It's snowing!

[Pancho]

Both schools decided to shut until Sunday so we have collected sprogs and, once dry, will make igloos.

[nuttycyclist]

If you want to see what's coming, use the raintoday.co.uk radar - it's ace.

According to that it has snowed over Southend for the last hour.

Looking out of the window it hasn't snowed at all since 10:0

[clarion]

Snow?  Perfect conditions for promoting cycling

[DuncanM]

It stopped snowing here (just east of Oxford) about an hour ago.  I stuck a tape measure in the snow outside the back door - only 6 inches.
That weather radar tool implies it should be snowing here right now.  The forecast was saying snow showers all day, so I guess we'll see if any more falls... 

[Tewdric]

12.5 cm in our yard and still (gently) falling  !

It looks as if it went a bit further West than was forecast.

The dilemma now is MTB or run, run or MTB...

Same flumpy mega-dump here!  I'll get the mountainbike out a bit later but for now..

SKIING!!!

I've never seen shin-deep champagne powder in the Wye Valley before :^)

[Fab Foodie]

An hour to do ten miles, crikey.  Much of the main road just compacted snow, lorries parked up rather than take the swoopy bits, all very exciting.  Four inches at home!

A377?  Deep joy, nearly met my maker there many times driving one of my Dad's numerous vans to and from the Duke of York (in them days was an OK place, now it's tumbleweed central by the looks).  Still, you've some great hills to slide down <envy mode> 

[Bledlow]

We have lotsa snow here in Reading. About 15cm overnight (10 cm by 9pm), & light snow continuing ever since. I shovelled it off the garden path & a bit of pavement 90 minutes ago, & there's now a thin covering on the cleared bits. The A4 is clear (snow ploughed & gritted), but side roads aren't.

I'm putting some more pics in the gallery. Here's one to be going on with . ..


Mrs B's school is closed to day pupils today, but as they have some boarders, they want staff to come in if possible. It's 35 miles away, & the last bit is on country roads. Mrs B has been told by a colleague who was given a lift to work in a 4WD that they had to tow out a car (another colleague) stuck in the snow on the road leading to the school. Probably wisest not to try, eh?

[border-rider]

12.5 cm in our yard and still (gently) falling  !

Heh.

That was optimistic

Having just been out in it, it's about 20 cm.  Quite impressive...

I ploughed up into the woods on the MTB - following tractor tracks for most of the first part and then up into virgin snow.  It was really hard work on even quite modest climbs, and I  had two disc wheels made out of snow after a while.  Then the brakes froze up.

I had to walk some steeper bits, and got lost on some forestry tracks I run/ride nearly every day in the summer.

There's not much motorised traffic about, and some tyre tracks suddenly veering into the hedge in places...our lane is not drivable, and the drive has had nothing down it so we can't get our cars out if we wanted to.

[DuncanM]

It's started snowing here again now.

[Charlotte]

The office car park an hour or so ago when I went out to get some lunch:



Snowing heavily now in South Ruislip 

[woollypigs]

1metre of snow, some talk of about maybe closing the airport but didn't, just yesterday. Today still at school and at work etc in Denmark just as normal.

The little dusting we had here in London and two of the schools I should be at today and tomorrow are closed, tch 

[DuncanM]

The question is, is it worth making any effort to get the path/road/back garden cleared of snow?  They are forecasting that it'll freeze (-5) overight, and all day tomorrow, and then snow shower until Sunday (when it will snow properly again).
Clearing snow migh just make it all more icy.  On the other hand, the only sensible reason for going outside now is to clear snow, and I'm bored.

[simonp]

One of the nearby offices are in the process of making a rather impressive snowman complete with top hat and cigar.

[border-rider]

The question is, is it worth making any effort to get the path/road/back garden cleared of snow?  They are forecasting that it'll freeze (-5) overight, and all day tomorrow, and then snow shower until Sunday (when it will snow properly again).
Clearing snow migh just make it all more icy.  On the other hand, the only sensible reason for going outside now is to clear snow, and I'm bored.

I've cleared ours, have weighed the dilemma as you did.

I reckon that if you leave it then where you've walked on it will compact and freeze hard to icyness anyway, and persist longer than if you clear it and it freezes.

But I agree, not a clear call.

[nuttycyclist]

The question is, is it worth making any effort to get the path/road/back garden cleared of snow?  They are forecasting that it'll freeze (-5) overight, and all day tomorrow, and then snow shower until Sunday (when it will snow properly again).
Clearing snow migh just make it all more icy.  On the other hand, the only sensible reason for going outside now is to clear snow, and I'm bored.

I never clear the snow.  I like to go out walking in the evening and over the years have found that wearing proper shoes gives traction on everything other than the sheet ice where householders have cleared the pavement outside their propertie and it has re-frozen.

[MSeries]

I cleared my paths twice in the last few weeks in the hope that the sun would melt remaining snow and ice and dry the path up. It didn't and we were left with footprint shaped patches of ice until it snowed yesterday.

[DuncanM]

Maybe the answer is to take some old shoes and do what nutty did with his ice tyres.  Then, who cares whether it's icy or not?   Shame I don't have any waterproof socks.  
If I decide on this tactic, I must not walk around the house.  Or try to drive the car.  Maybe it's not such a good idea after all!

[MSeries]

hob nail boots ?

[Dinamo]

Just been given the night off, with full pay  .
Company says roads are too dangerous 

[DuncanM]

hob nail boots ?

Exactly.  Except I don't have any.  So my idea is DIY hobnails.

[Frenchie]

The little dusting we had here in London and two of the schools I should be at today and tomorrow are closed, tch 

Local schools closed when... there is absolutely no problem commuting today around this part of Nottinghamshire!

[Tim]

A couple of people from the department have been out and made a snowman. Looks like good snow for it judging by the rate at which it came together.

[Regulator]

Schools are being closed because staff can't make it in.  In a lot of schools the staff travel from outside the catchment area, so whilst kids can get there teachers can't.

There used to be an arrangement where teachers would go to their nearest local school of the age range they were qualified for if they couldn't get to their own school.  This has had to be stopped due to teh requirement for every teacher to be CRB checked by every school...

[border-rider]

It's mainly because these days a lot of kids are bussed in and out, and the bus companies can't/won't guarantee the service if it snows.

[Frenchie]

Great!