Great Western Coffee Shop

More 'weather' to come over the weekend,specifically Sunday pm into Monday...

Check London.....most trains emanate from there/go there.

You're right - wonder when the warnings were removed?

Although last night's weather for the week ahead had snow across southern UK on Sunday.

Do snow showers with a "small chance " of travel delay really constitute "severe weather - advice not to travel"?

I would say an amber 'be prepared' warning should be the trigger whether to travel or not and if you do be prepared for disruption to your journey.

As this air crosses the North Sea snow showers will form on Sunday, and could well merge into convergence lines producing 2-5 cms of snow in places. This is most likely near the Thames estuary and the Wash, and these snow showers could then spread westwards.

I would say an amber 'be prepared' warning should be the trigger whether to travel or not and if you do be prepared for disruption to your journey.

I agree, we reach for the panic button far too readily these days.

Nanny State. Snowflake generation have to be told what to do upon seeing a snow flake or puff on wind.

Nanny State. Snowflake generation have to be told what to do upon seeing a snow flake or puff on wind.

Nanny State. Snowflake generation have to be told what to do upon seeing a snow flake or puff on wind.

Nanny State. Snowflake generation have to be told what to do upon seeing a snow flake or puff on wind.

Hear Hear
All I saw during the ‘beast from the east’ was local snowflakes digging out cars, pushing immobilised vehicles to safer spots and handing out cups of tea to ...... aged grumpy ol’ buggers (yes I am one too) who decided not to heed experts advice.
Don’t fall for the media stereotypes - they are nearly always wrong in everything else, as they are with this characterisation.

Nice to see everyone on the same wavelength then. 

So is it nanny because they shouldn't need to tell people not to travel because they should know?

Around here the difficulty was the change in conditions due to the hills.  I mere 3 inches down here and 5 - 8 ft drifts in places up on the tops. 

When they say "yellow snow warning" ..... ?

The warning I always followed was "never eat yellow snow" - particularly if I was walking the dog.

So long as I can get to Bristol Airport on Monday, and off the floor there, I shan't be in anyone's way.

'Mini Beast from the East' brings fresh snow warnings

Yellow snow warnings have been issued as a "mini Beast from the East" is expected to hit the UK.

The Met Office said north-eastern Scotland and England could see snow on Friday with the rest of the country hit at the weekend with up to 20cm falling.

Sunday will see "significant snowfall" with a maximum temperature of 1C.

Meteorologists said although it is the same Siberian weather as the "Beast from the East", which caused widespread disruption, it won't last as long.

The first warning for snow and ice comes into force at 15:00 GMT on Friday.

Met Office meteorologist Martin Bowles said the yellow could be upgraded to amber on Sunday but a red warning, as issued during the last "Beast from the East", was "extremely unlikely".

He said: "We don't expect it to be Beast from the East Mark Two - you could call it a mini Beast from the East I suppose, as it is a less severe version of it. We don't expect anything like the same impact as a result of it, although there will be some snow about."

He said the bitterly cold blast will be "fairly short lived", with low temperatures still around on Monday before it warms "fairly rapidly" from Tuesday.

Amber warning issued for areas around/including outer surburban London now

I've read and heard this term, "organised snow" a few times now. What does it mean exactly?

Surely disorganised snow is more of a concern.  :P

Unless my ears are deceiving me the snow isn't forecast to hit GWR land till this evening so why are services being cancelled as early as 08:10. Me thinks to myself and thinks the flying pigs have crashed and the resultant carcasses have been turned into pork pies and to feed to customers.

That is more colourful wording but the same sentiment that I'm seeing on Facebook.  I am asking about alternatives via twitter; response awaited.

GWR have published a webpage outlining services affected due to weather:

https://www.gwr.com/travel-updates/live-network-updates/disruption-information

If you are viewing this outside of the UK please don’t laugh at us.

Snowfall impact on travel

Snow showers have been forecast across some parts of our network this weekend, and the Met Office has issued an Amber Weather Warning in the Thames Valley from 1600 on Saturday.

Please check expected local weather conditions and train travel advice for both your outward and return journeys in case train services are affected.

Saturday 17 March
The Met Office has issued a Yellow Weather Warning for much of the GWR network.

Train services will be unable to operate between Newbury and Bedwyn, visit JourneyCheck for more details.
Train services will be unable to operate between Westbury and Chippenham via Melksham, visit JourneyCheck for more details.
From 19:00, train services will be unable to operate between Bristol Temple Meads and Chippenham, we are sourcing replacement road transport.
Snowfall is forecast to spread over the network on Saturday, starting in the East between London Paddington and Reading from 6am, spreading westwards towards Devon (as far as Exeter, Severn Tunnel Junction and Hereford).

