# If those of you in snowy climes want a laugh... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 2, 2009, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-those-of-you-in-snowy-climes-want-a-laugh/484065 "2009-02-02T02:17:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ellef](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8dc957/32.png) [@Ellef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellef)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-those-of-you-in-snowy-climes-want-a-laugh/484065/21 "2009-02-02T11:21:46Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > OMG the sky is falling - literally! White stuff is coming out of it! Help! > > :runs around screaming: > > Trains on the Great Western Line are stopping at Reading. > > There’s about a 1/2" of snow here. FFS. SouthEastern trains are running no services at all, in case it’s of interest to anyone. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-those-of-you-in-snowy-climes-want-a-laugh/484065/22 "2009-02-02T11:34:52Z")
Since my School (in the Midlands) is a boarding school; ‘We never close’. Fortunately I live just 3 minutes walk away. Onwards and upwards… ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-those-of-you-in-snowy-climes-want-a-laugh/484065/23 "2009-02-02T11:42:44Z")
If that’s how London reacts to a few inches of snow, I can’t imagine what would happen if it got [black ice](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2016/is-there-really-such-a-thing-as-black-ice) or a significant amount of freezing rain. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-those-of-you-in-snowy-climes-want-a-laugh/484065/24 "2009-02-02T11:56:07Z")
I see the biggest mistake of snow virgins. They are all stepping on the gas and then spinning in place heating up the surface so it’s wet and slick under the tires. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-those-of-you-in-snowy-climes-want-a-laugh/484065/25 "2009-02-02T12:11:53Z")
I’m part of a team of Spaniards, living in Glasgow and working in an industrial area about 1/2h outside of town. No snow virgins, but back home if I was driving on snow I’d use chains… chains… nope, the rental doesn’t have any. Most of the team happens to be back in Spain this week; the three of us who are in share a car (the other driver is getting his own tomorrow). We’ve come in, found out that the folks coming from England are not coming; the Scots are spending half the time looking out the window and saying “are you sure we shouldn’t just go home?” Non-driving-coworker and myself would have left already, but our third teammate insists in staying until after lunch. The network keeps going down, too, which is somewhat of a pain in the behind when your whole work consists of remote logins to a computer in Spain (rhymes with PITA). The good news is I just got a whiff of Cup O’ Noodles being heated. If it’s still snowed in tomorrow, I’m Not Coming, Period. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-those-of-you-in-snowy-climes-want-a-laugh/484065/26 "2009-02-02T12:12:05Z")
Not as bad as in the poofy sarf of Merrie England but even us Norvern oiks have had snow. Chateau Chowder is covered with a layer of the white stuff and it’s still coming down, sodding great flakes of it The cat took a look out the back door and decided not to bother today ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-those-of-you-in-snowy-climes-want-a-laugh/484065/27 "2009-02-02T12:12:38Z")
I’ve an interview tomorrow morning. I’m confident of my own driving ability, but I’m worried about getting caught in an accident caused by someone else. ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-those-of-you-in-snowy-climes-want-a-laugh/484065/28 "2009-02-02T12:13:47Z")
I set off to work at 6am with a couple of inches of snow (near Winchester) heading for Reading. I followed a car about a mile, then watched as he lost the back end on a straight piece of road (there was probably ice under the snow). He recovered safely, but only just. “Hmmm”, I said to myself. “49 miles of this shit to go, and another 50 at the end of the day” So I turned around, went home, emailed my boss and went back to bed. Unfortunately, they are predicting subzero temperatures to freeze the snow hard then more snow on top, so tomorrow is not looking good, either. I’m steaming the bathroom to get Artex off. Si ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-those-of-you-in-snowy-climes-want-a-laugh/484065/29 "2009-02-02T12:36:38Z")
Just a thought… > [@Dervorin](#): > > Central: Severe delays > … > > Even the inky-dink Waterloo & City is suspended, and it has a total of two stops on the entire line. Clearly in London we manage to have snow underground Driver shortages, perhaps? Makes sense to put W&C drivers onto the Central line instead if needed, which operates the same type of train, given that hardly anything was moving at Waterloo main line station and they’d probably have been shuttling empty trains back and forth. ---
