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What If? It was the coldest winter in history?


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Posted
  • Location: Atherstone on Stour: 160ft asl
  • Location: Atherstone on Stour: 160ft asl

Just a thought, are people maybe underestimating the capability of the national grid?

 

Let's hope they're not relying on windmills > http://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk/

 

Quite woeful

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Posted
  • Location: Beccles, Suffolk.
  • Weather Preferences: Thunder, snow, heat, sunshine...
  • Location: Beccles, Suffolk.

Let's hope they're not relying on windmills > http://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk/

 

Quite woeful

That would be the windmills that were disconnected, from the Grid, a while back, for producing too much electricity?

 

That's problem with vested-interests'/politicians' lies; they tend to contradict one another?

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Posted
  • Location: Atherstone on Stour: 160ft asl
  • Location: Atherstone on Stour: 160ft asl

That would be the windmills that were disconnected, from the Grid, a while back, for producing too much electricity?

 

 

So why are we wasting money on even more of them?

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Posted
  • Location: inter drumlin South Tyrone Blackwater river valley surrounded by the last last ice age...
  • Weather Preferences: jack frost
  • Location: inter drumlin South Tyrone Blackwater river valley surrounded by the last last ice age...

So why are we wasting money on even more of them?

 

it's called 'pretending to be Green '

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Posted
  • Location: Beccles, Suffolk.
  • Weather Preferences: Thunder, snow, heat, sunshine...
  • Location: Beccles, Suffolk.

So why are we wasting money on even more of them?

Because folks who own lots and lost of land, think that they're a money-spinner...

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Posted
  • Location: Near Keele, North Staffs
  • Location: Near Keele, North Staffs

I have no idea why people enjoy such extremes of weather, other than to say 'I was there when that happened' which clearly is an achievement of some sorts. I'm all for winter, but I love it for one reason - snow, not cold. Wouldn't people rather  we had a winter minima of -5 but have 50 days of falling snow, than say 10 snow days but have it -10 in the middle of the day? Not only does it cause the industry and economy plenty of issues, but it puts people of all ages at risk of losing their life - never mind the copious amounts of social issues. The football season falls apart and you can't go out of an evening because people can't be bothered to move. It's completely the same in the summer - why do people want it to be 35c when 25c is plenty hot enough to sit in your garden, have a BBQ, drink beer, enjoy evenings out etc - it's just not neccessary and as I said causes more issues than it's worth. Personally, it can be a mild winter aslong as there are a couple of memorable snow events. Too hot and too cold are no fun.

Yes I much prefer snow events and 'action' rather than prolonged cold, and for us in Central areas the best events are from battleground scenarios rather than prolonged northern blocking which is likely to see snow events for the far north, far south nAnd coastal areas.
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Posted
  • Location: North west England/East Lancashire/Burnley
  • Location: North west England/East Lancashire/Burnley

i love winter but as you say Ian if extreme means danger then just cold n snowy will surfice

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Posted
  • Location: Manchester Deansgate.
  • Weather Preferences: Heavy disruptive snowfall.
  • Location: Manchester Deansgate.

Yes I much prefer snow events and 'action' rather than prolonged cold, and for us in Central areas the best events are from battleground scenarios rather than prolonged northern blocking which is likely to see snow events for the far north, far south nAnd coastal areas.

 

The Midlands got absolutely marmalized in the two biggest and coldest events of my lifetime (87 and 91), agree that when your well inland, convective snow is overrated but smaller scale features can crop up at short notice in brutal Easterlies, late Nov 2010 here - 6 inches in about 3 hours.

Edited by feb1991blizzard
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Posted
  • Location: Bratislava, Slovakia
  • Location: Bratislava, Slovakia

Well, I said for some areas. I'm pretty sure it wasn't very snowy in NW England, but I don't know. That's what some people have said from the likes of St Helens.