From 16:00 on Saturday, the Met Office has issued an Amber Weather Warning between London Paddington and Reading, between Reading and Basingstoke and between Reading and Gatwick Airport. Snow showers are expected to become more frequent through Saturday evening and night with icy patches also developing on some untreated surfaces.

That is more colourful wording but the same sentiment that I'm seeing on Facebook.  I am asking about alternatives via twitter; response awaited.

Hello. There aren't any replacement buses in place. Train services will be unable to operate between Westbury and Chippenham via Melksham due to the expected impact of snowfall. Natalie

Alterations to services between Westbury and Chippenham

Due to severe weather between Westbury and Chippenham all lines are closed.
Train services running through these stations have been suspended. Melksham will not be served. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.

Customer Advice
Due to anticipated heavy snowfall; the decision has been taken to suspend services between Chippenham and Westbury (via Melksham) in both directions for the whole of today; 17th March 2018.

The suspension allows Network Rail to protect critical signalling assets to enable the main Westbury to Bath and Chippenam to Bath lines to run.

Replacement Buses have been sourced to run at the following times between Westbury and Chippenham:-

Westbury 08:10
Trowbridge 08:25
Melksham 08:40
Chippenham 09:05
Melksham 09:25
Trowbridge 09:40
Westbury 09:55

And then approximately every 2 hours until 18:10 (incl).

Further Information
An update will follow within the next 2 hours.
Last Updated:17/03/2018 07:53

Unless my ears are deceiving me the snow isn't forecast to hit GWR land till this evening so why are services being cancelled as early as 08:10. Me thinks to myself and thinks the flying pigs have crashed and the resultant carcasses have been turned into pork pies and to feed to customers.

TS1845 The IEP Trains must maintain Full Functionality during and after running through snow up to a depth of (above rail level):

• 200mm; continuous operation with no speed restriction; and
  
• 300mm; continuous operation is required but reduced speeds are permitted.

Normal pigs are incapable of level flight.
The flying pigs are genetically modified, are NOT approved for human consumption, and the carcasses of crashed flying pigs must therefore be either used as pet food or be disposed off.

If a flying pig crashes into the OHLE I suspect that it would make a bigger explosion than a pigeon.

'Mini Beast from the East' brings snow and ice to parts of UK

Snow and ice has gripped parts of the UK as a cold snap dubbed the "mini beast from the east" sweeps in.

Parts of eastern England and Scotland have already seen snow, with more expected in the Midlands and Wales.

More than 100 flights to and from Heathrow Airport have been cancelled and drivers are warned to take care.

Amber warnings of a possible risk to life affect north-west England, Yorkshire, the Midlands, London and south-east England from the afternoon.

Met Office yellow "be aware" warnings are also in place across much of the UK until Sunday.

The heaviest snow showers have affected north-east England into the North Midlands, as well as parts of southern England - including Hampshire, Sussex and Kent.

Temperatures dipped to a low of -3.2C in Loftus, North Yorkshire, during the afternoon.

But strong winds made temperatures feel as cold as -7C or -8C for some.

Gusts of up to 70mph are expected in northern England and parts of Wales, forecasters say.

The Met Office said: "Travel delays on roads are likely, stranding some vehicles and passengers. And some delays and cancellations to rail and air travel are likely."

The cancellations at Heathrow have mostly affected short-haul routes, although BA services to New York and Chicago have been disrupted.

A BA spokesman said: "During cold weather conditions aircraft have to be de-iced prior to departure to ensure that they are safe, and additional measures are being taken to ensure the safety of our operation is maintained at all times."

Other cancelled flights from Heathrow include services from Lufthansa, Aer Lingus, TAP Air Portugal and KLM.

About 15,000 passengers have been affected by the disruption, according to the Independent's travel editor Simon Calder.

He told the BBC: "If you're booked to travel tomorrow, don't be too surprised if you get a text or an email later saying, 'by the way, we've rebooked you on a different flight'."

The Heathrow Express service between London Paddington and the airport has also been disrupted. Trains have been running once every 30 minutes in either direction. This service will continue throughout Saturday evening, according to National Rail.

There have been no severe disruptions at Gatwick Airport, however passengers are advised to check their journeys before travelling.

National Rail has advised passengers to check for service disruptions before travelling.

Great Western Railway services between Newbury in Berkshire and Bedwyn, Wiltshire and between Westbury and Chippenham are disrupted.

Great Northern said up to 8cm of snow could fall on its network from the evening and warned services could be cancelled at short notice.

