Snow - does it happen to you?

[ghosthaunter]

Re: Snow - does it happen to you?

we have 18 snowdays! a new record the last time that happened was in 1945, when we had 17 snowdays xD

only one problem... TOO MUCH SNOW it's freaking dangerous to go on the road... and i'm having exams >.> wish me luck and maybe it will take less than 30 minutes to get to school (normally takes 7 min.)

[Amelia-Mary]

Re: Snow - does it happen to you?

It snowed a little last night, but it didn't settle I haven't made a snowman this year :/

[LiadanWillows]

Re: Snow - does it happen to you?

[quote author=Amelia-Mary link=topic=885.msg23661#msg23661 date=1292852275]
It snowed a little last night, but it didn't settle I haven't made a snowman this year :/
[/quote]

I keep trying to make a snow man too, but the snow is like powder and not able to pack

[Dez]

Re: Snow - does it happen to you?

This is really weird--we had it snow all day yesterday, then at about 9pm it started to RAIN! Massive ice sheets everywhere today. Couldn't pay me to drive in it.

[pihlaja]

Re: Snow - does it happen to you?

At first I need to apologize.. but yes, i still wanna post this link to BBC's news report: How Helsinki airport deals with snow and ice

So, in your face Heathrow and other airports who can't handle their snow. It's about the equipment, planning and preparation.

And because I know you're not really interested in reading the whole article about snow equipment and such, this summarises all things necessary to know:

"Helsinki airport had 188cm (six feet) of snow last winter but the last time it was forced to close because of the weather was in 2003. That closure lasted for half an hour."

I don't know if you find that funny at all, but I think it's hilarious.

[FantasyWitch]

Re: Snow - does it happen to you?

It snowed some more. And its prettty

[Bjorn]

Re: Snow - does it happen to you?

Someone post some pictures of snow. I won't be getting my White Christmas and I need to see some. >_<

[Tylluan Penry]

Re: Snow - does it happen to you?

[quote author=pihlaja link=topic=885.msg23756#msg23756 date=1292880826]
So, in your face Heathrow and other airports who can't handle their snow. It's about the equipment, planning and preparation.

[/quote]

This is absolutely true. Equipment, planning and preparation.... plus not having the absurd rules that mean if you try to clear outside your shop and someone slips, they can sue whereas if you just leave the snow and they slip then they can't sue! It's called common sense, but in the UK that appears to be in very short supply at the moment, along with ice and grit for the roads! When I was young people 'gritted' by using cinders and ashes from the fire. If you tried that now you'd get a fine for littering.

About two years ago the newspapers were telling everyone that snow in the winter in the UK was a thing of the past and that modern children would never get to build snowmen... they've gone quiet about that all of a sudden, too

[FantasyWitch]

Re: Snow - does it happen to you?

STOP PICKING ON THE GOVERNMENT!

You live in Finland, where it snows all the time! Before last year I hadn't seen snow for about 5 years!
No one expected the level of snow we are having, how cold it is or how it would effect everything. They are not magicians or all knowing/seeing so stop government bashing, they are doing what they can with the little they have knowledge wise to deal with it.

[pihlaja]

Re: Snow - does it happen to you?

[quote author=FantasyWitch link=topic=885.msg23982#msg23982 date=1292973964]
STOP PICKING ON THE GOVERNMENT!

You live in Finland, where it snows all the time! Before last year I hadn't seen snow for about 5 years!
No one expected the level of snow we are having, how cold it is or how it would effect everything. They are not magicians or all knowing/seeing so stop government bashing, they are doing what they can with the little they have knowledge wise to deal with it.
[/quote]

Could you consider seeing this from my perspective too? And I don't like yelling - not even in the internet. And btw, to what i know, Heathrow for example is privately owned, not state-owned so what's the rant about the government mocking?

Anyway, true, that you can't expect Britain to handle snow as well as Finland. BUT you could at least expect something but pure chaos. I'm not pointing out Scotland - i heard you have more snow than even Nordic contries - but come on, how long have the biggest airports been in chaos? For days? BBC says "Late on Monday - 48 hours after the last heavy snowfall in London - passengers with tickets were turning up at Heathrow Airport only to be turned away from the already overcrowded hub. Heathrow has published a list of flights that are expected to run on Tuesday." And it's even been reported that they refused to receive help from the army.

PS. And I was dedicating my post to other airports and countries too; Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Brussels etc. haven't been any better. I think Brussels has been the best ("All departures from Brussels airport cancelled until Wednesday morning due to a lack of de-icing liquid", like, you couldn't order some from other countries? How does it take two days to get more?).

[FantasyWitch]

Re: Snow - does it happen to you?

It wasn't just aimed at you. I am sick of everyone bashing our country for being in -10 most days and having snow every other day. We are not used to that and frankly I think it is very arrogant of you to go bashing us (which you are despite the logic you are now attempting to throw in) just because your country is used to it and we are not.
This goes right back to when you were taking the mickey out of people for not driving. I know one person with a four wheel drive, and two with landrovers, that is it. The rest of us could get ourselves killed driving in this weather.
But you don't see that.
Brussels can't fly imports in right now and driving is dangerous everywhere, it could well take many days to get something from one country to the next.

End of.

ps. Heathrow still needs to be cleared by the local council, same as everywhere else.

