snow, snow, and more snow

Mark · Post by **Mark** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 4:35 pm

Hey everyone,
We've got 6 inches on the ground and maybe 6 more coming tonight. I was driving last night when this snow storm hit. It was a complete whiteout, it snowed 2 inches in 30 minutes. I've got a Tomtom, in my truck and boy was that a life saver. It told me when to turn off at the right roads and how far it was to them.

Are any of you having any snow, I've seen on the TV that England is getting more snow than it's had in years. What about everybody else across the pond, are you having snow?

Constant · Post by **Constant** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 5:33 pm

Hi Mark,
we just had about 1 to 2 inches yesterday evening here in Belgium (middle part). Not to bad, but sufficient to put some drivers in trouble...
Best regards,
Constant

Mike Kuscher · Post by **Mike Kuscher** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 10:13 pm

Hi Mark,

Last weekend I was working at our head office, in Andover, Hampshire (south UK), with an associate from another company near Detroit US.
Hearing the weather forcasts for the UK, we decided to work late nights and early mornings (over the weekend) then try and get him a flight back a day earlier (Sunday).
We made the right choice ! If he'd have tried to make the original flight (4 am Monday morning for gods' sake!!) he'd have had long delays. (I also got a few extra hours in bed)

Down the south of the UK and up in Scotland, snow has been pretty heavy. Only half of the work force made it in to the Andover office on Monday.
I live in the middle (midlands) and we've only had about 2 inches so far.
What worries me is I am now in Sunderland. North, about an hour short of the scottish border.
At the moment they have had no snow but, it is supposed to come in heavy overnight (Wednesday) so, I could have fun trying to get home tomorrow.

Look on the bright side.
Laptop battery fully charged.
Mobile 3G USB network stick in my pocket.
If I'm stranded in the car, I can still 'log on' to this site

Mike

jan · Post by **jan** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 11:04 pm

hi here from germany

here is no snow,and the forecast for the next days says no snow.
the winter until today was cold,but not so much snow.2-3days along
about 1 inch ca.then thawed away the next day,and the other day
again -3-8 C. for a week or so.

mbg jan

Mike Kuscher · Post by **Mike Kuscher** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 11:13 pm

OH- Jan.,
ein Deutsches, lebend in Großbritannien, das Jealous ist.
( translation - A German, living in the UK, that is jealous)

Mike

jan · Post by **jan** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 11:27 pm

hi mike
can you explain?
i noticed your knowledge about german,are you in your roots german???or i am wrong on this idea???

Mike Kuscher · Post by **Mike Kuscher** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 11:43 pm

Hi Jan,
Ich komme von Delmenhorst aber vom Leben in Großbritannien für
rüber 50 Jahre.

(translation: I come from Delmenhorst but living in the UK for over 50 years.)
Mike

jan · Post by **jan** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 11:50 pm

hi mike
delmenhorst is ca 30km from my home away.i am in the area of sulingen.

mbg jan

Mike Kuscher · Post by **Mike Kuscher** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 12:00 am

Jan,
So near.
Go to Rudolf Könige Strasse, look to the left at the first top floor apartment. That is where we lived, opposite what is now the town fire station (used to be a cork factory).

Mike

Chris Ivin · Post by **Chris Ivin** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 7:41 pm

I live about 25 miles East of Mike and we had about 4 inches. They are being very miserly with the salt on the minor roads in Warwickshire as supplies are running short!

Post by **Brian** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 10:29 pm

I left home for Ely at 6.15am this morning and arrived at 8.30am, a trip that usually takes me 45 mins. Yes there was snow on the road but it was rutted with salt and wheel tracks and quite safe to travel at around 35 mph.

Problem was the car at the front of the queue wqas driving at 10 mph and he went all the way to Ely. It was quite frustrating as it was unsafe to overtake him.

When you think about it, it is 18 to 20 years since we have had real snow like this and it means that a lot of people driving today have had no experience of driving in these conditions. Coupled with the fact that every radio station is banging on about how dangerous it is out there.

The poor blighters are terrified. Not saying that they should drive dangerously but should just be aware of how the car handles and the do's and don'ts of driving. Leave plenty of room and use the gearbox rather than the brakes. Gentle on the throttle too.

Grani · Post by **Grani** » Fri Feb 06, 2009 7:15 am

I hate salt on the road but it is nessesary for the heavy trafic. I have nothing against driving in snow even if it is 20-30 cm but if there are only three wheeltracks on the road then it is a little difficult when someone is comming in the different direction. Then You will never know how an other driver is reacting in difficult situations so it is best to be prepared for the worst. I have a Nissan Pick-up with differential lock (not 4wd) but I allways have a 215Kg heavy steelplate on the back so I don´t get stuck. And then I could take the Roadless in the morning, but we have not had that mutch snow......yet.

Bensdexta · Post by **Bensdexta** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 12:42 am

Grani,
Do you fit your vehicles with snow tyres with metal studs, all winter?
All the best,
Ben

Mark · Post by **Mark** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 3:39 am

We still have a few inches on the ground. The temperature was 55F today, and that helped. For the next week we are going to have mild weather, 50's and 60's F, with rain. Hopefully that will wash most of the salt off the roads.

JC · Post by JC » Sat Feb 07, 2009 7:45 am

I don't like salt on the roads either. It sure eats up the sheet metal on your car. Our road department never used to use any kind of de-icer, so we have 50 year old cars with no rust. They use magnesium chloride now. The big selling point was that it was non-corrosive. I wonder why there's big chunks of rust flaking off the back of the de-icer trucks?

You can sure tell the people that don't drive in snow very much by the way they drive. They either drive too slow and hold up traffic, or drive too fast and wreck.

Grani · Post by **Grani** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 7:54 am

Bensdexta wrote:Grani,
Do you fit your vehicles with snow tyres with metal studs, all winter?
All the best,
Ben

Yes, snow tyres (M+S) are obligatorily in December, January and February but metal studs are optional. We normally use snow tyres with metal studs from the time when to expect snow in the fall to the point in spring when it melts. At summertime the studs are forbidden.