I'm not far from St Helens and everyone I've ever spoken to who remembers 62/63 said it was very bad indeed, with snow on the ground from late December through to March and drifts still visible in April. It might be that other parts of the country had it even worse, but I'm sure it was still very snowy.

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Posted
  • Location: Inbhir Nis / Inverness - 636 ft asl
  • Weather Preferences: Freezing fog, frost, snow, sunshine.
  • Location: Inbhir Nis / Inverness - 636 ft asl

So why are we wasting money on even more of them?

 

I doubt they're a waste in the Highlands, where it is often very windy; maybe so in much of inland England though. Horses for courses and all that.

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Posted
  • Location: South Yorkshire
  • Location: South Yorkshire

I'm not far from St Helens and everyone I've ever spoken to who remembers 62/63 said it was very bad indeed, with snow on the ground from late December through to March and drifts still visible in April. It might be that other parts of the country had it even worse, but I'm sure it was still very snowy.

 

My ol' man often regaled me with incredible tales of the 1947 winter, but I can't ever remember him mentioning '62/'63 which was just before I was born. Can't have been up to much around here.

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Posted
  • Location: Dunstable, Bedfordshire
  • Location: Dunstable, Bedfordshire

Don't they turn the wind turbines off when it's too windy?? I read somewhere that they burn up - literally....

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Posted
  • Location: just south of Doncaster, Sth Yorks
  • Location: just south of Doncaster, Sth Yorks

My ol' man often regaled me with incredible tales of the 1947 winter, but I can't ever remember him mentioning '62/'63 which was just before I was born. Can't have been up to much around here.

 

 

Your comment is not really born out by the data from RAF Finningley, probably not too far from you?

It snowed on 20 days in January and lay all 31. In February snow on 19 days. Air frosts numbered 26 in January and 27 in February?

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I remember winter 1987 not sure of the dates.i recall going in the pub,no snow then came out about 3hrs later 8 inches of level snow ! Next morning I had a 4 mile walk to work from Boston to Kirton I climbed over a snow drift,up the side of a lorrie trailer jumped off the other side and landed on a car boot buried under the snow! This was on the main A16 road ,can anyone recall what month that would have been ? I would like a snow event like that again.

Edited by topher41
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Posted
  • Location: Outside Limavady.
  • Location: Outside Limavady.

Goodness gratious that makes 2010 look petty!

I think even though us young folk have experienced some very cold weather we still haven't seen a true snowstorm.

Edited by smithyweather
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Posted
  • Location: Lincoln, Lincolnshire
  • Weather Preferences: Sunshine, convective precipitation, snow, thunderstorms, "episodic" months.
  • Location: Lincoln, Lincolnshire

I remember winter 1987 not sure of the dates.i recall going in the pub,no snow then came out about 3hrs later 8 inches of level snow ! Next morning I had a 4 mile walk to work from Boston to Kirton I climbed over a snow drift,up the side of a lorrie trailer jumped off the other side and landed on a car boot buried under the snow! This was on the main A16 road ,can anyone recall what month that would have been ? I would like a snow event like that again.

It was most likely from this famous brutal easterly on the 11th-14th January 1987:

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/1987/Rrea00119870112.gif

The exceptionally cold airmass resulted in plenty of heavy snow showers being generated over the North Sea despite the high pressure.  Snow amounts varied considerably across the UK but many central and eastern parts of England had a sizeable dumping and I'd be surprised if Lincolnshire wasn't among them.

 

That turned out to be the coldest easterly of the century in many parts of Britain, but the winter of 1986/87 as a whole wasn't that cold, because December 1986 was quite mild and February 1987 was just slightly cooler than average.

Edited by Thundery wintry showers
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Posted
  • Location: Manchester Deansgate.
  • Weather Preferences: Heavy disruptive snowfall.
  • Location: Manchester Deansgate.

The first Friday/Saturday in March that year was exceptionally snowy as well - 8 inches in the midlands.

