Here in London it snowed last night and is still snowing this morning. It's 6+ inches (15+ cm) plus deep on the ground. There are no buses, long delays on the trains and even most of the underground trains are not running (because most of them are overground for part of their routes). So I'm off work today!
So is it snowing where you are, and does snow disrupt things where you live? Every year here we have the same discussion - why does the UK come to a standstill when it snows when countries in northern Europe (Sweden, etc) can cope? (I hear that in Los Angeles everything grinds to a halt when it rains. They should try living in London!)
Most snow in 18 years, I hear...
Hull is much the same, I spent about half an hour digging out the car this morning, popped back inside to get my keys, came back out, and it was covered in snow again. I drove to work pretty much sideways this morning, to find about two other people had managed to make it in.
Still, it makes a change. The cat's loving it.
To answer your question, the UK just doesn't have the infrastructure to cope with such a dramatic snowfall over such a short space of time. Northern European countries probably wouldn't even blink at it, but for us, all this white stuff is utterly confusing.
Quote from: Cirius on Mon 02/02/2009 09:39:44
The cat's loving it.
That's unusual, or are you being ironic? Most cats hate the cold and the wet. My parents' cat would try to tiptoe through the snow as quickly as possible to do his business and then scarper back indoors again.
Cirius is right about the infrastructure. When it snows here (Finland) it only get about inch or two deep on main roads before snowplows come by.
If you think London goes to halt when it snows, then what about when they had snow in Las Vegas last december? ;D
I like snow, but I hate it when temperature goes above zero and snow starts to melt in to this annoying slush. I'm glad it's now 5 degrees below zero and it's nice and white out there.
And I've seen cats play in the snow so maybe some cats do like snow.
We had snow a few weeks back. Nothing really stopped when it was there. Even my driving lesson didn't get cancelled. In fact it was perfect for slip courses.
We had such snowfall for few days in November, buses delayed hours and stupid people get stuck with their cars because they ignored warnings all over media and their own common sense. There was numerous accidents too.
Estonia came to standstill back then. Our idiotic city officials were too busy with everyday corruption and forgot to check news on weather... So there was no cleaning of streets for first day. Also, miserably snow-stuck cars got PARKING tickets! It caused quite a media mayhem.
Skipping work over snow? Lucky!
I had to trek 5,5 km on foot through waist-high snow (no roads, no cleaning!) to get to work during those days.
It lasted only 2 or 3 days though.
Right now, It's beautiful winter day outside, and there's only enough snow to make ground white or feet wet in deeper points / non-paved & cleaned areas. It's quite cold, but thankfully, there's no wind. Spring is coming!
There is quite a bit of snow here, and everything is running as normal, except for at the airport with the planes going to London etc....
Though , Norway is used to snow and everyone is MADE using winter tires so :P.
Yup, edge of London is exactly the same. Snow as far as the eye can see. I'm pretty certain the reason things come to a standstill is that we only get heavy snow perhaps once a year, and as mentioned earlier this is the most we've had in 18 years. We stay at too much of a moderate climate all year round... but rain... yea we can cope with rain.
Hey wait... 15cm?? ONLY 15?
15 cm is enough to make your socks wet and let a bit of snow into your shoe.
Now how does THAT stop any transportation or permits working???
Our snowstorm (23-24 Nov) looked like this:
Full gallery here:
http://pilt.delfi.ee/album/100775/
We have about or a bit less than 15cm right now and everybody thinks that there's very little or snow, skiers and kids even complain that there's not enough...
Quote from: Peder Johnsen on Mon 02/02/2009 12:14:50
Though , Norway is used to snow and everyone is MADE using winter tires so :P.
Hmm, would be interesting if people would tell if they use winter tires in their country and what are the laws about them. In Finland it is mandatory to use winter tires (studded or without) from the beginning of december to the end of february. After february it usage depends on persons and weather, but you can use studded tires only until around easter.
At some point in Russia you had to have a warning sign in the rear of your vehicle if you used studded tires (so they could leave longer clearance so they wouldn't crash onto you when you brake).
Turkey has various climates in each region. The city, Erzurum, that my earlier childhood took place was on a cold region, it snowed frequently. Snow tranquilizes me, maybe because of my happiest days taking place on there.
It snows on this region as well, but not as much. But it does still and I love photographing it:
(http://beskrajnost.com/gord10/Sweet_Winter.jpg)
By the way, I remember talking about snow this morning on a journal in deviantArt, she was asking our opinions of snow. It seems like the harm snow caused was really extraordinary today.
Bush is gone, that' s why it' s snowing... Obama changed global warming just with its presence...
Moving further out Westwards, Reading (a bit farther out from London) is also subject to a couple of inches. I only woke up at mid-day, wondering what all the kids were still squeaking about outside. I'd have gotten up earlier if I realised!
I'm up at Elgin in Scotland. We've had a bit of snow here, but nothing drastic. It's the coldest recorded winter in 13 years though, apparently.
it's snowing quite a bit here in essex, which is lovely.
It's about 75 degrees Fahrenheit (~24 C) and sunny here :P
I'm surrounded by snow every single day of my life. Well, not exactly but it's not far from it.
And I hate it...
SNOW!!
(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/SNOWOUTSHIDEOOO.jpg)
Image courtesy of IndieBoy's webcam on tokbox :P
Snow here too. It's ass-bitingly cold at the moment.
