Snow Watch

[Jimaroid]

It's been amazing here. We live on the leeward side of a hill and the wind has been drifting the snow off the hills behind us into our road. Periods of complete whiteout following by sunshine, it's very pretty but we're starting to get a little bit of cabin fever.

Had a good laugh yesterday morning. Opened the curtains first thing and didn't think it looked too bad, just as I was thinking that one of our neighbours slid past down the hill going sideways in his Maserati. I helped dig him out and abandoned any thought of getting my humble Panda anywhere.

It's time like this when I miss the 4x4's I used to tinker with.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Course closed, range closed. Thank heavens for the puttout. Lying quite heavy in places and I can't see it thawing and worried what the wind will be doing on the course in terms of drifting. Been quite heavy in Reading at times today, and a lot forecast for tonight and not looking forward to the journey in tomorrow morning. Funnily enough, the simulator at my local range is fully booked for Saturday.

 

[pokerjoke]

We are now getting some seriously heavy snow and its in for a while.
The weather forecasters really got this drastically wrong.
Moving house tomorrow supposedly.

 

[upsidedown]

We are now getting some seriously heavy snow and its in for a while.
The weather forecasters really got this drastically wrong.
Moving house tomorrow supposedly.

?? This was forecast at least 10 days ago Tony and Countryfile forecast on Sunday had it pretty much to the hour for today . Hope house move goes well for you :thup:

 

[PJ87]

My plans for tomorrow are basically done for. We booked the day off a while back with the intention to have a round of golf, but that won't happen now. As a back-up plan we thought we'd go to Top Golf in Watford, but that's currently closed as well. No idea what we're going to do now. Suggested going to Junkyard Golf in London just to do something golf-related but it's a bit of a long round trip! Any ideas??

My mate raves about the golf sim near him in mill hill... indoor. £10 per person per hour I think maybe more but means u can play a round of golf inside

 

[BubbaP]

Saunton cancelled, not a drop of the white stuff to be seen and a red alert in the SW. The panic over the UK because people have forgotten how to drive in snow and walk when required.

Bad luck. Wonder if some has now arrived or will this evening?

 

[matt71]

Ruddy snow is a pain in backside .

Had to cancel a birthday trip for my missus and me to Hoylake tomoz, hotel and everything

 

[Fish]

Some of the worse driving and basic weather conditions I've been out in I think, and considering where I've been around the world, that's saying something!

I had an early drop at 8am to Solihull and it was all clear although bitterly cold. I then collected out of Leicester and delivered to Manchester (Prestwich), the M1 northbound was starting to get some snow but was running OK, then as I crossed the A50 to pick up the M6 it was very evident as I was going north west the weather was closing in quickly.

As I left the M6 which for once I flew through the road works, all kind of crap started to happen. News of most of the main motorways or A roads in and around Manchester were closed due to accidents or close to closing due to severe snow and winds so I had to do some serious detours.

After delivering to Prestwich I then had a collection out of Burnley to take back to Solihull. With more road closures I had to attempt the A56 which was the scariest thing I've driven up, the snow blowing off the hills & fields engulfed the van in seconds and the road was almost impossible to drive up, so many high powered cars with rear wheel drive and no handbrakes were having to be abandoned, but passing them was a task in it's own right!

Got to Burnley and again so many lorries stuck that couldn't get up (or was too risky to come down) the steep hills all around the area. Got my collection then got on the M65 which had snow again blowing off the hills that if you didn't notice the foggy blizzard like clouds in the distance, you would hit a sheet of snow 3m wide and quite deep strewn across all 3 lanes like a dangerous white icy stripe, the winds were crazy strong and if you didn't notice this hazard, you'd be offski!!

I got back to Solihull were I started at 8am some 11 hours later and it was completely snowed in all over and gridlocked everywhere, a hugely different scenario to how it looked in the morning.

I'm not risking anything south today, or east, or west and definitely not north, so........I think I might take the day off unless someone dangles a really big juicy carrot oo:

#VictimOfTheBeast

 

[srixon 1]

Freezing rain during the night on top of the snow. The whole of Weymouth is a giant ice rink. Rain drops are frozen solid to the windows.

