Drago's now traditional Winter 2024-25 murder deathkill slaughter annihilation apocalypse chaos mayhem insanity nastiness weather thread

[Dogtrousers]

I'm not so sure they really were that much worse. Though I think that depends a lot on where you live(d) in the country.

I grew up in the West Midlands, but have lived the majority of my life in London. Obviously the W Mids is further north and doesn't have the London urban microclimate so I'd expect some difference with childhood memories. But my memories (60s and 70s) are of snow on the ground pretty much every winter, for protracted periods. I also have similar memories of London in the early 80s. Now it snows some years, but doesn't hang around. But that's all unreliable stuff.

The biggest thing I notice is bonfire night. That was always when you were definitely wearing your big winter coat, and it tended to stay that way. Nov 5th these days isn't big coat time ever.

What I find amusing/puzzling are the frantic forecasts of blizzards and snow bombs and so forth so beloved of the Daily Express (and other rags). Why? They are always wrong. Surely that must be obvious by now. But people obviously react to them, or they wouldn't keep putting them out.

Average UK winter temperatures are trending up, but obviously that doesn't necessarily correlate directly to the severity of individual winter storms/snow in specific places.

Source: https://www.sheffieldweather.co.uk/Averages/MONTHLYAIRAVERAGE.htm

 

[Ming the Merciless]

But my memories (60s and 70s) are of snow on the ground pretty much

They are correct, there’s a met office page on it and 60,70,80s had many more days of snow. Not just imagined.

 

[Alex321]

I grew up in the West Midlands, but have lived the majority of my life in London. Obviously the W Mids is further north and doesn't have the London urban microclimate so I'd expect some difference with childhood memories. But my memories (60s and 70s) are of snow on the ground pretty much every winter, for protracted periods. I also have similar memories of London in the early 80s. Now it snows some years, but doesn't hang around. But that's all unreliable stuff.

The biggest thing I notice is bonfire night. That was always when you were definitely wearing your big winter coat, and it tended to stay that way. Nov 5th these days isn't big coat time ever.

Very true.

What I find amusing/puzzling are the frantic forecasts of blizzards and snow bombs and so forth so beloved of the Daily Express (and other rags). Why? They are always wrong. Surely that must be obvious by now. But people obviously react to them, or they wouldn't keep putting them out.

Well for this coming weekend, the met office have issued yellow & amber warnings covering most of the UK for snow & Ice.

Having said which, we are within the boundaries covered by those warnings (which run from midday tomorrow until midnight Sunday), but if you look at the individual forecast for us, Sunday is going to be far too warm for any of that (7-8C), and is forecast to be raining most of the day.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I think you have to be sensible about the warning

a warning for snow in Wides - i.e. sea level and sheltered - is a vastly different thing to a snow warning somewhere at the top of the Pennies

or where Mo lives

of course - sensible is not in great abundance at times

 

[Dogtrousers]

THe things I find amusing aren't the met office warnings. They are quite sensible. It's the regular clickbait "snow bomb forecast for all of UK" that tends to pop up with monotonous regularity, and are never right (well, no more than a stopped clock). I suppose people must click them, otherwise they wouldn't keep showing them.

I'll not be doing my planned ride tomorrow. Turbo for me. I expect it will be perfectly fine, but there might be patches of ice here and there in sheltered spots, so I'll not be taking that risk. Plus it will definitely be cold, and I get wimpier with age.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

Probably a Londoner

Probably

 

[Dogtrousers]

They are correct, there’s a met office page on it and 60,70,80s had many more days of snow. Not just imagined.

I had a quick search. I didn't find it - but I did find this, which is rather surprising

• The most disastrous avalanche in the United Kingdom occurred in Lewes, East Sussex on 27 December 1836. Eight people were killed and several houses were destroyed. https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/learn-about/weather/types-of-weather/snow/snow-in-the-uk

Lewes? Avalanche? WTF?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewes_avalanche

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

for about 10 years I used to live in Bangor in North Wales
but I still worked in Liverpool so I travelling on the A55 along the coast a lot - or same route on the train

AT the start of that time we could see snow on the top of the hills near the coast
It generally came - then went - then came - then went and eventually it would settle at the tops ans stay and the snow line gradually dropped until the middle of winter

By the time I left North Wales the snow never stayed on the tops of the hills that we could see. If there was a bad day or two then the tops would be covered but it would always melt within a few days

So - the snow line has clearly moved up which can only be due to the average temperature rising and rain replacing snow at those levels except on the coldest days

 

[lazybloke]

THe things I find amusing aren't the met office warnings. They are quite sensible.

Depends how they're delivered.
I got an amber weather warning of ice on my phone this morning, but not for where I live.

Maybe the warning needs to indicate if it's local to you.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I had a quick search. I didn't find it - but I did find this, which is rather surprising

• The most disastrous avalanche in the United Kingdom occurred in Lewes, East Sussex on 27 December 1836. Eight people were killed and several houses were destroyed. https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/learn-about/weather/types-of-weather/snow/snow-in-the-uk

Lewes? Avalanche? WTF?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewes_avalanche

Met office annual snow surveys, been running since 1936. Originally the RGS did them. Met office took over in 1954.

 

[grldtnr]

I was born in the bad winter of '62, so blame me if you will .the sea froze over in Sarfend, being that mild.....

 

[matticus]

Lewes? Avalanche? WTF?

Nothing surprises me about that place any more:

 

[Marchrider]

STOP PRESS - shock horror - It's going to snow in January!

are we going barking mad as a country - folk will be crashing their ludicrous over-sized cars all over the place next week

 

[grldtnr]

STOP PRESS - shock horror - It's going to snow in January!

are we going barking mad as a country - folk will be crashing their ludicrous over-sized cars all over the place next week

Yes they will, and good luck to them, vain glorious fools!
Well who ever thought that it wouldn't snow, and yet many wish it does, then panic when it falls I just don't get it at all.

 

[Marchrider]

all the supermarkets will be emptied on Saturday as folk stockpile for a month - the BBC seems to be doing there upmost to cause panic and alarm
Mind you - it might be bad, but they have called wolf so many times...