The worst winter in a century?

[Stratter5]

Anyone else seen this, would be interested to know what you think. Being touted as likely because of the exceptionally strong El Niño this year. I know bugger all about weather prediction, any thoughts?

[gamerchick]

I've seen and I'm preparing as much as I can... Despite being called names as I quietly go about my business

I'm just prepping for warm and maybe power cuts. Lots of quilts, bubble wrap the Windows (big bubbles) and warm clothes. That's along with the usual food prep.

[AlwaysBeYourself]

Well I read that it will be the worst (probably) in 50 years.
I have stocked up on coal big time and also got 8 bags of grit salt in too.
Am stocking up on dry foods, tinned foods etc and keeping them in a shed.
We get snowed in where we live and are a long way from the nearest town so better to be prepared than suffer.

[ThroughThickAndThin01]

It's been so mild so far it's hard to believe!

I need to order lots of dog food as a priority. Explaining to them there's no food would be a little tricky.

We don't have a 4x4 or even winter tyres, so getting anywhere will be difficult.

[ThroughThickAndThin01]

Who calls you names gamer?

[AlwaysBeYourself]

Not mild here Through. Snow on mountains last weekend and very very cold. Very wet this week and flooding. Im in my thermals already.

[ReallyTired]

The Daily Mail and Express predict Snowmagedon every year and it hardly ever happens. I think flooding is more of risk and maybe it's time to build an ark!

[ThroughThickAndThin01]

Where are you always, and are you used to it? We are in the soggy south East where the promise of an inch of snow is insanely exciting. I remember getting snowed in a couple of times as a child, but it hasn't happened as an adult. The prepper in me would love the experience of a heavy snowfall although on a practical level it would be a pain in the arse,!

[zombiesarecoming]

I've heard we are in for a bad winter although I very much doubt it will actually happen here

East Yorks never seems to get very much snow even when the rest of the country is covered in it

Don't mind if we do though as the Landrover is now through another mot and that was the only vehicle we had that moved in the bad snow of 2010

Will be keeping a closer eye on the forecasts though as the fact that it is so mild at the moment could mean when winter does arrive it will be really bad

[RattusRattus]

Can you remember the BBC's confident quote that it would be a BBQ summer in 2008 or 2009, and it then pissed it down continually (I mean every day for about 6 weeks - big floods everywhere etc etc) and resulted in absolutely no-one using their BBQ all summer? It's too early to tell what kind of winter we will have.

[AlwaysBeYourself]

Through North Wales by Snowdon.

[swisscheesetony]

I've got an ancient 4WD held together with baler twine & faith - I've not yet had to use the 4WD and don't relish having to.

Feel fairly well prepped in terms of food and fuel but am looking after a friend's farm for a couple of weeks over xmas and the last time they had bad snow not even the tractors could make it up the track... which will mean I'll have to do it on foot and carry my skis! Not so much fun with two whining kids in tow...

[cozietoesie]

Does that mean beasts to feed in the open ?

[ReallyTired]

Remember the hurricane in 1987

[swisscheesetony]

That's BAU where I live.

[lorelei9]

ThroughThick "I remember getting snowed in a couple of times as a child, but it hasn't happened as an adult."

wondering where in the SE you are or how old you are or what you consider "snowed in"

I can't recall what year it was but in the late 2000s I can think of 2 occasions in London. One, the snow fell overnight in London, I texted my friends to warn them and they said "it's okay, we'll get the bus" and of course the buses were withdrawn. Next morning boss called to say"don't even attempt to get in". It was a good six inches of snow, there was more later in the week, all then took about 10 days to clear.

another year, or maybe the same year, there was a heavy fall on a Saturday afternoon, my neighbours headed off for the airport and returned realising they'd be sitting in the airport for 3 days.

Can you tell how much I hate snow?!

[lorelei9]

PS Happily I don't believe the stories....just really hope I'm right. If the forecast for the SE is accurate, the next couple of weeks will be rainy and mild and then we're half way through winter anyway really.

[Varya]

My OH said he read on his desktop that we could have 20" snow tomorrow!

[atticusclaw2]

I don't think anyone can make up their minds about the effect of el nino. Some reports are saying it will mean a cold winter but others are saying it will be wet and mild.

I'm inclined to prepare for it being cold. We have grit already which I bought at a very good price when it first arrived in the shop. They had to go and find it in the back of the warehouse specially for me and I could tell people thought I was a loon buying grit in September.

We are ploughing through the wood this year. We've already used one large woodstore full (about 2m square).

Thankfully we're off for a week in the sunshine next weekend. I'm going to soak up the sun and warm my bones.

[TotalConfucius]

If it's down to El Niño then shouldn't we be preparing for wind/rain from the west?
Snow usually comes in from the northeast doesn't it? Mind you, now I've typed that if the two concise don't we end up with the dreaded thundersnow and short sharp blizzards?

[AlwaysBeYourself]

lorelei9 Winter doesn't start till the 21st December so we are still in Autumn. We had snow here last week and it was beautiful and very cold. The mountains were covered as was the lower ground near the mountains. I have been snowed in a few times over the last 20 years.

[AlwaysBeYourself]

I know the calendars I buy always go for the astronomical winter date but if you go by the meteorological date then it would be the 1st December. I have never done this though.

[Allergictoironing]

lorelei9 It's probably January 2009 you're thinking of. I live in the South East & I was snowed OUT for almost a week. Started snowing Sunday evening, by 5.30am Monday morning I was pushing well over a foot of snow off my car roof to get out & up to Birmingham - nearly got bogged down in the car park at South Mimms services; needed a pee because it had taken me 3 hours to get there from the Dartford Crossing.

Got a call from family to say don't bother even trying to get home until the end of the week as our well connected suburban town was cut off completely within a couple of hours of my leaving home, even the M2 & M20 were closed for a couple of days.

2011 was also pretty rough for a couple of days in January, I live on a hill & it was sheet ice within a few hours from others walking & driving so unuseable.

[lorelei9]

Allergic, that sounds about right.

Always - I know officially it's not winter but to me it's from November.

[swisscheesetony]

I remember being snowed in (south east london) Feb 1988 (??). Even the London buses didn't run for the best part of a week.

What a good idea filling a flask for the morning I mean! shame the repair men from the council accidentally nicked mine when they put a new boiler in

I had to drive home tonight in a blizzard but the car felt solid and it wasn't laying long enough to make it difficult although I slowed right down. Don't fancy sitting in a ditch for half an hour to be rescued!