So Now How Much More Can You Take

[jy]

My previous topic regarding how much more of the bitter weather could folk take generated plenty of views and replies.In the replies the majority basically said weeks/months.

Looking at the forums at large,here and there are comments more to do with glad we having a break from it type of thing.

So, now that work,transport,injury ect are factored in if as Mr Fish has just suggested in his video,much colder weather returns perhaps [although he did not say so]with more heavy snowfall,is everyone as up for the fight as before?

This is non wind up topic,just interested to see what the core view now is having been through a substantial cold spell largely country wide.

[Thundery wintry showers]

I must say I was pretty appalled by a piece I saw in the Guardian just today. It was clearly trying to educate readers as to why they should all hate snow, presenting some of the weaker arguments in favour of it and ruthlessly dismissing them by presenting extreme examples of the inconvenience and disruption that ensues.

How much more of it can I take? Well, I would rather see milder conditions and a thaw than this dull icy slushy no-man's land, but that's mainly because of the cloud cover rather than the cold and snow. I reckon I could still take at least a couple of weeks more of the sort of weather we had from 1 to 9 January, when it was bright with sunshine & snow showers rather than this dull sleety stuff.

Edited January 14, 2010 by Thundery wintry showers

[Bobby]

I must admit I'm getting slightly tired of it now that I've had a good dumping of snow. I've never disliked mild wet windy weather, in fact it's my favourite weather type after snow. But now I've had lying snow most days since Mid-December (12-14 inches total snow this winter so far) and I feel I've exhausted my portion of it for this winter. Lots of cold too.

I'm now ready for resumption of normal service for my place - relentless mild, rain and wind.

[drgl]

I could take plenty more crisp cold but not this slushy wet cold we now have. Hopefully it will all melt away, dry up, start to freeze again only this time plenty of nice powdery snow to follow. (although it would cost me thousands more in lost revenue so maybe not!!)

[stewfox]

My previous topic regarding how much more of the bitter weather could folk take generated plenty of views and replies.In the replies the majority basically said weeks/months.

Looking at the forums at large,here and there are comments more to do with glad we having a break from it type of thing.

So, now that work,transport,injury ect are factored in if as Mr Fish has just suggested in his video,much colder weather returns perhaps [although he did not say so]with more heavy snowfall,is everyone as up for the fight as before?

This is non wind up topic,just interested to see what the core view now is having been through a substantial cold spell largely country wide.

Mild driving to and from work the rest it can freeze all it likes with heavy snow. However

I have got tired of the car sliding and me as well but....

I guess I would like brief mild spell (I found the last few days getting into work a real pain) then a big feeze down again, get that Jan CET below 0c

I would have liked the snow to just hang on where I live, but given current set up its likely to have gone by monday (but thats 3 weeks) we didnt here keep it over xmas but if you include that its 4 weeks + of snow cover and not half way through winter yet !!

[jy]

Dont forget we share the same birthday Stewfox the 9th of Feb a date over the years conducive to cold and snow,keep the faith lol

[Guest North Sea Snow Convection]

This topic causes me extremely mixed feelings.

In an ideal world, I would have liked an inversion high to have moved in - so that the disruption stops in the sense that the roads can clear and buisnesses can get back to normal etc but still meaning that snow cover on gardens etc is preserved with some starry nights and frosts along with pleasant winter sunshine by day. On that basis I could 'take' a lot more.

On the other hand, despite my adoration of snow - a continuation of snowfall after snowfall would become too much and would be a worry. I also have been concerned for the wildlife and the birds - trying to put food out for them in the recent weather. Whilst I am sad about seeing the snow melt away today, it has been heart warming to see the birds in numbers busying themselves around once more

On a recent trip back from Tescos, I saw a fox stumble across the road into the snowy bushes and trees and wondered just how difficult life was for it - especially as its leg was maimed .

So - very mixed feelings.

On the whole though - on the basis that winter is only 50% over then a break is a good thing to give things a chance to stabilise once more.

Hopefully more snow to come in the remaining weeks of winter ahead

Edited January 14, 2010 by North Sea Snow Convection

[jy]

A lovely post Tamara I guess the sort that im looking for ie now with some hindsight comment,based on going through the experience.

Just in case people think im a killjoy...........not true,love the cold and snow,but causing problems with my outdoor job and far worse than that,ruining my river fishing and football training lol

[sparky22]

Glad to see the back of this cold spell. We've had continuous snow cover since before Christmas which has made life very difficult. Fortunately there have been brief windows when we could get out and stock up on food for ourselves and animals, but we've run out of logs and have been unable to get anyone to deliver. We've sawn up all the old furniture in the loft and bits of timber that were saved for future building projects in our efforts to keep the heating going. Getting to work has been impossible without a 4x4 due to ice, deep snow and drifts. When you're self employed no work means no money. It couldn't have happened at a worse time if you're in the building trade.

Our hens need to see some grass, they're so depressed they've stopped laying.

I wouldn't say no to a bit more snow this winter for the children, but please don't let it be for so long!