I actually had the awesome experience of making a snow man. I know I've been around snow before...15 1/2 years ago when my mom married her ex-husband we (the kids) got sent to Oregon for like a month to live with our auntie on her goat farm.
But I honestly don't remember that very well. I was only around 5-ish at the time.
Anyway, in December it snowed here. None of it stuck on the ground, but there was enough on my truck to make a small snow man. I tried giving him a carrot nose, but only at the point at which I had my phone working again, which involved leaving the snow man in the freezer for several days. :D
Anyway, apparently the freezer had turned the snow into a solid block which made it effectively impossible for me to insert the carrot. Then when I did, I realized it was too large for such a small snow man...I tried trimming it down but then it didn't fit and UGH!
Finally I got it to stay long enough to get a picture of him. I'll post it later.
It's been snowing on and off here in Santa Fe, NM USA. Hasn't been for a while now though, my back yard is back to normal. I never used to get snow in Auckland (NZ) so it's an awesome change. Shoveling the driveway is not as fun as it looks on TV though :(
Anybody live anywhere where they do not get snow?
I got about 7 milimetres. Preston is such a s**t city :| .
My sister is in Preston this week visiting somebody, I think she's actually quite happy about the lack of snow.
Quote from: InCreator on Mon 02/02/2009 12:47:58
Our snowstorm (23-24 Nov) looked like this: [pics]
Sadly, this is how most of my winters look in Ontario, Canada. (except that we're a little more organized when it comes to snow; Cleaner roads and better snow plows.)
It's not uncommon to see at least 6 inches to a foot of snow on your car after one night (at least once a week). I actually don't see too many cars in the ditch and definitely not buses or trucks.
I drive a little over 60km just to get to work, and this year, due to stupidity, I didn't buy winter tires. Mostly due to Quebec passing a law where it's mandatory to have winter tires during winter, so Ontario had a large shortage of winter tires. I could probably buy them now, but with only 6-8 weeks left, I may as well just wait until next winter.
It has been one crazy winter here in WNY. Our winters for the past few years have had less snow than usual, but this year it seems like it has snowed every day.
Last week was worse. On Wednesday it took me almost 2 hours to get to work in a snow storm when it usually takes me twenty minutes.
Here is a picture I took about a month ago that I really like looking out towards my apartments parking area. It was a Friday and we got to leave work early, but what a shitty drive home though.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v472/skeith2572/snowyday.jpg)
edit: THIS WAS ONLY THE BEGINNING!!!
AAARRRGGGGHHH!
If only it were COLD!
it's too damn HOT in Canberra at the moment!
If anyone can relate "Snow bunny"
with "Max & Ruby"
then you'll know exactly what I did tonight to entertain my friends kids.
That anyone is probably A. McCormack :P
Quote from: BOYD1981 on Mon 02/02/2009 21:54:37
My sister is in Preston this week visiting somebody, I think she's actually quite happy about the lack of snow.
I feel so sorry for her.
This is the first time that I can remember in the UK that it has snowed, and the snow has still been there 24 hours later... yay, snowball fights!!
Snow: The Sequel! Slush!
Braved sheets of hideous gray death to go to Tesco's today. Not funny.
At all.
Hi All.
First I would like to appologise if I have seemed a bit negative lately in other posts. A fit of depression overtook me. Please forgive me.
Anyway how has the snow affected you all.
I can't help but snigger at how England always makes a complete drama out of a thin layer of snow.
Everything always comes to a complete halt when there are countries that get snow almost constantly and still seem to function.
My question is - What country are you from and how do you deal with snow.
Is it a complete catastrophie or do you continue, public transport included, to function normaly.
Just wondering.
Jay.
While the Northern Hemisphere is getting loads of snow, I know it has been one of the hottest summers recorded over here in Australia,
Especially in the South Eastern quarter. Record amount of days over 40 celcius in a row in Adelaide, was over 45 one day (over 113 F)
The morgue's are full down there at the moment.
Melbourne copped it too, and Sydney and Canberra to a lesser extent but still high 30's and are expecting mid 40's over the weekend.
I'm living on the Gold Coast these days near Brisbane (closer to the equator) and it hasn't been quite as hot, around 30 everyday sometimes in the mid 30's.
I'm glad I've made the move, the summers aren't as extreme, but still more humid than down south.
Winters are getting colder and summers are getting hotter all over the world, supposedly to do with global warming, but it's really hard to know as these things have naturally happened in the long history of the planet without our input, numerous times over.
Interesting times though.
There's only a couple of places that get snow in Australia and it isn't that good, most people into winter sports fly over to New Zealand if they want better skiing, snow boarding etc or go to Europe or Canada.
I prefer the beach to the snow any day
There's also floods in tropical North QLD from a Cyclone (Hurricane) and been lots of fires in the south, cause all the fire bugs come out in the hot weather
Not sure if this has much bearing on weather conditions, but with the Earths elliptical orbit of the sun. The Southern Hemisphere's summer occurs when the Earth is closest to the sun, while The Northern Hemisphere's Summer is at it's furthest point from the sun. I think weather has more to do with cycles of air movement and water currents though. But UV may be higher in the S.H. and with the hole in the ozone layer, skin cancer is the thing to worry about
Bah, I'd kill for some snow..