To think there is a complete over reaction to a bit of snow?

[MycatsaPirate]

Firstly I'm on the south coast of England but I lived in Scotland for 23 years where they get proper snow. It wasn't unusual to have months of icy pavements and roads and it was regularly below zero.

The amount of snow that has fallen in England (particularly the south) is pitiful and the BBC have devoted their entire morning to it. Reporting live from Canterbury is some poor reporter who has to pan the camera round to the grass where it looks like they may have had a heavy frost.

I have already seen two threads about ice and snow and how they can't possibly leave the house today.

Every single time there is snow in England, the whole place seems to grind to a halt. It's actually embarrassing.

1cm of snow is not dramatic, nor will it stop you going about your daily life. Just wrap up warm and leave earlier than usual.

Scotland, I apologise for the BBC this morning. You must all have been cringing into your cornflakes.

[MycatsaPirate]

High tides are causing problems. Scarborough looks pretty bad and Whitby. Hope that no one gets hurt but having seen a video doing the rounds where the water is pouring up onto the prom and there's a man on the beach with a woman in a wheelchair, I do wonder.

Flooding and high tides are going to cause huge problems, hope you all stay safe.

[miserablesod]

I live in Greater London. My estate is up a hill, the roads and pavements were not gritted at all. Buses and cars got stuck on the estate lastnight and the only way to get onto it was by tram that were consequently delayed.

This morning it was like an ice rink, buses were not coming onto the estate after one got stuck again. My eldest kids couldn't get to school because of this, my you ger lot did as their school is not too far. However after nearly all of us slipping over i wish i hadn't bothered taking them!

[SomewhatIdiosyncratic]

I live in an area with varied microclimates. Years ago, I was working 10 miles north of my home where it's hillier and it stayed around freezing all day with a few light flurries. I had a straightforward but slower drive to work and back. No issues.

DH works 3 miles away near the city centre which is down a river valley. It's normally 1-2oC warmer there than our hillier neighbourhood. It thawed, rained, turned to hail then suddenly froze up again. He took over half an hour scraping the thick glazing of ice off the car despite bringing it into the warehouse to help it thaw. On other occasions, colleagues have been amused by the light topping of snow on his car when there's none in most of the city.

Schools are susceptible to local kids getting in, and staff from further afield living in places more affected. Schools also have to consider the likelihood of disruption on the return journey.

I've worked in a school 45 minutes away. At the time I set off, there was no issue in my local side roads. The snow intensified on the journey, but still wasn't problematic on the A roads I was on. The last 2 miles were difficult, particularly as the school was on a steep slope (emergency shovel handy). By this point the local staff now had problems setting off, and the school busses getting around villages to collect the students. The school was closed after 30 minutes of assessing the situation. Typically, it eased off as I got home. Sigh.

So why does much of England struggle? Microclimates make conditions unpredictable and varied, especially as we're just on the cusp of rain/ sleet/ snow temperatures. Significant snow is not frequent enough to be worth investing in snow tyres or to maintain driving skills. Key routes are prioritised, but many people struggle to access them from side roads.

Having annual snow that falls and stays put is much easier to manage.

Saying that, the winter of 2010 finished me off. At 36 weeks pregnant, with a bump rubbing the steering wheel and awful SPD, I wasn't prepared to risk damaging myself by slipping and sliding the car up the 100m of caked ice on an uphill slope to get out of our cul-de-sac, so was trapped in the house unless someone took me out for that last month. I was well beyond staggering 200m to a bus to the bus stop. Frustrating!

[halfdoneharris]

I should add that the school itself was actually open but was seriously low on children in the classes - some parents are braver than others I guess.

[halfdoneharris]

meh! I think it depends where you are in the south and how big a hill you live on. I live in rural, hilly Surrey and by 5.30/6pm last night the roads were gridlocked and no-one could get up or down the very steep hills between the train station and our homes. Lots of abandoned cars and hiking up steep hills in ice and snow.
Tried to take children to school this morning and whilst the main roads were a bit slushy and mainly fine if you drove slow - the side roads to get to the school were treacherous and after 90 mins of driving a 10 minute route we gave up and had a snow day.

[VioletRoar]

I'd say it's just the inconsistency and lack of preparation/ability to prepare that's the issue. I'm hardly going to swap to snow tyres and buy a ski suit for one week of snow a year. May as well just stay in where possible. We've had barely any snow where I am in the east. No-one has complained much though.

[MissMooMoo]

Hilarious that people think Scotland is prepared for snow!
I am Canadian and have been in the UK 10 years,nowhere in the UK is prepared.
They showed news reports of the snow on a Canadian morning news program yesterday (ironically from Scotland) and they were talking about very dangerous driving conditions, my dad was howling with laughter.
Pavements should not be covered in ice for weeks! They should be cleared and salted so you can walk on them safely.

[SunnyDayDreaming101]

Us Scots find it hilarious and embarrassing (not that I want to speak for everyone)

I was down south with work yesterday and it is all anyone could talk about, was I crazy driving around for work - snow was forecast! When it gets thick enough to come up my shins I'll start to think about getting home in case it gets too deep.

As a few others have said, it's not the snow that causes the issues is people reaction and panic towards it - 1 inch of snow pretty much means a wet road and not much else.

