Snow in February 2018 affects services for up to 4 days

[whole diary]

[TaplowGreen]

Someone on other social media asked me why I didn't shovel the frozen snow off the steps. I live in a first floor studio flat with no garden. I've also not had any murder victims to dispose of. Why would I have a shovel? 

Why indeed. Thanks for the clarification. Always best to call a spade a spade.

[grahame]

I do think that TravelWatch SouthWest ought to be considering whether to cancel Saturday already....asking people of average ages (mostly retired & some with disability) to travel for what is really an unnecessary meeting is sensible looking at Fridays forecast...those on Advsnce tickets need to get them changed *before* date of travel or lose them.

As you know, the decision was made to cancel as the weather forecast became more certain, and indeed I'm sitting at home writing this rather than travelling to Taunton at this very time.

Situation on Advance tickets purchase in advance (this from GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)) is

Ticket easement is in place from Thursday 1st March through to Sunday 4th March.  Customers that bought tickets in advance for travel yesterday, today or over the weekend can use these tickets up to the end of play Monday 5th March.
 
Customers that have bought tickets in advance for travel yesterday, today or tomorrow (Saturday) and decide not to travel can get a full refund on their tickets.

Happy to send full text and reference to that to anyone who had tickets to get to TWSW^» (TravelWatch SouthWest - website) and needs to get a refund.  Note that the reference is "bought tickets in advance" so applies to any ticket.

[Surrey 455]

The snow appeared to be coming down through the Brunel roof. It was very cold and the snow a fine dry powder.  I suspect it was blowing in through air vents in the roof.

That was happening yesterday too - heading home I was unexpectedly rewarded with a generous mouthful of powdery snow at the top of the stairs to P2.

At a different station, I did wonder why it was snowing inside.
https://twitter.com/LondonWaterloo/status/969227072446058497

[JayMac]

Someone on other social media asked me why I didn't shovel the frozen snow off the steps. I live in a first floor studio flat with no garden. I've also not had any murder victims to dispose of. Why would I have a shovel? 

I now have a shovel. No, I've not murdered anyone.

Wanted to dig the car out of our off street parking today. So walked to B&Q to get a snow shovel, having called ahead to check stock.

After about 6 shovels worth of snow my right knee said, "no more." Hobbled back up to my flat. The shovel making a handy crutch. Now lying in bed with a home made heat pack (hot water bottle in towel) on my knee.

I think I'll just let the snow melt before I take the car out. My planned trip to Lidl was hardly life or death.

It's my birthday soon. I'd like a new knee please.

Also. For Sale: Snow shovel. Nearly new, barely used. 

[Adelante_CCT]

You'll have to post it, no one in their right mind would collect knowing you have a shovel and haven't murdered anyone




yet

[martyjon]

My planned trip to Lidl was hardly life or death.

Well if your Lidls stocks were anything like my Sainsburys, no bread or fresh milk and longlife milk was depleting rapidly.

Local dairy farm hasn't had a milk tanker call since Wednesday and is ditching 8000 litres a day but is promised a collection before this afternoons milking but is giving the stuff away provided you bring your own containers with the advice to boil it before its used. The dairy manager tells me that they are covered by insurance for two consecutive days non-collection in five so their fingers are crossed that the milk tanker gets through today although two hills to the farm were closed this afternoon but the third hill is downhill to the farm and the main A roads are open.

[LiskeardRich]

A friend works for Tesco says they haven’t had any deliveries since Wednesday. Apparently their south west distribution centre is in South Wales under 7-8ft of snow and can’t get lorries out.
Our biggest issue was being busier than any single day at Christmas, and not having room for staff to be on the shop floor replenishing amongst the customers. We’ve had a steady flow of deliveries today,

Talking to my Tesco friend he says A lot of their customers aren’t considering the distribution issues when complaining about poor availability.

[IndustryInsider]

Rapid thawing in my locality today, though we were spared the worst compared with further west.  With temperatures approaching double figures and some rain forecast for tomorrow, hopefully the rail and road network will be back to normal for Monday morning.

