Kent, Home counties and south London general weather discussion 25/02/2018 onwards

[Cat Clark]

10 hours ago, lottiekent said:

Not far from you in Hawkinge!

Full on gale force gusts at times round the house now and horizontal snow flurries.

Currently -0.2c, DP -6c (high was 0.0c in the end)

Not long now today is our day! ?

[NO LONGER POSTING]

3 minutes ago, CK1981 said:

I see a post above with snow developing over France. I hope that has our name on it for later ?

Yes looks good there and I think that is coming through here 

 

Edited March 2, 2018 by Surrey

[Nikkib74]

As much as I would love to say I'd at least seen freezing rain once in my lifetime, I'm really quite glad that we have none (as yet) in Haywards Heath. It was my main concern for today with the schools opening, not the snow, but how on earth I'd get to my daughter to get her home if the pavements turned into sheet ice.

Hoping for one last blast of snow today. We've had very little in this area, really only having snow overnight Monday and falling through the day on Tuesday. Couple of little patches left in the garden but nothing to write home about.

At this stage of the game I'm not even interested in snow totals or it settling. It's Friday, the cold snap is ending and I would just like to sit and watch snow falling from the sky this arvo.....with a beverage! Nothing better!

Thank you to all of you for making this forum so vibrant and informative over this period, your humour along with your valuable insights has made it more memorable than it otherwise would have been. 

Stay safe today and here's to one last blast  ???

[Allezwasps.]

10 minutes ago, Surrey said:

Met office "couple of cms" BBC 1-5cm 

The bet is on 

 

Met office odds 2/10

BBC odds 1/100

 

10cm would be better .....lets see.

[Freezeflake]

Tempted to leave work in Crawley now, don’t particularly fancy the motorways in freezing rain. 

[Memphis snow]

Freezing rain here in Wainscott can just about see out of my windows!!! Temp -1.5

[warrenb]

Chaos now in Kent, M20 closed between Jn 8 and Jn 3, sheet ice, M2 closed Sheet Ice, and these are the motorways, you can imagine what the A and side roads are like.

[kold weather]

1 minute ago, Allezwasps. said:

10cm would be better .....lets see.

Unless it beefs up more than expected thats probably unlikely. I think the idea of 3-5cms is about right for most, probably the lower end in the south of this region away from coasts, higher end of the range in the northern part of this region.

[Neilsouth]

Dangerous!! Freezing Rain

 

 

[Kent Blizzard]

No joke, I usually try defend meto when possible BUT this needs to be a RED warning.

Roads closing,  loads of people stupidly stuck sitting in cars at side of roads, freezing rain continues to fall let alone potential for snow soon.

 

Edited March 2, 2018 by Kent Blizzard

[NO LONGER POSTING]

light flakes just started blowing around in the wind 

 

[CK1981]

I swear these bloody weather apps should be banned.

I’ve tried to give a balanced view to my family based on what the models have shown throughout this event (along with some of my ok knowledge), only to be told ‘well my app doesn’t show that’.

The app then changes to show what I was telling them and I get ‘Oh you were right’.

No matter how many times I tell them not to take the apps as gospel, they still look at them constantly.

So frustrating ??

[Great Plum]

Looks like it’s drizzling in Reigate - hoping it’s not freezing rain!

[Memphis snow]

7 minutes ago, Kent Blizzard said:

No joke, I usually try defend meto when possible BUT this needs to be a RED warning.

Roads closing,  loads of people stupidly stuck sitting in cars at side of roads, freezing rain continues to fall let alone potential for snow soon.

 

Totally agree this is getting serious now. Nobody should be driving in this.

[Dipsy]

1 minute ago, Great Plum said:

Looks like it’s drizzling in Reigate - hoping it’s not freezing rain!

It appeared to be from what was hitting my windscreen the morning - roads ok though (well they were!). 