Besides the day it falls it isn't so bad, good grip for walking when it's fresh - it's the next day when it's freezing your arse off temps and all the slush freezes.... then the fun really begins!

I have never had a day off because of weather, had to leave early or arrive a little late occasionally but that's it!

[MooseBeTimeForSnow]

I moved to Canada 6 years ago. Its the schools closing thing that gets me. It was -46c here yesterday with the windchill. We've had snow/ice on the ground since November. I wait outside with my son for his school bus. Schools never close here.

[Didiplanthis]

Tbh I agree about the snow and happily chuck my snow chains on and drive to work if needed ( yes in the amusing south East - Kent can and has had some decent snow fall over the years ) but this morning the snow had melted on the lane although still about 3" in the field and re frozen leaving me with a 3/4 mile ice slick with no gaps in it anywhere. If you slide you aren't stopping in a hurry so I did take children to school a bit late this morning. Very chuffed to find going out to play in the snow was today's activity ! No keeping the precious snowflakes inside going on there !!

[languagelearner]

We have very little snow where I am right now (South-Mid Sweden close to Mjölby) entirely green fields and +4C. As someone said, people easily get out of practice with snow.

[Sallystyle]

A couple of people cancelled their appointments this morning due to the weather. Our snow isn't even settling. We have some slush which is icy in parts and it's cold and windy but the driving conditions are fine.

Strangely enough, it's the ones who lived far away who made it in.

I wouldn't want to go out in this cold though unless I really had to.

[Tanith]

There isn't a reaction to the snow; it's the wintery weather with sheet ice on the roads and pavements and severe flooding alerts around the country.

Yes, there's a smattering of snow down south and a lot more further north, but that's not what's causing the problems.

[ScrambledSmegs]

Oh no, gently - are you being told to evacuate? I hope you and your family are ok.

[gentlydoesit89]

Eugh, the snow is nothing.
I'm more concerned about my house sitting right under one of the severe weather warnings... 'danger to life' worries me far more than some snowflakes!

[GeorgeTheThird]

Did anyone else see the Daily Mash the other day - SNOW IN UNIMPORTANT 70% OF COUNTRY MAY REACH LONDON

Made me smile

[Purplebluebird]

I'm Norwegian, and find the whole chaos hilarious!

[Thinkingblonde]

Snow here at 6am but it's thawing now. I live on the north east coast, and can actually see the sea from my bedroom windows, theyides are much higher than usual, I was surprised how far in the sea was up on the beach yeasterday when we drove home. Whitby, Sandsend and Ruswarp are on flood alert, the army has been called in to help with sandbags. Although we're close to the sea we're not affected thankfully.

[kel12345]

There's been no snow at all where I am

[FourKidsNotCrazyYet]

I live in Scotland and we've had absolutely no snow in our town. There's a fine dusting in the mountains. Not hindering anything, roads all clear but . . . They shut the schools. Absolutely ridiculous! Overreactions across the UK I think, not just England.

[MassDebate]

Spare a thought for my poor 6yo DS, who got up and dressed (in casual clothes) early this morning with much excitement about the prospect of a snow day. We have about 0.5cm of snow here (Hertfordshire) and there was much disappointment when he realised he had to change into his school uniform and go to school after all . Whoever put the idea of school closing into his head has much to answer for!

[Putthatonyourneedles]

Need more sleep- I have had the same thing happen. I walk 25 minutes to work yet I know people who live closer (including one girl who lives 10 minutes from the work place) who are "unable" to come to work due to snow/winds etc. Drives me mad.

[NeedMoreSleepOrSugar]

The snow commuting is hilarious. A few years ago we had several inches here - nothing major. My (driving) commute is usually around 1.5 hours. It took probably 2.5 to get to work, but I got there without much difficulty (the snow was lighter the closer i got to work). When I arrived, I found that only one other person in the office had turned up.

The next longest commute amongst my colleagues is approx 20 minutes along the exact same road I'd just driven (I literally drove past their front door on the way). Some others are less than a 10 minute walk and still didn't come in. I wouldn't have minded except for the fact that the low turnout meant they closed the office. So I had the return journey to do within half an hour of arriving and all for nothing!

[PickAChew]

I've trudged into school daily, so long as it's been able to open during the many times over the past decade that we've had lying snow, sometimes a good foot deep, for weeks or even months on end. I need a walking pole to manage it, these days, but it's not a problem.

There's been a couple of times when we've had freezing rain, though and I've had to abandon the school run because it's just been far too dangerous. It's very hilly here and a lot of people end up losing control of their cars, which is as scary as the prospect of falling (a neighbour broke her leg on ice, in our back lane, last year. With a child with severe SN, I can't afford for that to happen to me.)

[wanderings]

YANBU. I've just made a wasted trip to something cancelled at the very last moment because of a centimetre of the stuff, even though quite a few people turned up willing to take part. The roads were a lot quieter than usual - people are afraid to go out because of snow (and maybe Friday 13th).

We have become a nation of wimps about snow, enslaved to health and safety; this is why I never look forward to snow, because everything always grinds to a halt. When I was a child I never once had a day off school because of snow!

And why do people dream so much of a white 25th December, when we all know that lunches that day would all be ruined because the right people wouldn't be there?