The Core

Why We Are Here => Water Cooler => Topic started by: Chunkford on January 17, 2013, 07:47:42 PM

Title: You UK'ers ready for the snow!?
Post by: Chunkford on January 17, 2013, 07:47:42 PM
Just been into Tescos and anyone would have thought doomsday was coming.
No milk, no bread, no eggs, no veg, no meat..... it's gone potty.

But then of course the whole country will come to a stand still if what they've been saying comes true.
We can't even handle a light dusting  ;D
Title: Re: You UK'ers ready for the snow!?
Post by: Gurtie on January 17, 2013, 08:52:32 PM
well we saw three flakes this afternoon :)

Our local shops all out of bread too.  Just hope it starts early and we get snowed in rather than snowed out!
Title: Re: You UK'ers ready for the snow!?
Post by: Chunkford on January 17, 2013, 10:38:08 PM
lol, heaven forbid.

SNOW DEPTH UPDATE: currently 2mm

Glad I brought those 6 loaves of bread now!
Title: Re: You UK'ers ready for the snow!?
Post by: Gurtie on January 18, 2013, 08:13:50 AM
in fairness, although there's not much depth, its drifting and I woudn't get out of the lane without the landrover. and the buses which have run through everything over the past few years are cancelled, so I'm guessing its not great even on the main roads.
Title: Re: You UK'ers ready for the snow!?
Post by: Adam C on January 18, 2013, 10:08:57 AM
Just picking up now in London.  Just a few flakes on the way to the tube this morning, but coming down much heavier by the time I got out.
Title: Re: You UK'ers ready for the snow!?
Post by: thesaintv12 on January 18, 2013, 10:19:43 AM
Getting heavier here in Berkshire.  The bin men have been though, they are much tougher than last year.

Stocked up on food, but might have to venture out for something alcoholic later.
Title: Re: You UK'ers ready for the snow!?
Post by: Chunkford on January 18, 2013, 11:40:03 AM
SNOW DEPTH UPDATE: About an inch 1/2 now - but it's that fluffy snow, you know, like a prawn cracker. Looks more than there really is :D
Title: Re: You UK'ers ready for the snow!?
Post by: Gurtie on January 18, 2013, 02:47:44 PM
I'm winning then, about 4 inches. No idea why everything has ground quite so badly to  halt (perhaps because it's friday?)
Title: Re: You UK'ers ready for the snow!?
Post by: Zwart on January 18, 2013, 04:04:56 PM
My solar panels, my car's "slicks", and I absolutely hate the snow. Penguins seem to love it tho. Grr @ penguins
Title: Re: You UK'ers ready for the snow!?
Post by: edo on January 18, 2013, 05:47:32 PM
I just went sledging and it was AWESOOOOOOOOOOOME.

Being fat definitely helps with speed.
Title: Re: You UK'ers ready for the snow!?
Post by: Chunkford on January 18, 2013, 08:22:47 PM
>sledging

Ah yes the magical powers snow has that turn fully grown men/women into uncontrollable children
Title: Re: You UK'ers ready for the snow!?
Post by: buckworks on January 18, 2013, 08:28:59 PM
Quoteabout 4 inches

Buncha wimps! ;D
Title: Re: You UK'ers ready for the snow!?
Post by: Rooftop on January 19, 2013, 08:02:40 AM
I get so annoyed that snow means "day off" to certain parts of the UK workforce. Our kids nursery closed forno aapparent reason. When I asked why they just looked a bit confused and said "its snowing". Royal mail used it as an excuse for a day off too: 3 sacks of orders sat uncollected in our office.

2 inches - that is all it took.

Can you imagine if Sweden or Greenland was run like this?
Title: Re: You UK'ers ready for the snow!?
Post by: Chunkford on January 19, 2013, 11:06:00 AM
I read somewhere that the government can't justify spending the money on an infrastructure to combat the effects due to we don't get it that often.
But yea, it was only 2 bleeding inches lol
Mind you where I live the main roads are OK now but the country roads are a no go. Many of which are main roads for locals to get in and out.
Title: Re: You UK'ers ready for the snow!?
Post by: Rumbas on January 19, 2013, 11:26:46 AM
Hahaha, brace yourself Brits. It's only frozen water you know.
Title: Re: You UK'ers ready for the snow!?
Post by: BoL on January 19, 2013, 12:31:22 PM
>justify spending the money on an infrastructure to combat the effects

that's just it and I kinda agree. having the capacity to clear every major road a few hours after they get some snow on them is probably too expensive.

We'll just have to wait for these self heating roads to get onto the market...
http://gizmodo.com/5417008/self+heating-roads-clear-snow-with-ease

they done a good job of keeping the roads clear in ontario canadia, typically before dawn. their roads are that much straighter and flat though... none of those dodgy/hilly scottish B roads to contend with.
Title: Re: You UK'ers ready for the snow!?
Post by: Rooftop on January 19, 2013, 12:45:28 PM
I have no issue with places closing and people taking the day off when it is genuinely difficult or unsafe to travel. I do also agree that any investment in that area has to be balanced against the need.

My issue is the "snow day habit". The fact that people default to taking a day off when there is snow whether there is any real reason or not. 

My kids nursery is a good example.  It is on a key route that had been well gritted. Access was no issue. EVERY child attending lives within 3 miles. No road in that area was unpassable or even close to it. Staff are all fairly local - certainly this side of any issues that came up beyond slow traffic.