[stubbys]

 

Freezing rain in Ramsgate

[PLANET THANET]

where is our amber warning at least, what will it take, I have just heard the local forecast on radio and they said "mainly dry this morning" what a joke

[cobbett]

Steady light snow here in Farnham - could be in a decent spot checking the radar

[Convergence]

Two mates turned up on foot yesterday having got their cars properly stuck on the school run and were asking for assistance. The problem they have is they live on a lane that's steep, twisty and has virtually no traffic. I just managed to drive the first one out with the help of the two of them pushing but the other one was hopeless. It was interesting for me as my car is fitted with winter tyres and this was a similar car to mine but with "normal" tyres. The difference was absolutely incredible. On "normal" tyres it was almost impossible to do a 3 point turn on the flat and completely impossible to get up the slope on the packed snow and ice. My car in comparison was happily turning and reversing (even into the deep snow at the sides) without even spinning a wheel. Luckily I had a set of chains in the correct size for her car in the shed and set off back home to get them. Once again my car quite happily drove up the hill on the ice and bashed through a few drifts without any drama whatsoever.

We quickly fitted the chains to her car and I drove it back up the hill to her house. She followed in my car and was completely stunned by the difference. An hour of pushing, spinning and getting nowhere in her car, compared with just get in and drive normally in mine.

I've used winter tyres ever since working as a ski instructor in my younger days and even living down South now have enjoyed the extra grip, feel and confidence they give in frosty, icy and generally cold conditions ever since. This recent spell though has given me a chance to see what the latest winter tyres are like in proper icy and snowy conditions and even as a long time convert I've been completely gobsmacked at how good they really are. The lane opposite my house we've been using for sledging so as you can imagine, it's hard packed snow with sheet ice where the wheel tracks are and pretty steep. Not only can I drive up or down it completely without drama I can even stop, have a chat with pedestrian and then set off up the hill again without any issue whatsoever. Can't recommend them enough. 

And there's always the fall back of a set of chains in the boot should I encounter some really tricky conditions.

It's important to note also that I'm not talking about studded snow tyres (which are illegal to use in the UK), these are simply winter tyres with a tread pattern and rubber compound optimised for snow and ice.

For reference I'm driving a bog standard front wheel drive 15 year old Renault Scenic. The tyres are Continental WinterContact TS860 and I can't recommend them enough. I run the winter set on a spare set of alloys from a breakers yard but the other half (who simply commutes a few miles a day) has hers on all year around.

Edited March 2, 2018 by Convergence

[Great Plum]

3 minutes ago, Dipsy said:

It appeared to be from what was hitting my windscreen the morning - roads ok though (well they were!). 

About to see if we can find a slope with some snow on it nearby - hopefully not too slippy a walk!

[James Oliver]

Scenes of carnage in Dover this morning. Heavy freezing rain. Buses sliding, people falling over.... 

[stubbys]

 

Weird never seen it before

[ajkwilson]

Just now, James Oliver said:

Scenes of carnage in Dover this morning. Heavy freezing rain. Buses sliding, people falling over.... 

Already had the other half calling in tears... Sheet ice in Tunbridge Wells....Slipped and smashed the back of her head and she was in boots!..... not safe out there at all

[Come rain snow or shine]

6 minutes ago, CK1981 said:

I swear these bloody weather apps should be banned.

I’ve tried to give a balanced view to my family based on what the models have shown throughout this event (along with some of my ok knowledge), only to be told ‘well my app doesn’t show that’.

The app then changes to show what I was telling them and I get ‘Oh you were right’.

No matter how many times I tell them not to take the apps as gospel, they still look at them constantly.

So frustrating ??

Tell them this - hot off the press from the latest met office vid this a.m.: in the south [Berks included], snow on and off throughout the day, expecially a bit later,  e.g. after 3 or 4 p.m. when it should be a proper band of snow, moving north. Yes, they might see the wind is an easterly/east north easterly, but the band will be moving north. The snowfall today might be light at times, could be moderate or heavy with that band. Tonight, might turn to rain or freezing rain, briefly, before stopping. Tell them to shove their apps into a snowman  ... oops snow person.  

[Snowpuff]

More freezing rain/ice pellets in Margate just now