And We Had More Snow!

We had more snow this morning, but unfortunately, did not stay long.


The skies were of a winter wonderland but the roads were not. Some settling did occur but only briefly with bit of a heavy shower.
Here's some photos from this morning: https://flic.kr/s/aHsk88tguV
And here's photos for snow in 2015: https://flic.kr/s/aHsk88tgvg - it's mostly the same as the above for now.

Here's a quick video too: https://youtu.be/83OETzl8Kig


Hoping for more snow!

We had snow!

WE HAD SNOW!!!

We finally had genuine SNOW falling from the sky. And it was definately snow, not that other stuff called sleet.

Starting at about half past 4 in the evening, it was snowing really heavily, but as this was only a heavy shower, not much settled. For the next hour though, there was light snow falling most of the time. This allowed some settling on pathways and parts of the roads. Some smaller side roads had a light covering but I believe this was no problem for driving since it was such a small amount.

I went out food shopping in Selsdon, passing through Sanderstead on the way; going out, there was not much to write about but on the way back, due to the consistent light snow, some had settled.

Here's a video of what it was like. http://youtu.be/wWhRm3-QSHc

Hopefully there's a lot more of this to come in the following days and weeks...

Quick update: Cold Weather Alert Level 2

Just a quick update: Christmas Day, 2014
We're now at Cold Weather Alert Level 2 for the whole of England, according to the Met Office. "A Cold weather health watch system operates in England from the 1 November to 31 March every year [...]" and "There is an 80% probability of severe cold weather/icy conditions/heavy snow between 1500 on Friday and 0000 on Wednesday in parts of England"- Alert Page, Met Office

While there are (yellow) weather warnings for snow in place for London and South East England for Boxing day morning until the morning after, it is not in force for Surrey (yet). Temperatures are expected to drop over the coming days so it shouldn't be a surprise to see frost in the mornings to come. For more information on the warnings in place, the best place to visit is the Met Office, warning page here.

Here's hoping for snow! 

Ah, cold weather returns. Keep your cars in good condition!

The cold weather here in Warlingham and Whyteleafe is starting to return. Current temperatures are about 0°C at 2:30am (06/12/2014) right now (according to Google's weather) and the cars in the street and on driveways are iced over. Cars in the street have been coated with a layer of ice since around 9pm the previous evening (05/12/2014).

Thought you'd like a snow photo. Here's one I think I can use.

Met Office weather warnings for snow and ice have been issued in Scotland and the west of England and Wales for the coming days.

Now is the time to make sure your cars and vans are in good condition, to make sure you can get started in the morning and to make sure you don't break down while miles away from home.

Here's some things to check in your car:

• Antifreeze - the coolant in the engine and cooling system. Check the level and top-up with the correct mix if required.
• Battery - the thing that starts the car. An older battery may struggle to start a car in the colder weather. If you're unsure, get it checked and replaced if necessary.
• Fuel - the thing that powers the car. Keep enough in the tank for if you're stuck somewhere or for an unplanned journey.
• Lights - the things that allow you to see and be seen in the dark. Check all lights regularly, incuding dipped beam, full beam, fog lights and brake lights. It is a good idea to carry spare bulbs.
• Tyres - the only things that contact the ground and allow you to stop quickly and safely. Check the tread depth is at least 1.6mm to stay legal, if not, get the tyres changed. The AA recommends at least 3mm tread depth for winter driving. It is worth considering winter tyres for improved safety. Check pressures regularly.
• Windscreen - what you look out through to see the road and other road users. Make sure this is clean inside and out for best visibility. Replace worn wiper blades, they're usually quite cheap online.
• Screenwash - to wash the screen... Do not use plain water, use a quality screenwash. You can get this ready diluted or in concentrate. Make sure it'll protect down to the coldest temperatures expected or lower to prevent damage to the washer system.

The winter checklist page at theaa.com covers this and more, such as year-round essentials and winter emergency kit contents.

Icy and snowy weather is loads of fun when being safe and precautions are taken. The last thing we want is anybody to hurt themselves or get hurt. Make sure you have warm clothes, a coat, gloves and a hat to keep warm out there and don't take any unnecessary risks.

As usual, I'll be here throughout the cold season, with extreme enthusiasm for the cold weather ahead. Ice and/or snow pics to follow (if we get any)!

:)

Oh well...

As you know, snow never came to us. We were hopeful but were never rewarded. As it's now February, it's unlikely we're going to get any snow until next winter.
People return to their day to day lives, hopeful that one day winter shall return.

'till text time...

It's 1st December and Christmas is 3 and a half weeks away

While it's not very cold at the moment (about 5C last time I checked), MetCheck's WilliGetaWhiteChristmas is predicting a 75% chance of a white Christmas this year.

http://www.willigetawhitechristmas.com

This is only a prediction (of 'Light Snow') and MetCheck has in the past been very optimistic (and wrong) about the snow so while it may look like we'll be sliding on sledges Christmas Day, it may not happen, at all.
But I'm hopeful.

If the best comes to the best (see what I did there?), I'll be sure to take out my new HD actioncam on my bike and take photos with my phone to share with you. Videos will be uploaded onto YouTube and photos will be uploaded onto Flickr.
:|

It's nearly upon us yet again!

It's nearly upon us yet again! Scotland has recently been hit with snowfall and as we get ever closer to the dead of winter, we can only imagine what we have to come.

Metcheck's WilliGetaWhiteChristmas.com is predicting a 50% chance of snow this Christmas. I don't know whether it means on Christmas day or winter altogether, but it does look promising either way (despite being 30% down since the last blog post).

Looks promising?

We recently had temperatures low enough to freeze water, as was discovered on the family car (although it was not too frozen).

When the next 'lot' of snow comes our way, I will not be using Dropbox for photos and videos. Instead I will be using other online services with statistics, maybe Flickr for photos and YouTube for videos. Talking of videos, I'm planning on buying an HD action-cam so when I'm on the bike, I can record as I go along and show everyone the snow-ey goodness.

Later!

Alex.