So does anyone know....how much longer we are due to ffrrrrrreeeeeze for?

[nicolamumof3]

I've had talk of blizzards and general worsening of conditions over w/end in SE when does this end??!

[PeachyWillNeverVoteBNP]

Depends where you live, checkk met office website

Here (SE Wales) freeze today and tomorrow, snow sun- tues then......???

[SleepingLion]

Well I just typed my postcode into Metcheck and found that it was forecasting snow up to the 22nd January - I couldn't bear to look after that...

[FimBOW]

I am in Norfolk and we are supposed to get hit with thick snow showers again on Sunday night, I am guessing there will be no school again on Monday.

Dh says that sense is going to have to prevail at some point and stop shutting the schools and just get on with it.

[nicolamumof3]

im SE, so Kent

agree with your DH FimBOW!

[teddymummy]

FimBOW I think your DH has a point. We need to try and get on with things. My 3DC have been at home since Tuesday and we can walk to school. We did it yesterday just to see! I know not everyone can but maybe schools could do some short hours with a few staff for the kids that can walk in? Take packed lunches as no meals, some parents maybe to volunteer? There seems to be a lack of imagination about getting round the weather.
Mind you I did just buy a duvet coat in the Timberland sale so hope it stays cold for a bit longer so I get to wear it!
BTW have you noticed my DC are driving me round the bend....hence time to dream up schemes to get them out from under my feet!

[FimBOW]

My dc and the neighbours dc are driving me insane! Ds has just come in bawling his head off as my neighbours dd (they are all in our garden) threw a massive snowball at him, he is soaked as it went down the back of his neck, which is now all red, I have had to strip him off down to his vest.

I work in a local school, it could open, if my dh can get to town then the teachers can get in, only a few of them live in my actual village but most of the t.a's like me and dinner ladies do. Likewise the rest of the village schools.

[Marne]

i'm in the south west and met office says it may get warmer in a weeks time.

I want more snow, we have only had a cm of the white stuff so i would be happy to have more.

Dd1 has only had one day off school so i don't mind having her home for a couple days next week.

[ChristianaTheTwelfth]

Message withdrawn

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

I believe metcheck forecasts are computer generated and often produce results that don't make sense. met office have human input and experience.

one of the models was showing going to mild mid week yesterday, it seems to be backing away from this now. If anything, as far as I can tell (and I'm a bit rubbish at this which is why you should pay attention to the met office) although mid week looks complicated with perhaps a mix of sleet and snow, there is no real sign to an end, just perhaps a milder interlude for the w and sw.

it all looks horribly complicated next week.

[nicolamumof3]

I was pleasantly surprised our school offered to open today to offer childcare for parents who had to go to work. It must be a nightmare scenario for working parents atm. i am a sahm fortunately.

My ds' nursery has been open thankfully.

[SleighGirl]

The biggest problem at our school is that school is located with really steep slopes at both approaches which of course aren't gritted so it is solid ice/compacted frozen snow. So in fairness getting to the school is fine until the last few hundred yards........

All the grit around us is always taken to put on the M25!

[snorkie]

Bad Kitten can you explain the North Atlantic Oscillation to us? I've heard this bad weather is all caused by it being wrong this year.

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

Good grief - there's a question Snorkie

As I understand it, its a description of a weather pattern. A positive NAO tends to give Europe mild winters, a negative NAO gives us cold winters.

Basically, theres a semi-permanent low over Iceland and a semi-permanent high over the Azores.

A large difference in pressure between the two is known as a positive NAO. The weather is dominated by westerlies coming over the Atlantic. That leads to mild, wet and storms.

When the pressure difference is lower (NOA-), the weather from the Atlantic tends to be steered southwards across the med. That leads to us having cold weather dominated from the north and east.

Think thats right

[differentID]

Kitten, how do you rate netweather.tv?

[frogetyfrog]

I hope to god our school opens next week. My employers getting really ratty as they know I can get into work as I work near my dh and he got in!! But I havent any childcare! There is absolutely no reason why our school couldnt open that I can see. I called in to pick something up and the caretaker and receptionist were there with heating and lights etc on so no probs. Presume teachers couldnt get in but know for a fact that a lot of them live in local town where I work and we are getting into town (and there is bus and train service they could use if they cant get cars out of drive)! I accept one day closure while emergency procedures are put in place re staffing etc but think that after one day they should work something out (accept there may be one or two staff who genuinely cant get in) but school can work round that - there may be supply teachers who can!

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

diffId, I've not really looked at it that much. I think it has some good resources on there at a quick glance, but even I have my limit at how many sites I can look at Their charts are pretty accessible and as a bonus in English

[PeachyWillNeverVoteBNP]

Agree we need to get on but our Head opened the school last night and then ahd tochange her mind as it is still under a heavy blanket of snow, partly the problem is due to the design- large playground beforedoor plus dining separately in unheated block though. Will be surprised 9though aprtly releived) if open. lpus our teachers tend tolive in the valleys or rurally,and driving into town past the gravestone marking where people have ended up in the river usk can be, um,unnerving at best in bad weather.

If they'rein the boys will go though, its only a fewminutes slide,but many others won't as we serve a large area.

DS3 is a bit different; his SNU is 10km or mroeaway down some steep roads, we won't send him unlesroadsclear and if we get unauthorised absence then so be it, not our fault no SNU in our village.

[snorkie]

Thanks for that BK - it does certainly seem like arctic weather at the moment.

What charts do you recommend looking at for beginners? Is there a thread for beginners chart interpretation?

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

snorkie, when I get a bit more time then I'm going to start working on a basic chart thingie. bear in mind it won't take long for me to teach you all I know lol!!!

in the mean time. I tend to use wetterzentrale

Quick guide at some of the stuff I look at (will put this in the links area)

GFS for long range thoughts.
I look at 2m temps (that's surface temps) and 500hpa (that gives an idea of upper temps in a roundabout way and tells me a little of whether its more likely to be snow or rain, but am still learning that) Also look at niederschlag (precipitation and 10m wind.

For long range pressure charts I look at ECMWF I also look a little at JMA

For short term I look at UKMO, and for looking at troughs and things the Bracknell Fax charts.

I also look at how the GFS is trending - look at a collection of models called ensembles. I find these on netweather tv

[Saltire]

Fimbo - I agree with your DH. The country cannot stop completely like this for much longer. Down here we have had no post since Tuesday "because it's too dangerous to go out". They haven't emptied post boxes either (with the result that we are probably going to incur late payment charges)The local shop has had hardly any milk bread of fruit and veg deliveries. yet my Scottish paper manages to get delivered to them and their paperboys and girls can get out and do delivries.
We haven't had a bin collection since 29th december (it was due yesterday).
All of this because there is prority given to main roads and residentail areas don't even see a snow plough.
We can't get up to the main road by car without risking the life of eveyone in it - and the A27 which runs close by hasn't even been ploughed, never mind gritted.

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

We are in a similar position Saltire. I'm waiting for a job application pack that was posted on Monday. Closing date for apps is Monday. I've managed to find a generic school job application form and I'm hoping that the school will appreciate my initiative! if they are open on Monday it will be a 5 mile walk for me to drop it off.

no post, no bins, no veg delivery (unsurprising as they must be buried under a lot of snow!) but the milkman still manages to get here across country.

I can't see it getting better until the weather breaks down.