Icicles have been amazing, haven't seen so many big icicles since I can't remember when; and there have been some fantastically clear sunny cold days where you can see for miles. The nights around New Year were pretty amazing too with snow cover and the full moon - very strange eerie light.

We'll all miss it when winter returns to the usual mud-fest next week!

[weatherobsuk]

I'd say I would like to see the Seasonal trend continue right up until Spring. That when the transitional stage takes over and the classic "Spring Showers" signals the first arrival of Summer. I could go with Snow/Ice on the ground for another Month or Two right up until March, as then when Summer finally does arrive it'll feel like the Seasons have finally come back into fruition again (rather than simply being dull, grey and wet all year round.)

[Thundery wintry showers]

A lovely post Tamara I guess the sort that im looking for ie now with some hindsight comment,based on going through the experience.

Just in case people think im a killjoy...........not true,love the cold and snow,but causing problems with my outdoor job and far worse than that,ruining my river fishing and football training lol

No, you're not a killjoy at all- a killjoy in this situation would be someone who was trying to tell those who were enjoying the snow to stop enjoying it because of the trouble it was causing others (like the aforementioned Guardian piece). You are merely stating your own perspective which is perfectly understandable.

It's like back in June 2007 when I was hoping for sunshine and thundery showers on my birthday, but would have taken a very different line if I'd been living in an area on the brink of being flooded. Some of us are in more of a position to enjoy the snow than others.

This cold snap has taught me a lot about my own tolerance thresholds for prolonged cold and snow. Up until around 9 January, I was loving it, and thinking "wow, I can tolerate much more of this than I expected". But now that it's gone cloudy and slushy, I'm getting a little tired of it already, and while I would prefer another snowy easterly provided that it brings some sun as well, I would also much rather have mobile westerlies than the current cold cloudy regime. It seems, thus, that there is a big difference between how much bright snowy weather I can cope with, and how much dull snowy weather I can cope with.

I find that snow doesn't look as appealing to the eye when it's grey outside and also less pleasant/more unpleasant to be out in.

[Bobby]

This cold snap has taught me a lot about my own tolerance thresholds for prolonged cold and snow. Up until around 9 January, I was loving it, and thinking "wow, I can tolerate much more of this than I expected". But now that it's gone cloudy and slushy, I'm getting a little tired of it already, and while I would prefer another snowy easterly provided that it brings some sun as well, I would also much rather have mobile westerlies than the current cold cloudy regime. It seems, thus, that there is a big difference between how much bright snowy weather I can cope with, and how much dull snowy weather I can cope with.

I find that snow doesn't look as appealing to the eye when it's grey outside and also less pleasant/more unpleasant to be out in.

My thoughts too. I suppose it's the old adage "you can have too much of a good thing".

[Thundery wintry showers]

Yes, you certainly can have too much of a good thing- but the other aspect to my point was that ironically, if it was still bright and snowy, I'd probably still be enjoying it!

There are, of course, others who are still enjoying it now, and others who were tired of it quite some time ago, but I noticed the mood across these forums change at around the same time as the dull weather set in, suggesting that there may be others in a similar position to mine, some of whom may well not fully realise it. Cloud cover is easy to overlook as a factor because it has subtle psychological effects on many people.

Edited January 14, 2010 by Thundery wintry showers

[Bobby]

It's bright and crisp here but I am still tiring of it. Maybe most would tire of it too if there was 10 inches on the ground like here at the moment. I suppose the knowledge that most of it'll be gone by the weekend anyway has an effect on my thinking. When it's mainly gone next week I might be wanting more I suspect...

[trickydicky]

I could take even the heavy snow right up until the last week of March if someone was kind enough to offer it to me. This is because this would present us with a once in 100 year type winter (maybe 1 in 50 year at a push), the type of which I have never witnessed and might never witness, so I see it kind of as a chance not to be missed that I might never get again. On the other hand, a stiff breeze off the Atlantic and heavy rain I know I will see a great many times more so this can be delayed as long as possible in my opinion. In an ideal world, if the cold weather were to last out the winter I would want it to be clear and sunny like at the weekend. This would preserve our winter wonderland and give us the most beautiful views of it. It would also let us work on our stats and get some low CET's for future generation's of Netweather nerds to gawp at, like we do with February 1986 for example. A handy side effect of this would also be relative normality.

I appreciate that some people prefer mild weather (although unless they grow flowers and/or work outside I don't understand it) but surely, safe in the knowledge that mild will probably dominate the next 20 years, you can just appreciate the beauty of cold for a month more?!

I also acknowledge that persistantly cold weather is tough for our little beasty's. But because of a lack of it recently they may be above numbers and carrying a few stragglers and could do with a prune for a healthier future gene pool? Anyway, most of them recover numbers pretty swiftly, especially small birds, due to their naturally engrained hornyness. Cold weather can benefit many large mammals, such as deer, as the cold kills off the parasites that maul them in mild, wet weather. Plus, I think their coats are more effective when its dry cold rather than wet.

Edited January 14, 2010 by trickydicky

[SnowJoke]

I love the snow personally, but not all the mushy mess when it melts. I'd rather have a good downpour of rain to wash it away than days of cool damp weather making things messy.