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Posted
  • Location: Edinburgh (previously Chelmsford and Birmingham)
  • Weather Preferences: Unseasonably cold weather (at all times of year), wind, and thunderstorms.
  • Location: Edinburgh (previously Chelmsford and Birmingham)

Goodness gratious that makes 2010 look petty!I think even though us young folk have experienced some very cold weather we still haven't seen a true snowstorm.

Would agree with some of that. December 2010 (and the last week of November 2010) were exceptional in terms of persistent cold, but there were no 10 foot drifts or anything like that, just level snow resulting from little wind. Having said that March 2013 was pretty bad in places (Cumbria, Dumfries and Galloway, Channel Island's, etc), featuring very deep drifts, but not around here! This might sound weird but I saw my first snow drift in March this year, just the one, and it wasn't even a foot deep. I'm hoping that one day an Easterly down here will cause behemoth drifts, I want to see real snow!!Edit: forgot to mention that my mum who lived in the countryside as a child has told me before about not being able to get out of the house because the drifts were so deep. And that was 20 minutes from my location. Why is deep, drifting snow so hard to achieve now? Is it just a case of unfavourable synoptics in my 17 years of existence in my location? Edited by 22nov10blast
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Posted
  • Location: Northumberland Pennines
  • Location: Northumberland Pennines

Would agree with some of that. December 2010 (and the last week of November 2010) were exceptional in terms of persistent cold, but there were no 10 foot drifts or anything like that, just level snow resulting from little wind.

 

You live in the wrong location - here is a shot taken 1st December 2010 here in the North Pennines. 106cms of level snow. We didn't need big winds to whip up deep snow Posted Image

 

Posted Image

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Posted
  • Location: Edinburgh (previously Chelmsford and Birmingham)
  • Weather Preferences: Unseasonably cold weather (at all times of year), wind, and thunderstorms.
  • Location: Edinburgh (previously Chelmsford and Birmingham)

You live in the wrong location - here is a shot taken 1st December 2010 here in the North Pennines. 106cms of level snow. We didn't need big winds to whip up deep snow Posted Image

Posted Image

Looks phenomenal. The depth of the snow on the houses looks fairly similar to what it was like here, maybe a tad less, which surprises me (or perhaps I'm completely misjudging it!). Loving the icycles hanging off of the houses by the way!

I realise my location isn't the best for cold and snow, but I've read and heard reports of very decent snow depths and drifts. I haven't witnessed it though! My parents talk of deep drifts in this area when they were younger, it just doesn't happen now though. Maybe one year it will happen.

Edited by 22nov10blast
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Posted
  • Location: Edmonton Alberta(via Chelmsford, Exeter & Calgary)
  • Weather Preferences: Sunshine and 15-25c
  • Location: Edmonton Alberta(via Chelmsford, Exeter & Calgary)

Just had a quick shifty at this thread..and find it more than comical esp when comparing the UK to Canada...having lived the vast majority of my life in the UK and the last 5 years in Canada..i can tell you the UK would cope fine..Canadians dont do anything different except just go about their daily lives because it is the norm...my lifestyle in a Canadian winter is exactly the same as it was in a UK winter. After the first dump of snow chaos enuses here just like the UK for a few hours or a day..then people remember its winter and just revert their mind set for the next 4-6 months no big deal.

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Posted
  • Location: West Malvern, West Midlands, 280m ASL
  • Weather Preferences: Snow! Severe storms.
  • Location: West Malvern, West Midlands, 280m ASL

I reckon we'd run out of grit thus making it much more difficult to get about, for deliveries of food, etc. Those on low incomes would struggle to keep their homes warm, the elderly would be particularly at risk of hypothermia. Perhaps the government would have an 'adopt an elderly person' policy so that those of us with warmer homes and a spare room could take in people for the winter!

 

Winter woolly sales would skyrocket, as would thermal underwear! If you could get out to buy them or get them delivered, that is! I think the economy would take a big hit from transport disruption. I think the majority of us would adapt, we'd have to, and we'd complain just as much as ever!

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