The big freeze 2018

[alison]

Most unusual to see icicles forming on stationary vehicles in outer London.

 

How is it where you are?

 

And do stay safe, everyone!

[Fiz]

It’s eight inches deep here and so many crashes on all the A roads mean that the army may be called in to move stationary traffic and abandoned cars. It hasn’t been like this since my youngest daughter was born in 1991.

[LinMM]

I've not known it so cold in the Brighton area since 2008. 

Back then it stayed at minus 8 for four days and nights in a row and as we live at the top of Saltdean we couldn't get car out for four days and had to hike down the Down with snow poles etc to get provisions....Great fun at the time.

However am ten years older now so all this ice not so much fun any more.

It s not quite as cold as then .....minus 5 yesterday night and minus 2 this morning. 

But we are forecast for more snow tomorrow. 

I do love fresh snow still .....just not the icey roads and paths if it stays too cold to thaw and then snow on top of ice.....NO!

 

Actually when I got back from London yesterday in a blizzard our heating had gone off and the boiler said good old Fault 27

This means no water supply to boiler so the gas cuts out( luckily in a way). It can be a more serious problem too but in the end after sitting in sleeping bags last night ( it was horrendous after 10pm) my partner did the boiling water on the external pipes trick and luckily it's all working again so pipes were just frozen ......otherwise would have meant calling someone out and a lot of expense if the circuit thingy had gone!! 

 

[thewinelake]

I would love to film Waltz of the Snowflakes in the actual snow.

[Jan McNulty]

I managed to get to The Lowry and back tonight, although it was snowing all the way home.

 

To be on the safe side, and assuming I can get back there, I have booked a hotel!

 

We woke up to around 2 inches of snow yesterday but it was a gloriously sunny day (albeit bitingly cold) and Chipdog and I enjoyed a walk on the snow covered beach.

[Lisa O`Brien]

My son Sean , [ who is now 21] has been volunteering three days a week at the local Cancer Research shop for the last few weeks to get some retail experience that will hopefully lead to paid employment. But where we are is semi rural, and this morning there were no buses at all running either to or from Newry. He stood at the bus stop for 20 minutes, and not one bus appeared. Came home, bottom half of him covered in snow, and got himself into warm clothing and made himself tea and toast. Our kitten Pumpkin absolutely loves the snow. Can't keep her indoors. She is either in the front or the back garden, diving in it head first, and then eating it. She's the same all year round with our chest freezer. She likes nothing more than walking along the rim when the lid is open and licking off some of the ice . Mad cat. By the way, Camlough Mountain, of which we normally have spectacular views of from our living room window, is practically invisible.

[Pups_mum]

My boys' school has been closed for 2 days now which is virtually unheard of - they stay open when every other school in the county closes as a general rule.

We've got a decent covering of snow, but it's the temperature that is really the issue I think, as a lot of the minor roads are covered in snow that has now frozen solid. Fortunately I'm off work today and tomorrow anyway, so I don't have to go out.

[Colman]

Becoming increasingly glum over the chances of making it for RAD in Birmingham on Sunday. Dublin Airport is intermittent, public transport is down and the snow forecast is spreading over the weekend. Boys are off school, jazz exams planned for tomorrow are cancelled and rehearsals for the school musical next week are cancelled, to be made up when conditions improve, which should be interesting. 

[Anna C]

2 hours ago, Pups_mum said:

My boys' school has been closed for 2 days now which is virtually unheard of - they stay open when every other school in the county closes as a general rule.

We've got a decent covering of snow, but it's the temperature that is really the issue I think, as a lot of the minor roads are covered in snow that has now frozen solid. Fortunately I'm off work today and tomorrow anyway, so I don't have to go out.

 

Bizarrely, this week my daughter's academic school has stayed open - despite closing for at least one day during every other period of snow in past years.  We have a new Headteacher, which may explain things, although he's not been in school for the past three days.  

 

[ballettaxi]

8 hours ago, Colman said:

Becoming increasingly glum over the chances of making it for RAD in Birmingham on Sunday. Dublin Airport is intermittent, public transport is down and the snow forecast is spreading over the weekend. Boys are off school, jazz exams planned for tomorrow are cancelled and rehearsals for the school musical next week are cancelled, to be made up when conditions improve, which should be interesting. 

Hi Colman, I've been monitoring Dublin airport too as my other half has been stuck there since yesterday tea time.  It's now looking likely that he won't make it home until Saturday night at the earliest.  

 

He is due back in Dublin Monday morning for another meeting - I think we'll be have a discussion about that !!

[thewinelake]

Enough now! In a crazy weekend of ballet, I'll be rushing between Cambridge and Rickmansworth in an attempt to watch (and film the former) CUBC's Swan Lake twice and EYB's Coppelia once respectively. Too much snow and ice could be very bad news... Wish I'd fitted winter tyres now. Fingers crossed.

[Anon2]

Winter tyres not helping here at all, nor four wheel drives. Only traffic that passed us yesterday was tractors. Trying to brace myself to look out of the window this morning but can’t face it as been blowing a gale all night. 

 

[thewinelake]

Where's here?

[alison]

(I keep wondering that.  I keep looking to the left of the post to see whether the member has given any indication of location)

[Anon2]

Norfolk/Suffolk border! 

4 wheel drives going no where due to the icy roads and drifts, all trying every way out of village then turning round and heading home. I live in centre and watching everything that drives past like a hawk in case I can get out, always disappointed when I see same vehicle few minutes later going back the way it came. 

Shanks pony only way out of here today as don’t have a tractor. 

[Guest]

It feels like we are under siege, local schools closed and my office shut since yesterday. My dd in Argyll is less than sympathetic, says its like that at school  a lot of the time (the washing machine froze in last week of Autumn term). Not sure how to retrieve click and collect grocery order - Thames Valley problems huh?

[Colman]

Elmhurst is closed Sunday, so that solves my travel problem.

[Melody]

We're in the middle of a dangerous wind storm. We've had the power go on and off several times today, but thousands of people have been without power all day and will probably be out for a couple of days or more. A couple of trees have come down in the back garden, and out neighbour told us that there's a light pole lying across the road a street or two over. It's affecting the entire northeastern USA. This thing is normally called a nor'easter, but this one's being referred to as a bomb cyclone.

Edited March 3, 2018 by Melody

[Jan McNulty]

Stay safe Melody.

[Anon2]

Different journey to work last night in a 4x4 fire rescue vehicle! Volunteers have been doing a fantastic job getting essential staff to their places of work. 

[Melody]

Is this still going on? When are your temps going to get back to normal?

[hoglett]

Misery continues here...still no boiler. Keep telling myself there are plenty worse off than me. On a positive, been invited to roast chicken lunch at my parents.  

[MAB]

It's a lovely spring morning in my corner of south London and the remaining snow seems to have disappeared over night.  I expect to see those other harbingers of spring soon, such as the locals walking their attack dogs and motorists cruising past with all their windows open and their sound systems on max blasting out grime music.

[Colman]

Lucky Elmhurst cancelled: what would have been my flight was diverted to Manchester! 

[Vonrothbart]

It was quite deep where we live.

 

[Anon2]

Yesterday on my drive home from work the local roads were finally clear of snow, so guess how thrilled I was to hear more snow predicted this weekend? Fingers crossed it doesn’t lay.  

[LinMM]

Yes I've just seen that don't think it will affect the extreme South luckily but not happy about the temperatures plummeting again ....stupidly for a UK person thought that perhaps Spring had now finally come!