Cold winters and snowfall never used to bother people, with the exception of extremely bad winters. All the problems the last two years are simply down to this countries inability to cope with anything out of the ordinary. We live in country where everyone works in towns and cities, but wants to live miles out in the countryside. Children that are wrapped in cotton wool, who get taken everywhere in cars, so the thought of actually walking 2 miles down the road to schools a big no no. Then we have the ridiculous health and safety policies and the constant threat of getting sued which simply cripples the infrastructure and puts pay to anything resembling common sense :unsure:

[Thundery wintry showers]

It's bright and crisp here but I am still tiring of it. Maybe most would tire of it too if there was 10 inches on the ground like here at the moment. I suppose the knowledge that most of it'll be gone by the weekend anyway has an effect on my thinking. When it's mainly gone next week I might be wanting more I suspect...

That's fine- I was unaware that some places were actually seeing sunshine today! I was really just adding another variable (sunshine) into the discussion. Given the very strong pros and cons of snow, and the way the latter tend to grow and the former shrink with time, it is only inevitable that different individuals will have different coping thresholds with it.

I agree that the main problem is the UK's infrastructure, and things certainly aren't helped with our health & safety policies where the philosophy is that risk must be minimised at any cost. The latter can certainly be helped, but there's not a lot we can do about the former unfortunately- the less cold and snowy our winters are, the less cost-efficient it is to prepare thoroughly for a very snowy one. In contrast most of the colder parts of Scandinavia, Germany etc. are much more prepared simply because they get much snowier winters where large accumulations quite often stick around for long periods.

[thevalley]

Give me cold crisp snowy days over the mild mush we are about to receive. Biggin Hill kept its snow cover for a lot longer than surrounding areas and temps were close to freezing and below for more than ten days. Looking outside at midnight with everything white and bright is lovely.

Today is horrible with a damp heavy fog and melting snow .

Nothing to beat snow falling and if this cold spell was to be replaced by dry cold and crisp sunny days then Im all for it but I'm afraid its going to be mild rainy mush that is not enjoyable to walk in especially over muddy fields. The only concillation is that I will be able to play my club winter tennis again although our astro turf courts are brilliant on a heavy frost. :unsure: My wife son and daughter can get about safely is a massive plus but driving in snow has been a learning curve for them. .

[Drew]

I would like some good hard forst with London going into minus double digits maybe beating it's record low (-16C)... Thats all I ask..

[Thundery wintry showers]

Thinking about it, it wasn't just the sunshine that helped me to keep enjoying that cold spell- the frequent convection over the North Sea also played a significant part, and in Tyne & Wear there were frequent reports of large hail and even thunderstorms over the period. Often I get more excited by the convection than by the snow itself in those situations.

[stewfox]

On a recent trip back from Tescos, I saw a fox stumble across the road into the snowy bushes and trees and wondered just how difficult life was for it - especially as its leg was maimed .

I'm doing ok thanks for asking

[Andy Bown]

Like others I have mixed feelings.

It has been brilliant to experience such a cold, snowy period of weather and to have 4 ice days in the opening part of January was a new occurence for me. Two major snowfalls in a week, each with at least 3 inches and the second topping up remaining snow from the first, was also a new experience for me in 'weather I can remember'... I am discounting last February because, although that one week had 3 snowfalls, the cumulative total was much less and the first two falls thawed quite a lot in between.

The clear, sunny, frosty days (including a number in December and early last week) were excellent for my self-employed outdoor work. They weren't dangerous like being out in snow/ice/slush as has been the case since last Wednesday. I have taken a safe option of working from home on most days recently and today was just so grim due to dense fog despite being the highest temperature since 2 Jan at 2.1c max lol. But from a financial perspective I need the thaw, followed by drier conditions which look possible from Sunday, I don't mind if we get hard frosts and sunny days as they are ideal.

Since 16 December there have been just 3 days where the temperature exceeded 4c and in that time there has been 19 air frosts as well as snowfalls, ice days, freezing rain and plenty of sunshine - an excellent period of winter weather.

[Deep Snow please]

My thoughts too. I suppose it's the old adage "you can have too much of a good thing".

I'll think you'll find that saying is you can't have to much of a good thing. I am strongly in favour of more. But want it to be really severe where from coast to coast is covered in more than 3ft of snow all over, it will be a nice test for the british infrastructure. Looking out the window and although we got a few mm covering last night we are now back to a few icy patches in the garden and the thaws taking hold. So I'm ready for a reload, but don't mind if its put off until the full countries thaws over. Possibly ten days time after a mild period.

[Ripeberry]

I love the anticipation of waiting for snow to fall. Seing those dark grey clouds in the distance

during the day, or the orange glow at night. The first snowfall when everything gets covered and

willing it to carry on all day and night if possible!

The the first couple of days are great but once a thaw sets in, I just want it to go overnight so

we start with a new green canvas.

Also I've noticed that the local kids are fed up of snow after about 4 days, there's only so much

sledging that you can do :ph34r:

[John Snow]

My heart wants 3ft of lying snow with 10ft drifts

My wallet is crying out for a bartlett high for the rest of the winter as this last week and the previous cold snap cost me a lot of money