[Closed] Snow warnings...

+1

I live in the Borders, we had a slight dusting.

Probably though connected to last Friday early afternoon when we had 4-5" of snow within an hour and utter chaos (schools finish at one-ish on a Friday). Loads of crashes, blocked roads, cancelled/delayed buses etc.

I'm the only person at work who has winter tyres on their car (very rural location, along hilly singletrack roads). A couple of mild winters in a row has made folk complacent IMO.

Coming down heavy now in Leeds

I teach in the Borders - hardly any kids in - clear roads - decent forecast - parents not happy I suspect!!

As b-r said - last week there was a few incidents including a school bus off the road so maybe the council have played it safe today?

We had the same warnings for snow overnight. There was little on high ground then a heavier small this am. Remarkably the schools have stated open. Maybe Scotland panics more than London?

lots of snow at home but the nearer i got to work there was less and less, got to work and everyone is puzzled by the snow on the car. "is that artificial?" i only live 9 miles away but there's a considerable altitude difference.

Coming down heavy now in Leeds

Whereabouts?

Been really looking forward to a bit of snow bit nothing in the centre.

Yellow snow warning = don't eat it!

Amber snow warning = drink more liquid 😆

edit- snow here this morning- chaos ensuing as usual, people abandoning inappropriately-tyred cars by the side of the road and eating each other. Save yourselves! [img] [/img]

Dunblane area had plenty enough snow last night from 6pm till about midnight, then it all froze nicely. It is quite localised though soon as you reach Stirling it is almost gone and from my Edinburgh office I can see Fife hills have a goodly amount too.

Rolling news editors have got to report something 🙄

You've got to cut a little slack sometimes, it's all got to be based on forecasts hours before the event/non-event.

It was coming down heavy in Newcastle, so would have expected it to be worse up in the Borders.

I'm all for caution, but this is becoming more and more of a cry wolf nanny state ..

Stirling Council a couple of weeks ago tweeted and facebooked a warning of fog on the way home - as a WARNING! DRIVE CAREFULLY! tone.... 🙄

Coming down heavy now in Leeds

Yeah, where Mick? Nothing here in Drig! Though looking over towards Leeds/Bfd airport looks pretty white....

Borders here, based on Met office warnings yesterday, Cooncil was well justified in taking the decisions that it did. Just turned out weather wasn't as bad as forecast.

Classic dammed if you do, dammed if you don't scenario.

Stirling Council a couple of weeks ago tweeted and facebooked a warning of fog on the way home - as a WARNING! DRIVE CAREFULLY! tone.

A lot of drivers clearly do need telling though.

Nothing much in Leeds up near the uni. Just damp with the occasional swirl of it. Nothing's sticking though, maybe over night?

Coming down heavy now in Leeds

I'm over by the White Rose, some came down for about 5 mins but has stopped now!! Glad I've got the snow socks in the car........

If they don't give warnings, folk moan like **** too. Can't win really.

Ajf and woody over in East Leeds not settling on roads tho hopefully it will bugger off 🙂

few interesting moments on dartmoor this morning. I think Devon County Council are being a little more frugal with the grit this year...

There is a suitable thread for discussing where snow is falling, just to wind up the OP....

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sick-of-the-incessant-snow-updates/page/16?replies=546#post-6870071

Reversed off the driveway this morning, and just slid cross the road! (Reading)

Oddly the house didn't feel cold, usually if it's that cold outside it struggles to warm up in the hour or so the heatings on for in the morning.

TBH most winters I'd have said it was OTT but there's been so little in central scotland this year and the weather's been so warm and wet, a bit of extra hysteria was probably reasonable. And yellow warning is just "be aware" after all.

a cry wolf nanny state

I think it's the other way around, they are responding to an increasingly blaming and whiny population complaining via media and social media when a snow flake falls or it rains a bit that they weren't warned and how it's such an inconvenience and why didn't anyone warn them or do anything about it and when will this end and who will compensate us

Whenever it snows now there is a live news team standing in 1cm of snow asking locals if they are angry and if this keeps happening to them every year...

Fife was frozen this morning,I think they are holding on to the salt until it hits -15 👿
Very twitchy,hope it's a bit better going home.

I think it's the other way around, they are responding to an increasingly blaming and whiny population complaining via media and social media when a snow flake falls or it rains a bit that they weren't warned and how it's such an inconvenience and why didn't anyone warn them or do anything about it and when will this end and who will compensate us

Whenever it snows now there is a live news team standing in 1cm of snow asking locals if they are angry and if this keeps happening to them every year...

This.

We were fortunate enough on Friday to be just near enough to the coast to avoid the snow, but areas 5 miles up the road had a huge amount of snow in a 2 hour period, that wasn't really forecast - it was forecast for high ground, which the area isn't.

The amount of folk moaning about the council and emergency services not managing all of the local roads was deafening.