**Author:** ![Lo-Slung\_Denim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f6c823/32.png) [@Lo-Slung\_Denim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lo-Slung_Denim)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-those-of-you-in-snowy-climes-want-a-laugh/484065/30 "2009-02-02T12:43:14Z")
One, just ONE member of my team came in today. The other six are ‘working from home’ - haha, watching telly more like. I trudged here for 50 minutes in the snow, usually takes 25, and I wasn’t happy that other people didn’t show the same dedication. When I say dedication, I of course mean stupidity!! I also just popped out to try and get some lunch, and the supermarkets are either doing one in one out, or closed altogether! I’ll almost certainly be ‘working from home’ tomorrow! ---
**Author:** ![brewha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@brewha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brewha)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-those-of-you-in-snowy-climes-want-a-laugh/484065/31 "2009-02-02T13:05:00Z")
> [@Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](#): > > Ha! I grew up in Dallas, TX, where it ices over about once every ten years–not often enough for people to learn how to drive on the stuff … 10 years is plenty of time to forget. Here in WI, everyone - except for me of course - forgets how to drive in the snow over the summer. Than, first snow of the year everyone is sliding off the roads and plowing into things. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-those-of-you-in-snowy-climes-want-a-laugh/484065/32 "2009-02-02T15:02:52Z")
All in all, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northrn Ireland is blessed with mild, temperate weather. Which is why everytime they complain about the climate, I feel the urge to fix the infamous British dental work; by myself. Incidentally, i walked to Temple Place, just now. Perfectly ok weather. I mean just perhaps half a foot of snow and perhaps -3 C. Now where I come from, its -30 C and 6 meters of snow. With landslides. Bloody complainers! ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-those-of-you-in-snowy-climes-want-a-laugh/484065/33 "2009-02-02T17:14:10Z")
I posted last night (here in Chicago) when the latest reports were of 2-3 inches in London. Now I see you all have about 6 inches with more coming(?). That is a lot of snow, especially when you don’t have the removal equipment. I feel for you all-the M25(?) looked like hell on earth in one direction (BBC video). 6-9 inches dumped on Chicago in that short of time would snarl things up a bit as well–not as badly; we would still have public transport, but it would run late and the airport (which seems now to close if the sun goes behind a cloud) would no doubt have canceled flights. That said, I feel I must berate Brits a bit–the councils are doing all they can. Your London mayor, while affecting an odd hair cut and color and a strangely upbeat mood, is right–no doubt there’d be much screaming about waste of resources if money were spent on plows (ploughs–I love our alternate spellings) when they just aren’t needed except rarely. So, instead of bitching, kvetching and generally acting like children who have been denied a treat (hell, most of you got a day off), relax and go with it. Churchill is probably rolling in his grave. What else can you do? The videos of the kids are darling. Go make a snowman! ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-those-of-you-in-snowy-climes-want-a-laugh/484065/34 "2009-02-02T18:13:46Z")
> [@chowder](#): > > The cat took a look out the back door and decided not to bother today Smart cat. But the burning question of the day is, how are the gnomes handling it? ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-those-of-you-in-snowy-climes-want-a-laugh/484065/35 "2009-02-02T18:20:30Z")
It took me 90 minutes to get in this morning (it normally takes around 35 minutes), then I pissed about for a few hours complaining at my increasingly annoyed boss (who wanted to do a proper day’s work) before leaving to work from home for the rest of the day. Tubes were infrequent but running fine on the way home. More people out and about having fun than I’ve seen for ages. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-those-of-you-in-snowy-climes-want-a-laugh/484065/36 "2009-02-02T21:02:38Z")
Glad to hear it was only the “must have controversy and doom and gloom” media that were making it seem like you all were Mr Grumpies about it. I’ll take snow over below zero temps, any day. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-those-of-you-in-snowy-climes-want-a-laugh/484065/37 "2009-02-02T21:19:51Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > Quite simply, I don’t care, my school’s closed today and that’s all that matters 🙂 > > Snow tyres? Forget it - there’s not exactly much point, for one day of snow every couple of years. Snowploughs? They have had them out in a few areas around here, more to deal with drifts than general accumulation, and given that the ploughs are mounted onto the front of the regular gritting truck, their more widespread absence is evidence that they wouldn’t do anything useful. I think a big problem in places such as in that video was the small amounts of snow which fell yesterday, partially melted and then refroze. > > I was amused, though, to see a TV reporter valiantly trying to do a piece to camera about the refinery strikes, depite being pelted with snowballs by the strikers 😛 Agreed - and I also saw that news report and