Whimpish Britain panics over a little forecast snow

[The PIT]

Jeez never had this problem when I was a lad. It snowed you got on with it.
The snow even hasn't turned up yet and of course theres a good chance it won't. However it's already making the news special plans are being put into operation.
This is what likely to happen. The cold air isn't as cold as expected so any Snow is for highest ground only mainly in Scotland. If it does arrive.

1) 1mm of snow brings gridlock as drivers panic.

2) 1mm of snow and a moderate breeze brings down power cables. People without power for several days but hey thats progress. These private companies know how do thier stuff.

3) Railways grind to a halt due to the wrong type of snow.

What happened to the days when you had a foot of snow the power stayed on and the traffic still moved albiet slowly. Trains didn't stop. The only places that did struggle were isolated villages and places that were high up.

[DukeP]

Well.
The differeces being that today, most places are "high up"..


~~DukeP~~

[cbman]

Yeah I'd say that's funny... we got a foot of snow in 7 hours and well... I still drove home (8Km) on roads where the snow was plowing off the front of the car and I went through one drift that was about 4ft high and 12ft long... (Of course for that one I got out and made sure it was fluffy before sledding across it in the mustang)... LOL... sure was fun though. (oh and it's just a balmy -17c or something right now... )

[gt40]

Originally posted by cbman
sledding across it in the mustang)... LOL... sure was fun though.

I remember once leaving home for work. twas a little cold, but clear none the less so I decided to take my mustang to work, just cause I hadn't driven it in a while.

The highway was a mere 15 minutes from my house, but before I could make it there it started to snow like mad.
No problem I thought I should be able to make it, so onward I went.
I quickly changed my mind though, as the snow started to build up on the road, get melted by traffic and refreeze as Ice. I did a couple 360 deg turns trying to get back home, and got stranded at the bottom of a slight incline in the parking lot of a donut shop (it took three kind gentlemen pushing me 10 minutes to get me in the parking lot).
2 hours later, after the salt trucks came by I finally made it home - got in the pickup and went to work - 4 hours late

[Paddy]

LOL @ wrong type of snow

[The PIT]

Well the weather warnings are up and met office is getting excited.

Real Weather = Excite factor/ten

Conclussion a few snow flurries next week.

I hope it turns up haven't had a good freeze for years.

[The PIT]

Daftess thing I ever had was driving all the way back from Leeds in a blizzard. Didn't skid or anything at all got close to home traffic stopped and I couldn't get up this temprary bridge. Luckily the person behind me didn't get up my ass so I turned round and went round the back way. Passed a few other stranded cars got to the bottom of my road and couldn't get up. That so far has been the only time I haven't got up my road.

[Brian Ellis]

in the UK, Kent is usually paralysed at least once per year with snow. Kent County Council invariably are surprised and do nothing other than to tell people to stay at home!

One of the problems on the roads is that a) the average British motorist has no idea how to drive in snow and b) the average British car has tyres which are totally unsuitable for use in snow.

In the 35 years that I lived in Switzerland, only on one occasion was the region I lived in (Lausanne) paralysed, when there was an overnight snowfall of over one metre on a Sunday. Everybody took snowfalls of a few tens of centimetres in their stride. By the way, the lowest parts of Lausanne are 400 metres above sea level.

[The PIT]

Well to point A we used to know how too. It's very rare for Snow theses days. Point B probably true.

Looking at the Weather Models it's only going to last a few days and should be warm by Friday again.