siberian winter

[western uk]

Apparently this sort of weather could last a while.

In the Sun today top scientist Sir David King a former government chief scientific advisor said that Britain was in an Arctic weather cycle called the North Atlantic Oscillation. The last one in the 70's lasted 10 years with heavy snow fall predicted several times a year.

So i guess we might have even more snow to play in on a regular basis as i remember as a youngster. Fond memories of the roof rack slick racing sledge that my father made, great fun !

[Rustinho]

Aha, The Sun...

Firstly, I've got my doubts about his objectivity about anything to do with climate change (to be fair, it's difficult to believe anybody about climate change these days because I don't think many people approach it with an open mind. There are so many political agendas on the table...) and this is perilously close to that.

Secondly, well... it's the Sun. lol

But having said that I was listening to a meteorologist talking about the exact same subject on the radio recently (he's the regular radio 5 long term weather chappy Philip Eden) and he thought that while a 10 year span of bad winters is possible they generally last between 2-5 years based on previous data on the North Atlantic Jet Stream (North Atlantic Oscillation stuff & gubbins).

Personally, I'm pretty happy with all this snow!

[western uk]

Yeah mate,
Snows great for a while , when your playing anyway, but all those poor buggers out there that cant get to work hay ?

Actually there was no mention of climate change in the article weather it is linked or not who knows. Some i do know is that its all swings and round abouts with the weather and every reaction causes an equal and opposite reaction. So good weather follows bad and visa verse that's how it works.
Any regularity is just speculation in a system that is totally random. They can only predict the weather in a settled spell so to speak.

As for the remark about the sun newspaper don't believe all you read weather its tabloid, full page or radio 5 news they are only trying to make a living. Like all NEWS gathered from North, East ,West and South it's all open to criticism and dogmatic ideology.

[Albannach]

Apparently this sort of weather could last a while.

I assume you're referring to the south and middle of England? We get 'this sort of weather' almost every year. Further up, they do get it every year.

The only difference this year is that the snow is a couple of weeks early and slightly more prolonged.

[Maverick]

This is the sort of winters I remember from only 20years ago (although this weather normally occured in January and February). It is also the type of weather we should get given our latitude. We have been being protected by the gulf stream, which appears to be changing coarse, if so this could be come the norm again. Summer during summertime and winter during wintertime, instead of some form of wishy washy missmatch.

[smiffy]

Well its cold enough here that a local Lochan has frozen enough to let people go Curling on it. This is not a sport for 3rd gen owners ! It's sliding a big bit of granite into a target marked on the ice. Think the ice is at 8" thick now.!!

It froze last year as well,the last time i can remember before that was over 25 years ago !!


............Might get the Surf across it

[Albannach]

Summer during summertime and winter during wintertime, instead of some form of wishy washy missmatch.

Yep, proper long hot summers, but perishing cold winters.

[Diezel Weazel]

Well its cold enough here that a local Lochan has frozen enough to let people go Curling on it. This is not a sport for 3rd gen owners ! It's sliding a big bit of granite into a target marked on the ice. Think the ice is at 8" thick now.!!

It froze last year as well,the last time i can remember before that was over 25 years ago !!


............Might get the Surf across it

What !! n be a certified "Ice Road Trucker"

Jess
"Cos short cuts can cost more in the long run"

[Surfer Ross]

I think "Siberian" is a bit of a stretch. When I was growing up in Scotland, it was like this every winter. The minute a flake of snow falls on Gatwick or Heathrow, its Siberian this, big freeze that. I think we need to get real, especially those of us in the South who don't know or care what happens north of the "Midlands".

[Predictable Bob]

Agreed !

There are several problems down here including:

1. The f*ckwits don't know how to drive on snow

2. The councils won't pre treat roads cos of the cost

3. Traffic densities are very high


Doubtless somebody that's less knackered than me will be able to add a few more

PS
The airports are screwed cos they're running at near full capacity and any delay will result in cancellations - if they take out a runway due to snow then you're looking at 60% cancellations for the duration. Comparing them to Sweden or Norway is stupid cos they don't get ice as the snow never gets warm enough to melt !

[Rustinho]

I was working in Essex in winter 96-97 and there was one morning when there had been a light dusting of snow, no more than half an inch. I turned up for work as usual on the motorbike and everyone seemed absolutely aghast at the fact that I'd ridden to work in it. There were quite a few people who phoned into work and had the day off because they were "snowed in".

I honestly couldn't believe it at the time but the recent "big freeze" and the way the south east has ground to a halt is not remotely surprising to me.

[gwh200]

Not surprising to me either. Especially considering there was a foot of snow through Kent and Sussex in a few hours, that snow fell and immediately froze in the -11 temperature...and all this happening in the busiest part of the uk...possibly gave gatwick airport a laugh whilst they cleared away the over 200000 tons of snow. Not surprised us poor fools in the south east couldn't cope.

[Surfer Ross]

Not surprising to me either. Especially considering there was a foot of snow through Kent and Sussex in a few hours, that snow fell and immediately froze in the -11 temperature...and all this happening in the busiest part of the uk...possibly gave gatwick airport a laugh whilst they cleared away the over 200000 tons of snow. Not surprised us poor fools in the south east couldn't cope.

Hmmm, I would venture to suggest that neither Kent nor Sussex would come close to being the busiest parts of the UK. That aside, BAA had ample warning of the incoming weather. Gatwick is not a particularly large airport, it has 1 active runway and one main civil apron area spread over 2 terminals. The simple fact is that they have been sticking their heads in the sand (snow) for the past 10 years, hoping that they'd get away with p*ss poor preparation for another winter then forgetting about the issues as soon as spring came each year. This year, their bluff has been well and truly called. Years of non-existent investment in de-icing and snow clearing equipment, let alone the complete lack of an effective snow clearance plan has come back to bite them in the arse.

It is no surprise to anybody with half a brain, that living 3500 statute miles north of the equator, we can expect to have a fair bit of snow and cold weather during the winter.

[gwh200]

Hmm...well venture all you want chap. The ring road round the capital, and the main road on and off the uk goes through Kent...which is why it's one of the busiest bits of the uk. East Sussex being next to east Sussex is in the uk top 10 hold up spot....I shan't go on no more.

[western uk]

Not only that mate west Sussex is quite busy