Weather / Traffic Reports Please

[Redfraggle]

We had a big thaw today and it was worse than the snow. I went sliding backwards down the street this morning and grabbed a big handful of the neighbour's hedge to stop myself. Of course, I broke the hedge but at least I didnt fall

Then our heating broke in nursery school and the caretaker's house has burst pipes. A neighbours pipes also burst which he only discovered when he got a call to say he had been burgled. How's that for a bad day?

[Bunnylump]

Ow, that really is a poo day. Glad you managed to save yourself Fraggle.

[kathlyn]

We're getting more white stuff on top of what's already there YUK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[tricia]

Take care and don't go out if you can help it
Tricia

[giraffe]

Been snowing all morning here. I think I'll set off early to fetch the kids, so that we're not coming home in the dark. Fernando phone from the bus this morning to say it was snowing heavily and the traffic was slower than walking pace. I think he was hoping I'd tell them to get off and catch a bus back in the other direction.

[Bunnylump]

>WARNING - RANT<

I got up at 7am to find another massive dump of snow (which hadn't been predicted). Damned school is still open, so Janet and I walked the 3 miles in (snowing heavily all the way). One of the kids from her road was leaving in a 4X4 at the same time as us. They got there the same time. The roads were lethal - going up to the top of the hill we were presented with the sight of a transit van, wheels locked, sliding down the road towards us. There were abandoned cars and crashes all over the shop, including one car on its roof near the school. 2 other colleagues from my department (one of whom has further to go than me and is 62) also made it in. When we got there it transpired that the school was shutting at 12 o clock, and there were more staff than students. So we didn't have anything to do.

Now, I can see the point of opening the school for the AS levels and GCSEs with a skeleton staff. What I CAN'T understand is why all the other students (and therefore teachers) had to go in. They could very easily have set work for the students to do at home on the school website. It seems ridiculous to me to risk lives just for the sake of making the figures look good.

Grrrrrr.

Tomorrow we have GCSE science to contend with - I've had to enlist the HEADTEACHER and three assistant headteachers to read to some of the kids with access arrangements. This should be amusing. Can't wait to see the kid's faces...
>Rant over<

[Laura]

Well, my school was open too, but we had to put pieces of carpet across the carpark so that the kids and staff could get to the door, because the school is on a hill and the whole place was covered in black ice. Our headteacher was watching the websites, because it's an independent school, and they won't close unless another independent school in the area does, or they think they'll look bad. I personally think it would look worse if a student falls and breaks their leg, but never mind.

[kathlyn]

bumped this up in view of the terrible weather in N Ireland and Scotland.

hope fraggle is keeping her head above the snow and all other PBers in snowy environs are ok.

[tricia]

no snow in Clydebank - snow all round within a distance of 10 miles. Horrible story of a bus crash carrying children to alton towers from a school in lanarkshire. the bus crashed killing a 17 year old - the weather apparantly was at fault.

tricia

[LAT]

Yes very sad that.
I heard on the radio that one mother refused to let her son go as she thought the weather was too bad. How difficult to be proved right in such a manner.

[gill216]

Seems appropriate to revive this thread.

Leeds has very little snow where I am -but if it freezes , personally we could be in trouble because of the slope on our drive.

[giraffe]

It's predicted to arrive here tonight. It's been -12 degrees the last couple of nights, so the half centimetre we had on Saturday is hanging around.

[strep98]

OH is supposed to be in Middesborough for his grandmother funeral tomorrow, but I don't think he will be travelling because of the weather forecast

[Bunnylump]

We don't have any yet but it is forecast for tonight. My son (who's in Falmouth) has a couple of inches of snow. He says it's so unusual there that all the locals are totally freaked out. They're all driving at about 5mph even on the gritted, cleared main road...

Desperately hoping to get the "cascade" phone call from work. There would be nothing I'd like better than to be able to ring round all 11 of my staff and tell them to stay in bed or get their sledges out!! (OF COURSE I'm conscientious and dedicated. Whatever else could you think??? )

[Laura]

That you simply enjoy giving other people good news, obviously!!! We've been told that our school will definitely not be closing, because the majority of the staff live closer than the students. But, as I don't get paid unless I teach, it's better for me to get there anyway.

We have had more snow again tonight (W.Yorks), but not too much, and all the main raods had cleared from last week. It's just getting on to the main roads that's the problem.

[clvrlad]

pretty good snow coverage (which im loving)
but the roads are clear enough to drive on but congested because everyone's going slow
(near Middlesbrough btw )

[MBH]

Overnight coverages of snow in the region of 12-inches, 8-inches, 10-inches, and finally last night about an inch. I'll do a proper update when I have time, but needless to say, things are manic in the estates and side streets [and don't mention 'bl***y public transport ]

[dramaticat]

We got our first snow today in Kent. It's been snowing all day - at least a couple of inches so far.

The traffic reports were saying the main roads were clear, but Ian didn't even bother trying to get out of our road. He walked down to the end and watched some cars negotiating the hill down to the main road through our village. One slid all the way; the other slid as it was turning off the main road and went into the war memorial

We put grit down last night as well - it hasn't got a chance! It will be a shovel job when it eventually decides to stop snowing.

I don't mind the snow because I can walk on it - it's ice that I fear. Last year when we had lots of snow just before Christmas it had been quite wet beforehand. So the water was draining down the hillside and getting caught in the slight gully between the camber of our road and our drive which slopes up to meet it. We had a 5-inch thick sheet of ice across the top of the drive - I couldn't get out of my garden for three days!!!

[eirian]

we had just over an inch, nice and crispy to walk on this morning (car wasn't really an option this morning - the driver's side window isn't working, so it would have been a little drafty going anywhere!). I have no problems with snow as long as I don't have to go anywhere when it's too thick or just slush.
For once, I reckon I'm in the right part of the country! The occasional light snow showers is all that's forecast.

[gill216]

Overnight predicted snowfall in Leeds didn't happen but we are personally stuck now. Simply because of the hill and the slope on our drive and the minus temperature. I can see the main road but not chancing getting there. Our fence has been saved so far but next doors has gone. The only reason ours has been saved is because the people who live a little bit further down the hill cant get into their drive, cant get up or down so they've effectively blocked the road and it can be seen from both directions. No one is getting close enough to get to us--yet!!!