[Tylluan Penry]

Re: Snow - does it happen to you?

What I don't understand though is how the government is still relying on the Met Office which gets things so spectacularly wrong... what happened to that barbecue summer we were warned about? If the government is relying - and paying - for duff information I would like to know why? And what can be done about it. That's not government bashing - that's calling them to account. I vote - I'm entitled to do that.

We get snow virtually every year here in my part of Wales... we get snowed in because there is rarely any effort at clearing things. The only grit bin in my street is at the top of the mountain road... you cannot use it because you have to be able to drive up there first, which you cannot when there's snow and ice.

However this year the local council however has called in the local farmers to help dig out the roads and it's been much better since. That's the spirit - get things moving where possible. But why don't others do it? Why do my daughters living in the next county get stranded for ten hours plus for a six mile journey when a simple solution was at hand. If my council can think of it, so can others. Maybe - whisper it low - they could even communicate with each other!

As for Heathrow - it turned down the Army's offer to clear the runways and continued to be snowed in. I think they deserve to be criticised for that. I've lived in places where the army has had to dig us out in the past and I was jolly glad to see them too!

[DanieMarie]

Re: Snow - does it happen to you?

[quote author=Tylluan Penry link=topic=885.msg24082#msg24082 date=1293014403]
What I don't understand though is how the government is still relying on the Met Office which gets things so spectacularly wrong... what happened to that barbecue summer we were warned about? If the government is relying - and paying - for duff information I would like to know why? And what can be done about it. That's not government bashing - that's calling them to account. I vote - I'm entitled to do that.

We get snow virtually every year here in my part of Wales... we get snowed in because there is rarely any effort at clearing things. The only grit bin in my street is at the top of the mountain road... you cannot use it because you have to be able to drive up there first, which you cannot when there's snow and ice.

However this year the local council however has called in the local farmers to help dig out the roads and it's been much better since. That's the spirit - get things moving where possible. But why don't others do it? Why do my daughters living in the next county get stranded for ten hours plus for a six mile journey when a simple solution was at hand. If my council can think of it, so can others. Maybe - whisper it low - they could even communicate with each other!

As for Heathrow - it turned down the Army's offer to clear the runways and continued to be snowed in. I think they deserve to be criticised for that. I've lived in places where the army has had to dig us out in the past and I was jolly glad to see them too!
[/quote]

They TOTALLY deserve the criticism! And also, I know that snow doesn't happen that much in London, but for the past few years it DOES happen at Christmas. You'd think, that for the most HIGH TRAFFIC and profitable time of year for airlines, they wouldn't compromise that and might try to contribute a bit more themselves to their flights being able to leave and efficiently reach destinations on time. Since Heathrow itself is a private company and I'm sure their profits would be enhanced by flights leaving on time and efficiently, I think they're even more up for criticism.

I don't understand Berlin. I mean, apparently we had mild weather for about 10 years (a couple of which I was here for, December 2006-February 2008), but before that and certainly for the past couple of years, Berlin has winters more characteristic of Poland (which makes sense because it's not that far), the Baltic states, etc. YET OUR STUPID CITY CAN'T DEAL WITH SNOW. The post is late, the airport is half snowed in (and they don't have enough ice thawing machines), and the sidewalks are dangerous (apparently it's up to individual buildings to deal with the snow on the sidewalk outside the building, which is a stupid law that needs to be changed immediately). It's a snowy nightmare from December until at least February every single year. We all love the snow at first, but by this time of year when our lives have been interrupted for at least a couple of weeks, we start to really hate it. I AM criticizing the government of Berlin (a favorite passtime of mine....we get an election in the new year!!!!) because I think it's BS that they can't have the infrastructure to deal properly with something that happens EVERY SINGLE YEAR.

[DanieMarie]

Re: Snow - does it happen to you?

[quote author=pihlaja link=topic=885.msg23756#msg23756 date=1292880826]
At first I need to apologize.. but yes, i still wanna post this link to BBC's news report: How Helsinki airport deals with snow and ice

So, in your face Heathrow and other airports who can't handle their snow. It's about the equipment, planning and preparation.

And because I know you're not really interested in reading the whole article about snow equipment and such, this summarises all things necessary to know:

"Helsinki airport had 188cm (six feet) of snow last winter but the last time it was forced to close because of the weather was in 2003. That closure lasted for half an hour."

I don't know if you find that funny at all, but I think it's hilarious.
[/quote]

Berlin needs to read that article. I mean, our winters aren't as harsh as Finalnd's, but they're not exactly as mild as the UK's either. Yet they don't seem to get that snow happens EVERY YEAR.

Everyone is all like 'oh but Berlin is bankrupt.' I don't care. It's the CAPITAL CITY of the RICHEST country in Europe and the FOURTH richest country in the WORLD. We can't deal with snow?
Frankfurt is even worse. They're the financial center of the fourth richest country in the world. DO BETTER.

[Tylluan Penry]

Re: Snow - does it happen to you?

This is exactly the sort of thing that makes me angry :

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1340754/Heathrow-boss-shamed-giving-bonus-revealed-airport-failed-order-icer-cope-heavy-snow.html

All right, I appreciate that de-icers aren't magic, but they would have been an improvement. And someone failed to order enough.... in other words, it was avoidable.

Right, where are my snowballs?