FWIW snow tyres etc weren't much use as the roads were blocked with jack knifed lorries and abandoned cars.

matt_outandabout - Member
There is a suitable thread for discussing where snow is falling, just to wind up the OP....

matt - i started this one really more about the media warnings and the protectionist approach. I quite enjoy the other one 🙂

Given how inept a lot of people are I'd rather not meet the "I have a 4x4 brigade" on a snowy Road spinning all 4 wheels into a ditch.

Coming down heavy now in Leeds

See this is the sensationalist headlines that OP was on about.

Snow has been falling out of the sky heavily in Harrogate, but it was that wet, and the temps so high it was never going to cause the slightest of issues 🙄

Of course it doesn't stop most people thinking we are doomed though

I'm all for caution, but this is becoming more and more of a cry wolf nanny state

Or maybe just the inherent uncertainty in weather forecasting technology?

^^^ I don't think so. It's the north of the UK, it's winter. It snows, it usually does, why are the media making such a big issue about it now when they didn't do so 5 or 10 yrs ago ?

Not same as the recent flooding, which was properly catastrophic for many and not typical weather in any way, and indeed I think the media did a decent job with that.

I just find it a bit 'big brotherish' when we are getting so many snow warnings that don't lead to much that when/if there is a real risk coming we may have ignored the warning alerts as routine reporting....

Hardly sensationalist was it funkydunk esp when followed by not settling on the roads. Tip end

Same as everything else these days that involves the slightest threat. It's called the precautionary principle

It's a sad indictment of modern society when everyday life becomes an unacceptable risk

Heavy snow at Cannock Chase this morning at 5.30 this morning, pretty much turned to rain by 6, came in on the road bike with 25c tyres as normal.

It's a sad indictment of modern society when everyday life becomes an unacceptable risk

What a load of old bollocks.

What use are warnings or forecasts in general when no one takes action

Rode in last Friday on a frosty morning and nowhere in Glasgow had been gritted. A few proper squeaky bum moments on main roads with big icy patches.

Glasgow City council then tweeted this classic:

"Winter has arrived & our gritters will be out treating priority routes from 10am - read our winter maintenance plans"

Yes because no one was travelling to work before 10am that day!

Anyway don't worry I'm getting all-season tyres fitted on Saturday so a mild snow free winter is all but guaranteed!

iainc - Member

^^^ I don't think so. It's the north of the UK, it's winter. It snows, it usually does, why are the media making such a big issue about it now when they didn't do so 5 or 10 yrs ago ?

I've been assuming that it's just a way to keep people turning on to news/weather or to to keep them checking the media websites. "It's an amber warning for wind so keep checking back with us in case it becomes more serious". Keeps them in a job.

fasthaggis - Member

Fife was frozen this morning,I think they are holding on to the salt until it hits -15

That's all the other weather- usually they lay down salt pretty constantly but in a mild wet winter it all gets washed away so there's no point. Pretty tricky apparently

People still keep going out and getting stuck though. So one can only conclude they still need reminding.

^^^ yeah, but they are normal folk, we are superior ... 🙂

Pretty tricky apparently

There was sleet falling as I got to the office this morning. I killed and ate my workmate as a precaution.

We had proper snow last friday in Hawick, a school bus fell off the road to newcastleton. The councils reaction was, I think, a reflection of this.

Saying that amber warning, barely a sprinkle, school pretty empty.

A disappointing lack of snow in Harrogate, just windy again 🙁

^^^ I don't think so. It's the north of the UK, it's winter. It snows, it usually does, why are the media making such a big issue about it now when they didn't do so 5 or 10 yrs ago

They've made a big thing of it for well over 10 years.

People have always made a thing out of it. It's just now there is far more news bandwith to fill, so it's taking over the role of the gossipy women at the post office.

snow.. whats that? lots of grit on the roads yesterday.. now blown away due to the high winds and traffic.

Its been 3 years

Part of me feels frustrated with the warnings - again, it feels that we are in danger of crying wolf too many times....

BUT

Having witnessed the poor driving and judgement of many over the last couple of days and a colleagues lack of awareness over the trains not running properly up north from here, it may be needed.

The problem being, do the numpties listen?

[img] ?oh=b17eeb414dd1b2e56ef02ed334cc81f5&oe=57434957[/img]

Incidentally- there was no meaningful snow where I am, cm or so on pavements etc, roads fine- white at worst but easy driving. But I drove up the hill and holy ****, polished ice-encased deathsnow with just a little slush on top, some of the nastiest surfaces I've ever driven on. It can't have been more than a cm or so but it was eeeeevil.

(which inevitably lead to an epic sliding session in the car park, until my car decided enough was enough and the ABS shat the bed because it couldn't understand why the back wheels hadn't turned for 5 minutes. Got to get me a rwd car even if I only drive it for an hour a year...)

Or, to put it more succinctly; just because you didn't see any bad conditions doesn't mean there's none in your area.

[i]Borders here, based on Met office warnings yesterday, Cooncil was well justified in taking the decisions that it did. Just turned out weather wasn't as bad as forecast.[/i]

Wey on, you work for the council Frank. It was you wasn't it who made the announcement, and now just trying to justify it? 😉

Although I still think it's part of modern life that most folk are so closeted they just are losing the ability to think/act for themselves.