The Big Freeze

[balli hi]

A couple of things in the news took my attention today , firstly the continued cold snap , their telling us that its going to be the coldest winter in 100 years the snow and icy conditions are set to continue for the next fortnight with london getting upto 4 inches of snow tonight , quote ; " The snow that has blanketed large parts of Scotland and Ireland is heading south. It is expected to move across central England before hitting the Home Counties and London by lunchtime.

With up to 4ins of snow due to fall in parts of the country today, heavier deluges are predicted to hit many others later this week.

The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings for the South East and warned of travel problems due to snow and sleet. " End Quote

not the best news if like me you drive for a living here's the video and report from sky news , http://web.orange.co.uk/article/news/icy_g...p;article=index

Secondly the fact that we are running out of gas , we have been hearing this for a few years now and we seem to be at the mercy of our european neighbours for current supplies , gas will run out eventually its inevitable , just wondering what the alternatives are if any .

Quote : The National Grid has warned of a shortage in gas as demand surged by 30% in the cold snap.

National Grid (NG) has issued a gas balancing alert (GBA), only the second time that the mechanism has been used. The first time a GBA was used was in March 2006.

: see report ; http://web.orange.co.uk/article/news/gas_s...p;article=index

[Parts-King]

I was very suprised to wake up to about an inch of snow this morning, even though I live a short distance from North wales, you would expect snow but no, we dont get a lot here. it maybe something to do with the Shell oil refinery at Stanlow keeping us all warm But seriously, our deliveries from Toyota have been affected as the trucks cant get through Manchester this morning!

Kingo

EDIT

I spoke too soon, you couldnt move here yesterday afternoon.

[louise74]

Here in the North east I have waded through 8 inches of the stuff this morning where it hasn't been trampled down, I am loving it.

[Raistlin]

Not going anywhere :)

[Bizarra]

The "Scientists" [?] have predicted that if Global Warming continues, we in Ireland, & presumably the UK, will have winters on a par with Scandinavia or Canada :(

Typical The rest of the world heats up & we have an Ice Age

[Karma Supra]

I didn't go anywhere today eaither... Measured it at over a foot in places!

[Sagitar]

The "Scientists" [?] have predicted that if Global Warming continues, we in Ireland, & presumably the UK, will have winters on a par with Scandinavia or Canada :(

Typical The rest of the world heats up & we have an Ice Age

That's contradictory of what someone from the national weather bureau (or whatever it is called) said on Radio Five this morning. He was keen to distinguish between weather and climate. He said that weather variations i.e. the short term changes that brought extremes of high or low temperatures from time to time, could be seen as the "noise" in the system.

The climate is, if you believe the proponents of global warming, represented as a low frequency smoothed curve which is being influenced in the long term in an upwards direction.

Since the weather variations oscillate about the mean climate temperature, the effect will result in higher peaks and shallower troughs. So there will still be extreme winters with about the same frequency as at present, but the minimum temperatures achieved will not be as low as those of the past and present.

[Blue84]

Took this today at about 2.55 this afternoon:

[Demonic Angel]

I live in the middle of a hill and couldn't get up it this morning due to sheet ice.... going down would have been suicide, people were just sliding straight into main road traffic! Our road is a popular through-road for two major A roads and we have a school at the top as well, all the school children thought the sliding cars were cool! lol

Worked from home for a few hours until someone with a 4x4 came and picked me up!

Oh and then the council decided to grit the hill..... bit too late for that after the school-run Thankfully no serious accidents, just a few shunts and bumps.....

[Phoenix999]

..... bit too late for that after the school-run ....

I wonder if that managed to show the lazy mums and children what legs are really for

[balli hi]

Well the big freeze is set to continue for a while yet and the south east is set to be dumped on with another load of the white stuff late saturday through to sunday , in many parts of the country we are still being advised not to drive unless your journeys absolutely necessary , iv'e found a couple of video's that i hope will prove helpfull to some , the first video gives basic practical advice how to drive in the snow , its not the most comprehensive , but it does offer good basic advice .

http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/newsbeat...000/8445100.stm

This may also help

Driving safely on icy roads

Decrease your speed and leave yourself plenty of room to stop. You should allow at least three times more space than usual between you and the car in front of you.

Brake gently to avoid skidding. If your wheels start to lock up, ease off the brake.

Turn on your lights to increase your visibility to other motorists.

Keep your lights and windshield clean.

Use low gears to keep traction, especially on hills.

Don't use cruise control or overdrive on icy roads.

Be especially careful on bridges, overpasses and infrequently traveled roads, which will freeze first. Even at temperatures above freezing, if the conditions are wet, you might encounter ice in shady areas or on exposed roadways like bridges.

Don't pass snow plows and sanding trucks. The drivers have limited visibility, and you're likely to find the road in front of them worse than the road behind.

Don't assume your vehicle can handle all conditions. Even four-wheel and front-wheel drive vehicles can encounter trouble on winter roads.

If your rear wheels skid...

Take your foot off the accelerator.

Steer in the direction you want the front wheels to go. If your rear wheels are sliding left, steer left. If they're sliding right, steer right.

If your rear wheels start sliding the other way as you recover, ease the steering wheel toward that side. You might have to steer left and right a few times to get your vehicle completely under control.

If you have standard brakes, pump them gently.

If you have anti-lock brakes (ABS), do not pump the brakes. Apply steady pressure to the brakes. You will feel the brakes pulse this is normal.

If your front wheels skid...

Take your foot off the gas and shift to neutral, but don't try to steer immediately.

As the wheels skid sideways, they will slow the vehicle and traction will return. As it does, steer in the direction you want to go. Then put the transmission in "drive" or release the clutch, and accelerate gently.

If you get stuck...

Do not spin your wheels. This will only dig you in deeper.

Turn your wheels from side to side a few times to push snow out of the way.

Use a light touch on the gas, to ease your car out.

Use a shovel to clear snow away from the wheels and the underside of the car.

Pour sand, kitty litter, gravel or salt in the path of the wheels, to help get traction.

Try rocking the vehicle. (Check your owner's manual first it can damage the transmission on some vehicles.) Shift from forward to reverse, and back again. Each time you're in gear, give a light touch on the gas until the vehicle gets going.

Plus

, i would'nt try this on public roads , reversing uphill that is , but if your house is at the top of a steep drive for example it may just work .

[hertsnminds]

Keep your lights and windshield clean.

It amazes me how many people think clearing a letterbox of viewing space on their windscreen makes them "good to go".

Aside from the fact that snow covered lights make them next to useless it usually means that indicators are obscured as well.

You should also clear as much snow as possible from the bonnet and roof of your car otherwise you have to keep clearing your windscreen (as the snow is blown onto it) and you leave a snow storm in your wake for anyone following, as well as possibly depositing large lumps of snow in the middle of the road as it falls off the roof.

[balli hi]

and you leave a snow storm in your wake for anyone following, as well as possibly depositing large lumps of snow in the middle of the road as it falls off the roof.

Its a great way of stopping tailgaters though

[Bizarra]

Please wait a few seconds for Video to load!

[Shappers]

Interesting video that, except the cornering one... when the cars started losing grip they hammered on the brakes, can't help but think had they come off the power and attempt to steer into it they would have done a much better job at regaining grip....

[Karma Supra]

As above.. plus the manual says in ice turn off traction control, but they were using it...

Still you ca't argue with the fact that winter tyres are far superior in those conditions.

I run summer tyres :(

[louise74]

My cars been stuck for 5 days at the side of the road, going nowhere. I don't mind but a very close friend is very poorly in hospital so its public transport getting used to it now and not minding so much, enjoying the walk.