[stuving]

Rapid thawing in my locality today, though we were spared the worst compared with further west.  With temperatures approaching double figures and some rain forecast for tomorrow, hopefully the rail and road network will be back to normal for Monday morning.

Apart from the North Downs, of course, where GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) are expecting blizzards all week.

[SandTEngineer]

A friend works for Tesco says they haven’t had any deliveries since Wednesday. Apparently their south west distribution centre is in South Wales under 7-8ft of snow and can’t get lorries out.
Our biggest issue was being busier than any single day at Christmas, and not having room for staff to be on the shop floor replenishing amongst the customers. We’ve had a steady flow of deliveries today,

Talking to my Tesco friend he says A lot of their customers aren’t considering the distribution issues when complaining about poor availability.

I went to our local TESCO today and there wasn't any milk or bread and the shelves in general were begining to thin out a bit.  It was worse than xmas in there   Hardly room to move and all cash desks in use (all 25 of them).

[FarWestJohn]

After watching the original blizzard of 1963 the other night I don't think we could cope today. That went on for months and was far worse. Today we have nothing local and products are shipped up country and shipped back packaged. Shops are out of basics like milk and farmers just down the road are dumping it. We would not survive today there would be huge number of casualties unless large numbers of helicopters or drones were brought into transport the basics. The whole system needs re thinking.

[grahame]

The next stage of the story from The BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page)

UK^▸ (United Kingdom) weather: Warnings remain as temperatures set to rise

Rail passengers are facing continued disruption as weather warnings for snow and icy roads remain in place across much of the UK.

Thousands of people remain without power and motorists have also been warned of delays on the roads.

Meanwhile, the Environment Agency has 14 flood warnings in place in south-west and north-east England as temperatures are forecast to increase.

Many rail lines across the UK are still blocked with widespread cancellations.

Story goes on company by company ...

Great Western Railway said all lines are disrupted. Four routes are blocked and their trains cancelled while other services are running at a slower speed. Trains between London Paddington and Penzance are running but disrupted

and

Twelve flood warnings are in place in Devon, Cornwall and elsewhere on the south coast, while two are in the North East.

They all apply to coastal regions, due to large waves caused by spring tides and strong onshore winds.

In Dawlish, Devon, the coastal rail line reopened after being closed on Saturday morning, due to flooding caused by high tides.

Some pictures from the BBC's video:





Personal view - it's pretty draft to rely on a railway in a hostile location such as this as your only link to a significant peninsular.   I understand that Network Rail are looking into it.

[Surrey 455]

Rapid thawing in my locality today, though we were spared the worst compared with further west.  With temperatures approaching double figures and some rain forecast for tomorrow, hopefully the rail and road network will be back to normal for Monday morning.

Apart from the North Downs, of course, where GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) are expecting blizzards all week.

I hope not. I was planning to use that line to get to Gatwick on Monday. I might need to replan my journey, hopefully still avoiding the morning peak.

[martyjon]

After watching the original blizzard of 1963 the other night ....

I remember the winter of 1947, that was a winter to remember.

Twas after the 1963 winter and the criticism of Bristol City Councils response to the blizzard that the Bristol Council found some second hand snow clearance plant for sale by the local authority of Zurich in Switzerland and they bought it. It wasn't needed to be used until the blizzard of 1981 and it proved useless which provoked yet more criticism of the council to which the councils reponse was that the snow wasn't deep enough for the equipment to be effective. Nearly all of it was scrapped shortly afterwards.

In 1947 they didn't have the gritters they have today, they had tippper trucks with two men stood in the truck body with shovels spreading the grit from the truck body by hand and when an incline was reached these heros could spread the grit more liberally to give vehicles a fighting chance of getting up the hills. My Uncle Bob was one of those hand gritter heros.

[JayMac]

I understand that Network Rail are looking into it.

Brilliant! That made I laff.