It has been snowing quite hard in Bath for a while now. Predictions are for up to 25cm on south-west's moors. I would assume nothing much will be moving today. Probably best to stay in bed.  ;)

......any chance of you recreating the scene with dog & laptop this morning? 🙂

Just stopped falling here in West Berks, but at least 10-12cm's lying, maybe a bit more.

More than we had in this area a few weeks ago.

Enough in Reading to cause the Half Marathon to be cancelled. See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-43447929

Travel warnings as snow and ice hit UK

Snow and ice are causing further disruption to road, rail and air travel in parts of the UK.

A Met Office amber warning of a possible risk to life because of snow is in place in south-west England until the early hours of Monday morning.

Airports have been shut and several sporting events have been cancelled, including the Reading half-marathon, while some roads are impassable.

In Devon, dozens of schools will be closed on Monday due to heavy snow.  BBC Weather's Sarah Ransome says despite having gritters out relentlessly, Devon is still covered in "a very heavy dump of snow".

All Flybe-operated flights departing from Exeter Airport have been cancelled for the rest of the day, while snowfall caused the temporary closure of Bristol airport on Sunday morning.

Other airports, including Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Luton, have urged passengers to check flight information before travelling.

Snow and ice have also led to road closures and vehicles being abandoned, with police warning motorists to avoid certain routes.

Two multi-vehicle crashes have caused long delays on the A30 around Okehampton and Whiddon Down in Devon. Emergency services were unable to get to the scene as a lorry was blocking the road.

Officers from Lincolnshire Police spent seven hours digging out 35 stranded vehicles after they became stuck in snow drifts on the A158 near Edlington overnight.

BBC Weather's Billy Payne said ice was an increasing risk as freezing temperatures hit damp surfaces where snow had been compacted underfoot and under tyres.

And Richard Leonard, Highways England's head of road safety, said that while gritters would be treating the roads, it was "important to drive to the conditions when snow is forecast".

Meanwhile, Great Western Railway, South Western Railway and Great Northern Rail have all reported delays and cancellations.  Customers are encouraged to check National Rail Enquiries before leaving home.

Among other transport disruption caused by snow and ice:
- Bus Company First South Yorkshire has cancelled a number of services across the region, with Sheffield badly affected
- The Heathrow Express is operating a reduced service between London Paddington and Heathrow Airport
- There are delays on the Severn Bridge as high winds have caused the closure of a lane
- South Western Railway warned freezing temperatures were causing numerous points failures, including at Eastleigh and Aldershot
- Some rail replacement buses around Manchester have been unable to run
- Cheshire Police warned there was "no route to safely cross the Pennines into Cheshire"
- Other roads blocked by snow or stranded vehicles included the A54, A537 Cat and Fiddle and B5470, the A38 northbound between Birmingham and Burton, the A3 southbound at Thursley, and the A331 Blackwater Valley Relief road

In Cumbria, mountain rescue teams were called to help 15 people stuck in a cafe near Kirkby Stephen, and an ambulance that could not reach patients in Langdale.

Elsewhere, the Anglo-Welsh Cup final is just one of a number of sporting events and fixtures postponed due to the weather.

The City of Lincoln 10km and Shrewsbury 10km run were called off, as were half-marathons in Wigan and Wilmslow.

However, about 100 runners held their own unofficial half-marathon in Reading, despite the snow.

There was no horse racing in Britain as both Carlisle and Ffos Las abandoned events due to the weather.

And in football, Derby's Championship match against Cardiff was postponed.  The surrounding areas of Pride Park have been left in an unsafe condition following heavy overnight snowfall, officials said.

In West Yorkshire, BBC Look North's Sport Relief "Big 50 Sofa Challenge" was also postponed.  Presenters of the regional TV news programme were due to push a red sofa 10 miles from Bradford to Haworth, but organisers called it off due to "treacherous" conditions.

Six Nations champions Ireland, meanwhile, cancelled their homecoming "due to heavy snowfall".

The wintry snap dubbed the "mini beast from the east" brought the heaviest snow showers on Saturday to north-east England and the North Midlands, as well as parts of southern England - including Hampshire, Sussex and Kent.

A cold spell nicknamed "the Beast from the East" saw much of the UK and Europe blanketed in snow at the start the month.

Alterations to services between Swindon and Westbury
Due to severe weather between Swindon and Westbury the line towards Melksham is closed.
Train services running through these stations have been suspended. Melksham will not be served. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.
Customer Advice
Limited road transport is in operation. If you are travelling between Trowbridge and Chippenham, your ticket is valid via Bath Spa.
Further Information
An update will follow within the next 2 hours.