It's snowed again today and the here in the UK the world seems to have gone bonkers, it's like they've never seem snow or that our climate is similar to somewhere like Sri Lanka or something and it's all a big surprise! Look...... http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8444399.stm
There's loads of claims that it's the worst cold for decades - yeah if you're talking one or two and perhaps if you're just talking about the mean temperature for the last 4 weeks or so? But we've had far colder periods and worse snow conditions in recent years.
In April 1993 a cold front bumped into band of heavy rain that cut across the southern half of the UK and it snowed really heavily over 2 or 3 days as I recall yet just behind the front where I was living at the time in Plymouth we were sun bathing with our shirts off at Plymouth Hoe in Devon. But in Essex they had in excess of 12" of snow with my Father in Law reporting that he couldn't get his car out of the garaged and that he couldn't get into work for days. He's got photo's of icycles hanging off the front of the house 2 or 3 foot long. As I recall it was like that for around a week and then it rained and normality returned.
In 1987 in January we had 2 weeks of snow on and off combined with very cold temperatures here in essex the temperatures were in the -18 degrees centigrade region virtually every night for 2 weeks, everywhere was iced up. I had to go to work by public transport and I got a bus from Benfleet to Rayleigh every day - Benfleet creek was iced up with. On the South Coast of England the sea was iced up extending 200 yards out to sea in many places! We all used to congregate on a big hill after work in the night and go sledging. I remember there were snowdrifts near William Edwards school in Grays that were 15-20 foot deep and a snow plough had cut through them and on one side a wall of snow towered above the road. Now that's proper man snow - not this girlie snow we've got at the moment and it was bloody cold!
Here's some images from winter 1987 http://davidburrin.fotopic.net/c810883.html
There's loads of claims that it's the worst cold for decades - yeah if you're talking one or two and perhaps if you're just talking about the mean temperature for the last 4 weeks or so? But we've had far colder periods and worse snow conditions in recent years.
In April 1993 a cold front bumped into band of heavy rain that cut across the southern half of the UK and it snowed really heavily over 2 or 3 days as I recall yet just behind the front where I was living at the time in Plymouth we were sun bathing with our shirts off at Plymouth Hoe in Devon. But in Essex they had in excess of 12" of snow with my Father in Law reporting that he couldn't get his car out of the garaged and that he couldn't get into work for days. He's got photo's of icycles hanging off the front of the house 2 or 3 foot long. As I recall it was like that for around a week and then it rained and normality returned.
In 1987 in January we had 2 weeks of snow on and off combined with very cold temperatures here in essex the temperatures were in the -18 degrees centigrade region virtually every night for 2 weeks, everywhere was iced up. I had to go to work by public transport and I got a bus from Benfleet to Rayleigh every day - Benfleet creek was iced up with. On the South Coast of England the sea was iced up extending 200 yards out to sea in many places! We all used to congregate on a big hill after work in the night and go sledging. I remember there were snowdrifts near William Edwards school in Grays that were 15-20 foot deep and a snow plough had cut through them and on one side a wall of snow towered above the road. Now that's proper man snow - not this girlie snow we've got at the moment and it was bloody cold!
Here's some images from winter 1987 http://davidburrin.fotopic.net/c810883.html
Yes that's a train in 1987 in Kent......... 
I also remember most of the winters through 1979 to 1983 being very cold with intermittent snow. But the biggie was 1962 - 63 winter - http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/corporate/pressoffice/anniversary/winter1962-63.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_of_1962%E2%80%931963_in_the_United_Kingdom
http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/weather/big_freeze_youremails.shtml
1947 the other recent biggie - http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/education/teens/casestudy_severe_winters.html
http://www.netweather.tv/index.cgi?action=other;type=winthist;sess=
So I'd say if you're in England whingeing about the weather you need to get a grip, cos it does get cold here and you can tell when it does - the Thames freeezes over and you can be up to your neck in the white stuff. All we're seeing at the minute is a bit of chilly weather with a bit of snow - God forbid what would happen if we had another 1963 or 1947
I also remember most of the winters through 1979 to 1983 being very cold with intermittent snow. But the biggie was 1962 - 63 winter - http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/corporate/pressoffice/anniversary/winter1962-63.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_of_1962%E2%80%931963_in_the_United_Kingdom
http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/weather/big_freeze_youremails.shtml
1947 the other recent biggie - http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/education/teens/casestudy_severe_winters.html
http://www.netweather.tv/index.cgi?action=other;type=winthist;sess=
So I'd say if you're in England whingeing about the weather you need to get a grip, cos it does get cold here and you can tell when it does - the Thames freeezes over and you can be up to your neck in the white stuff. All we're seeing at the minute is a bit of chilly weather with a bit of snow - God forbid what would happen if we had another 1963 or 1947