They opened as usual, then decided to close at midday.  I have no idea why, there wasn't even more snow forecast until 5pm (which didn't materialise - but they weren't to know that).  I don't get it. 

With schools the issue is apparently (according to a deputy  head I know) attendence figures.  If lots of kids don't turn up to school & the school is open it makes their figures look awful. However if they close that doesn't count.  She offered that up as an explanation to me wondering why schools down south close all the time, where as those up-north (my sister works in a yorkshire school) stay open despite far worse weather.

Work shy dossers.
Title: Re: You UK'ers ready for the snow!?
Post by: Chunkford on January 19, 2013, 03:44:01 PM
>none of those dodgy/hilly scottish B roads to contend with.

You forgot pot holed
Title: Re: You UK'ers ready for the snow!?
Post by: Chunkford on January 19, 2013, 03:46:57 PM
>My issue is the "snow day habit"

I was hearing people saying we should go to the pub to celebrate snow day..... SNOW DAY! WFT!
Next it will be flood day :/
Title: Re: You UK'ers ready for the snow!?
Post by: BoL on January 19, 2013, 04:31:21 PM
"snow day habit" does seem to be true... society gets softer and softer. there must be a fairly big knock on effect when schools & daycare are closed.

the winter in the UK seems to have been pretty decent up 'til now. 10C plus for a few days too. No complaints or news articles about the price of heating but at least the snow is here   :D
Title: Re: You UK'ers ready for the snow!?
Post by: Gurtie on January 19, 2013, 09:07:12 PM
>> snow day habit

pisses me off. As someone with established homeworking connections, no kids and who rarely gets ill enough to have a day off, I'm feeling like I work a good couple of weeks a year more than most people in the office.  I don't even bloody smoke. 

Could I get beer breaks, do you think?
Title: Re: You UK'ers ready for the snow!?
Post by: IrishWonder on January 19, 2013, 09:16:51 PM
I hear you. I work most of the time I am awake, regardless of whether I'm ill or healthy unless I'm nearly unconscious. I don't know what a weekend or a holiday is, and truth be told, I don't want to know. Part of what I do does not require other people, but whenever there is need to get something from somebody else it quite pisses me off that they are not available at any given moment I need it.
Title: Re: You UK'ers ready for the snow!?
Post by: edo on January 20, 2013, 12:20:46 AM
This should be renamed the Victor Meldew thread  :P
Title: Re: You UK'ers ready for the snow!?
Post by: Gurtie on January 20, 2013, 10:24:52 AM
yeah, those kids screaming when they're having fun sledging. Tsk.

Title: Re: You UK'ers ready for the snow!?
Post by: Brad on January 20, 2013, 12:30:11 PM
I thought you all got Land Rovers issued to you?
Title: Re: You UK'ers ready for the snow!?
Post by: rcjordan on January 20, 2013, 07:10:15 PM
>I thought you all got Land Rovers issued to you?

No, I have a friend over here who bought all the Land Rovers. In an ironic turn of events, all the Brits have to drive now are Fiats and Renaults.

<added>
http://i.imgur.com/dsdR8Sm.jpg
Title: Re: You UK'ers ready for the snow!?
Post by: grnidone on January 21, 2013, 02:09:44 AM
I feel stupid.  I thought snow was common for the UK...?  No?  I mean...it is a good ways north...
Title: Re: You UK'ers ready for the snow!?
Post by: bill on January 21, 2013, 06:57:57 AM
Just a few years ago those global warming folk were lamenting that British school children would never again experience snow... hhh
Title: Re: You UK'ers ready for the snow!?
Post by: Rooftop on January 21, 2013, 08:47:41 AM
The north of Britain sees snow regularly & just takes it in its stride.

The south is warmed by an air current called the jet stream, which means we have warmer (and famously wetter ) weather than our position would suggest. It not only funnels warm air up from the Atlantic, but also creates a pressure system that protects us from cold fronts moving in from NE Europe.

How severe (or not) poor winters are is really dependent on the position of the jet stream in a given year. Considering we roughly as far north as new York, we get very mild winters.
Title: Re: You UK'ers ready for the snow!?
Post by: Chunkford on January 21, 2013, 11:29:34 AM
Keep a stiff upper lip guys, we can get through this lol
Soon it will be back to dreary wet weather we're so accustom too :P
Title: Re: You UK'ers ready for the snow!?
Post by: BoL on January 21, 2013, 12:11:43 PM
There's still 2 feet of it to melt


.
.
.

Title: Re: You UK'ers ready for the snow!?
Post by: mick g on January 21, 2013, 02:57:07 PM
Canada gets 15 foot of snow and can cope, we get and inch and the country grinds to a halt

(https://th3core.com/chat/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crystalclearideas.co.uk%2Fimages%2Flandscapejuice%2Fsnowenglandcanada.jpg&hash=bc8e00030b35af92579182080b027499e9e60731)
Title: Re: You UK'ers ready for the snow!?
Post by: JasonD on January 23, 2013, 06:10:26 PM
hated it! :)
Title: Re: You UK'ers ready for the snow!?
Post by: BoL on January 23, 2013, 10:42:43 PM
love the plastic bag sledge... fastest kind of sledge there is
Title: Re: You UK'ers ready for the snow!?
Post by: JasonD on January 23, 2013, 10:58:49 PM
It was very fast and we are very poor/unprepared so plastic bag it was ;D