Midlands Cold Spell Discussion

[dogs32]

As pretty as snow and ice looks, I long for mild weather ASAP from a work point of view...I've lost 4 consecutive days now, and from what started as a nice day off to throw a few snowballs, to a potential financial disaster!...Ice & snow may look pretty, but dont put food on the table or pay the bills

AJ...this is starting to be my concern to be honest,I love this snow but Im now loosing money being self employed :lol:

[A.J]

Well, at the moment there doesn't look to be any milder breakdown in sight. Indeed, Sunday into Monday could well be alot worse than the last couple of days. A strong ENE wind and the potential for heavy snow right across England and Wales, will most likely result in some difficult driving conditions. Doesn't seem to be too bad here at the moment, the main roads seem clear enough.

You're just full of good news!

As Lancs-Northants posted, it's a nightmare for anyone who drives for a living is 'up the creek without a paddle'.....that'll be me then!....As some of you know, I run my own fish & meat delivery business (scaled it down to a two man operation) the majority of my regular customers live in rural parts of the midlands, & this time of year is always notoriously difficult for generating new customers (the christmas financial hangover etc)...so in the short term, things arent great, but there are people who are in a lot worse position (OAP's, single-parent families etc) because of the cold...I'm finally getting my stock delivery tomorrow morning, so come what may, I'll be out there every day until late at night to earn a few bob!

On a side note, if any members have elderly neighbours, pop in and see how they're doing...Some people will need help right now, and a little bit of community spirit goes a long, long way

[drgl]

Indeed business is being hurt just when we do not need it, i run my own mail order compaines and sales are down on normal. Not a lot we can do about it though i'm afraid so may as well "enjoy" the snow

Edited January 7, 2010 by drgl

[Serendipity]

I would think it might be advisable for anyone who drives for a living to change to winter tyres at times like these.

My parents live in Switzerland, and come December, they always put the winter tyres on which are much more effective in these kinds of conditions. Probably not worth it if you use your car just for leisure or can get to work via other transport but surely a worthy investment for small businesses.

[echobase]

You're just full of good news!

As Lancs-Northants posted, it's a nightmare for anyone who drives for a living is 'up the creek without a paddle'.....that'll be me then!....As some of you know, I run my own fish & meat delivery business (scaled it down to a two man operation) the majority of my regular customers live in rural parts of the midlands, & this time of year is always notoriously difficult for generating new customers (the christmas financial hangover etc)...so in the short term, things arent great, but there are people who are in a lot worse position (OAP's, single-parent families etc) because of the cold...I'm finally getting my stock delivery tomorrow morning, so come what may, I'll be out there every day until late at night to earn a few bob!

On a side note, if any members have elderly neighbours, pop in and see how they're doing...Some people will need help right now, and a little bit of community spirit goes a long, long way

I share your views AJ, my meat delivery was late yesterday didn`t arrive until gone 4pm.

This morning I`ve butchered the lot, restacked all the veg, sorted out the deli and I`m now waiting on a dairy order!

Trouble is I`ve seen three customers all morning and have taken £20!!

[Gord]

I'm a teacher and my school is closed. I can actually get there because i use public transport anyway and National Express buses and London Midland trains seem to be doing very well at the moment. However, its not my decision to close the school. There are other members of staff who live out in the countryside and it would be dangerous for them. We have a lot of children and there has to be the right amount of staff to open the school...so i guess the headteacher has done her maths! I would happily go in to help though if asked because i can and i would happily have children from other classes in my room if another teacher couldn't make it. But not my decision and i respect the decison of those in charge. So i may as well enjoy an extra day at home.

The annoying thing is that my maths group were just starting to pick up on written methods of addition on Tuesday and i was looking forward to pushing them further with it. I just hope they remember where we left off when we do go back or we'll have to get the cubes out and start again!

[Corleone]

Does anyone know of a site which provides the altitude of a postcode or town in the UK, as id be interested to know mine

Cheers

[Nick L]

Well I completed my paper round relatively frost bite free, stunningly beautiful day but bitterly cold. Only just risen above -4c. I also saw something that I have never seen before - icicles on many cars, some 6 inches long! No melt at all except on the roofs of some houses.

[phantom]

Does anyone know of a site which provides the altitude of a postcode or town in the UK, as id be interested to know mine

Cheers

Yeah Google Earth

[Macey]

Northamptonshire users, Preliminary forecast from Pitsford Weather Station:

"Much of Saturday will be dry, but it will feel bitterly cold in the moderate even sometimes fresh east or north-easterly wind. Again daytime highs will struggle at around freezing. Cloud will tend to encroach from the east later in the day bringing snow showers overnight, these becoming fairly widespread across the county but generally light through Sunday. However, once the snow arrives it is likely to become fairly persistent with further falls likely through Monday giving some several cms accumulation."

Looks like more snow is a possibility.

Edited January 7, 2010 by Macey

[Corleone]

Yeah Google Earth

cheers

[Nick L]

Kold weather in his blog has stated that showers on Saturday could penetrate as far as East Wales, and the snow on Sunday could be fairly heavy and persistent inland, so I think it is looking very likely that we will get a top up on what snow we have.

Just learnt that my school is open tomorrow, I suppose 3 days in a row is a bit of an ask

Edited January 7, 2010 by nick2702

[kar999]

I got the one finger salute this morning because I was arguably too close to the car in front. I personally didnt think so as it was a flat gritted main road, a little icy at -10ºC but it didnt warrant the woman driving at less than 10 mph. She did have a rear wheel drive car so had probably spun all the way off the side roads from her drive onto the main road. It wasnt just me, she was creating a rolling road block behind her!

