering!. Me thinks after last years cold aswell the globe could well be going into a global cooling phase.

[nick sussex]

But did you see the cold weather thats affected many parts of the world (bbc news) , even india is shivering!. Me thinks after last years cold aswell the globe could well be going into a global cooling phase.

Yes some really bizarre weather in the northern hemisphere at the moment, they will probably blame this on GW aswell, you know the line that gets trawled out, any freak weather and it's GW to blame, and the UKMO IMO are determined to guilt trip everyone who dares take a plane to go on holiday. Unfortunately they're judgements being clouded by so many previous mild winters that they think oh just go for the same old winter forecast as that's bound to be right.

[Neilsouth]

Yes some really bizarre weather in the northern hemisphere at the moment, they will probably blame this on GW aswell, you know the line that gets trawled out, any freak weather and it's GW to blame, and the UKMO IMO are determined to guilt trip everyone who dares take a plane to go on holiday. Unfortunately they're judgements being clouded by so many previous mild winters that they think oh just go for the same old winter forecast as that's bound to be right.

Like the local one the other night then

" Coldest winter since 1991 !

But lets not forget to put in some global warming text

" 5th Warmest Globaly "

So in other words it's only the 5th warmest , so we've gone down the list instead of globaly increasing temps... If that makes sense! , makes me wonder what next winter will be like