 

[Imurg]

I blame my Mum...
She's been saying for years it's about time we had a proper Winter....

 

[FairwayDodger]

I’m stuck in Paris. Over here for work and meant to be going home yesterday. Got on a flight for today but then it was cancelled too. Can’t get on a flight tomorrow so coming home Sunday evening! Hopefully!!!

 

[bobmac]

At least all this cold weather will have killed off all the bugs and beasties.

 

[Old Skier]

Having been based in Germany for most of my time the only thing that is highlighted here is how unprepared we are to deal with snow. Perhaps it's because it's a once in a blue moon event and we arnt willing to spend money to deal with it.

The worst bit is the complete lack of communication and mobile assistance for those trapped for which there is know excuse.

This country always reacts to slow with no preperation or real planning.

 

[upsidedown]

Took HiD to work at Stoke Hospital at 6am and many thanks to the farmer for clearing the road otherwise would not have made it. Plenty of drifting on the A519, down to one lane at times but passable. Took an hour and back home safely, for noe need to pick up at 8 tonight !!
Now where's my porridge ?

 

[patricks148]

Having been based in Germany for most of my time the only thing that is highlighted here is how unprepared we are to deal with snow. Perhaps it's because it's a once in a blue moon event and we arnt willing to spend money to deal with it.

The worst bit is the complete lack of communication and mobile assistance for those trapped for which there is know excuse.

This country always reacts to slow with no preperation or real planning.

Highland Council used to be very well prepared up until about 5 years ago. Mainly budget cut backs, even the trunk roads were pretty good.

With the council a lot of the snow plow vehicles were coming to the end of there lives so, they didn't replace as many. also they had a load of guys who worked for the parks dept and during winter they drove the extra SP and did the pavement gritting and clearing. they put grass cutting out to tender and laid most off or moved them to other less flexible jobs. so no there are none of these guys to call on when we do get a load of snow. Which at the moment we don't Inverness is clear. Though not up north or East of here. The main road up here the A9 used to be well cleared and gritted, not so much now though, for sim reasons.

I worked for a small publishing company for a couple of years which was in Carrbridge 25 miles away which is close to Aviemore. They get a lot of snow up there and i never failed to get to work once in those two years. on many occasions i was the only one in when people who lived maybe a couple of miles away couldn't. I'm not sure this would be the case anymore

 

[rudebhoy]

No snow overnight, but no sign of it shifting either.

Course closed over the w/e, next inspection Monday morning, hopefully will be getting better by then!

 

[CliveW]

The problem here is the type of snow and the wind. It is so dry that it doesn't settle and the winds are lifting it off the fields and forming drifts on the roads. Where I live it is extremely flat and yesterday I spent most of the day clearing the road with a JCB, some parts of the road there was hardly any snow cover and others, the drifts were three feet deep, but almost as soon as I had cleared it, the snow closed in again. At one point I came across a 4WD that had hit a drift so hard that it had broken the steering rack leaving it stranded in the ditch. A recovery truck had come out to collect it and it in turn got stuck by going in to the ditch so another had to be called for. By the time it arrived the 4WD was completely covered by drifting snow. As far as I know they are still there this morning!

 

[PhilTheFragger]

This tickled old Fragger

 

[jim8flog]

Not good for our region. We made the National News.

The main road to the West (A303) became blocked yesterday afternoon and drivers have been stuck on it all night. A long section of it, just after where I live, has been closed and looks to remain closed for the foreseeable time.

 

[jim8flog]

Having been based in Germany for most of my time the only thing that is highlighted here is how unprepared we are to deal with snow. Perhaps it's because it's a once in a blue moon event and we arnt willing to spend money to deal with it.

This country always reacts to slow with no preperation or real planning.

Therein lies the problem. Where I have lived for more than 30 years we have only had snow about 5 times in that time, last time being 2010, the lying snow has normally gone within less than a week sometimes just a couple of days.

The local and county council are very prepared to lay down grit, which has been going on all week, but there only so many roads they can do within the time and grit would simply not work in the conditions we had yesterday.