I do think drivng safely and carefully and leaving a good distance makes common sense. There is also being over cautious, which in a rush hour soons leads to gridlock when cars behind are forced to keep stopping and starting often on inclines. That's how snarlups begin. If we all drove at a reasonable steady pace and distance and tried to keep moving it would be great... but then that's never going to happen.

[A.J]

Just spreading the joy. But seriously, I can understand how difficult it can be during weather like this, especially people who drive on the roads alot of the time. Just been for walk and it's actually not that bad out there! Plenty of traction on the pavements as there is still quite a bit of snow, and the main roads are almost clear with just the more minor routes still with snow on them. But, I suppose in more rural areas snowcover and ice are I'm sure a much bigger problem.

Will have to give it a couple more days until we can properly be sure of how bad Sunday and Monday will be, but it is looking likely we will see more snowfall accompanied by a penetrating, bitter easterly wind.

Dependant on your location of course.....I spent 6 hours in Stafford A&E yesterday evening with my partner , who took a fearsome crack on the back of her head slipping on the compacted pavement snow (thankfully she's now ok and back home!)...The roads & pavements in and around Penkridge are treacherous, compacted snow on top of sheet ice......I phoned Staffs County Council to verify their policies for road & public footpath gritting.....They said all 'in-town' roads are gritted (a blatant falsehood) and it's not their responsibility for gritting public footpaths, nor will they accept any liability for injuries caused by ice/snow on public footpaths....This is an absolute scandal, and seriously wonder if this would stand up legally.....!!

[Nick L]

The paths round here are fine. They are covered in powdery snow so there is a lot of grip. The only ice patches are where people have gritted it and it has just iced over during the night.

[Shiny_Bottom_1]

Well no snow, but possibilities that the system is at least starting to work its way in land a bit further. More clouds now falling in, so whilst no ppn, its more positive than a clear sky.

[camperstron]

I've just got back from work and some of the pavements here are lethal. It's the ones by the main roads which are the worst - they seem to be simultaneously melting and refreezing.

Non-gritted/less well trodden areas are ok - it's all still lovely powdery snow!

[Drew]

Brilliant satelite image of snbow ocver england. You can get a closer resolution if you go there to the web page but that takes to long to down laod for here.

http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?subset=AERONET_Lille.2010007.terra.1km

[Michael Winston]

On a side note, if any members have elderly neighbours, pop in and see how they're doing...Some people will need help right now, and a little bit of community spirit goes a long, long way

Well said. Good luck with the business too.

Kind regards,

Mike.

[ashby de la zouch snow]

Well no snow, but possibilities that the system is at least starting to work its way in land a bit further. More clouds now falling in, so whilst no ppn, its more positive than a clear sky.

how far inland do you think i dont have access to radars and rain maps and would not know how to read them anyway.

[Serendipity]

how far inland do you think i dont have access to radars and rain maps and would not know how to read them anyway.

Looking at the met office radar nothing is coming inland really at all...

[Shiny_Bottom_1]

Yep. PPN is not making it inland very far at all. I think here would be a push, and realistically, Lincs looks like the most western region that will get the snow.

But I still get excited when I see a cloud on a day like this

[Nick L]

Just watched the 2pm News 24 forecast, very promising for tomorrow night. It is showing what I think is a "proper easterly", strong winds driving a constant flow of showers well inland, easily reaching the Midlands. I think more snow over the weekend is inevitable. We could be seeing 5 days of not rising above freezing, that would be incredible.

[andy_leics22]

Looking at the met office radar nothing is coming inland really at all...

Agreed, no showers are going to make it as far inland as Leicestershire thats for sure!

I can't believe how cold it is out there even at 2pm. Our road hasn't thawed one bit and we have a bucket in the garden that was full of water and i just tipped it up and it's got about 6 inches thick of ice in it :lol:

This is the coldest 2-3 weeks I have ever known. It's been constant ice for 3 weeks now, a few days in the past 3 weeks it has got to around 4c maximums but the majority have been -1 to 2c maximums and that is seriously cold for daytime hours with the sun out aswell.

Just watched the 2pm News 24 forecast, very promising for tomorrow night. It is showing what I think is a "proper easterly", strong winds driving a constant flow of showers well inland, easily reaching the Midlands. I think more snow over the weekend is inevitable. We could be seeing 5 days of not rising above freezing, that would be incredible.

Really??? I didn't expect any snow showers for the Midlands until Sunday at the earliest :lol: Hope the ol Wash effect kicks off tomorrow evening and blows showers inland towards Leicester.

[stripe]

I got the one finger salute this morning because I was arguably too close to the car in front. I personally didnt think so as it was a flat gritted main road, a little icy at -10ºC but it didn't warrant the woman driving at less than 10 mph. She did have a rear wheel drive car so had probably spun all the way off the side roads from her drive onto the main road. It wasn't just me, she was creating a rolling road block behind her!

I do think driving safely and carefully and leaving a good distance makes common sense. There is also being over cautious, which in a rush hour soon leads to gridlock when cars behind are forced to keep stopping and starting often on inclines. That's how snarlups begin. If we all drove at a reasonable steady pace and distance and tried to keep moving it would be great... but then that's never going to happen.

agree, i've been behind two cars the last few days going way to slow and making me drive on the clutch, and inevitably it ended up with them getting stuck and holding the train behind them up, then they sit there and spin the wheels instead of getting out letting some pressure out of their tyres, i guess some cars are total tosh in this weather though i remember driving a morris marina in a 80 snow event,,now that was a total joke,slightest slope no hope