laughed. The reporter didn’t seem to mind too much. Wonder if he started fighting back once the cameras were off. > [@GorillaMan](#): > > Just a thought… > Driver shortages, perhaps? Makes sense to put W&C drivers onto the Central line instead if needed, which operates the same type of train, given that hardly anything was moving at Waterloo main line station and they’d probably have been shuttling empty trains back and forth. It would be pretty hard to get enough drivers and subsidiary staff in to run the tube safely. The main problem, though, is probably that the tube trains are stored in overground venues at night. > [@eleanorigby](#): > > I posted last night (here in Chicago) when the latest reports were of 2-3 inches in London. Now I see you all have about 6 inches with more coming(?). That is a lot of snow, especially when you don’t have the removal equipment. I feel for you all-the M25(?) looked like hell on earth in one direction (BBC video). 6-9 inches dumped on Chicago in that short of time would snarl things up a bit as well–not as badly; we would still have public transport, but it would run late and the airport (which seems now to close if the sun goes behind a cloud) would no doubt have canceled flights. Nice to see someone in a cold place being understanding about our lack of preperation. 🙂 > [@](#): > > That said, I feel I must berate Brits a bit–the councils are doing all they can. Your London mayor, while affecting an odd hair cut and color and a strangely upbeat mood, is right–no doubt there’d be much screaming about waste of resources if money were spent on plows (ploughs–I love our alternate spellings) when they just aren’t needed except rarely. So, instead of bitching, kvetching and generally acting like children who have been denied a treat (hell, most of you got a day off), relax and go with it. Churchill is probably rolling in his grave. > > What else can you do? The videos of the kids are darling. Go make a snowman! Who’s bitching? All I’ve seen is people going yay! free day off work! snowmen! yay! Apart from a few temps and the like who are going to lose a day’s pay, so it’s understandable they’re not as overjoyed as most people. Even they’ve been generally cheerful. The mood has been one of jubilation and the parks are chocker with people having fun. Boris, on the other hand, has told us that the weather is no excuse for a ‘mass skive.’ He’s the one complaining! ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-those-of-you-in-snowy-climes-want-a-laugh/484065/38 "2009-02-02T21:20:16Z")
Up to about a couple of inches of snow here on the south coast. trains just weren’t running at all this morning, so I had to go back home and borrow my wife’s car. The Portsmouth council offices closed early at 3:30 today because of the weather and we were all sent home - I drove home in light snowfall on clear roads, wondering what all the fuss was about. Both of my kids haven’t been to school today (one school was closed, the other said kids could come in if they wanted to - yeah, right). I took this opportunity to get the sledge out and we drove up to Farley Mount, near Winchester. The country lanes out that way were interesting - hard packed snow that obviously hadn’t thawed all day - there are some pretty steep hills, but we managed to get to the top without incident - you just have to keep going and it’s not so bad. All in all, I’m astonished and dismayed at the amount of hullabaloo caused by such an ordinary fall of snow - I know it’s rare, but it wasn’t four feet deep or anything. On the plus side, I made a snow angel. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-those-of-you-in-snowy-climes-want-a-laugh/484065/39 "2009-02-02T21:32:28Z")
> [@scifisam2009](#): > > Who’s bitching? All I’ve seen is people going yay! free day off work! snowmen! yay! Apart from a few temps and the like who are going to lose a day’s pay, so it’s understandable they’re not as overjoyed as most people. Even they’ve been generally cheerful. The mood has been one of jubilation and the parks are chocker with people having fun. > > Boris, on the other hand, has told us that the weather is no excuse for a ‘mass skive.’ He’s the one complaining! An earlier BBC feed had some councilman on, being very defensive, with a journalist beating him up in the best British tradition (“but surely something could be done, no?”–that kind of thing). And they had on some commuters who were pissy about not being able to commute. I say go home and drink hot toddies all bleeding day… I wish I could have a snow day tomorrow, but I get to face single digits on a train platform, then a bus stop. \ ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-those-of-you-in-snowy-climes-want-a-laugh/484065/40 "2009-02-02T21:44:27Z")
> [@scifisam2009](#): > > It would be pretty hard to get enough drivers and subsidiary staff in to run the tube safely. The main problem, though, is probably that the tube trains are stored in overground venues at night. FWIW, the Waterloo & City is the exception, with an underground depot. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-those-of-you-in-snowy-climes-want-a-laugh/484065.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-those-of-you-in-snowy-climes-want-a-laugh/484065.md?page=3)