6 years ago today since the 'Beast from the East' arrived dramaticaly after lunch!
Edinburgh had a red warning issued for early afternoon and the media were urging people to get home.!
Ah, a bit like that timeshare scene from South Park (Asspen) - a glimpse of what once was common, but cut short even as it started. That said it delivered record-breaking 850s and 500-1000 thicknesses for the time of year.
It was truly remarkable. I still remember waking up, checking the MetO forecast and seeing -12 forecast as a low... it'd been -3 or -4 the night before. It ended up as -14.8 and Brogdale, the nearest official station to here, was the coldest in all of Britain that winter. Not bad for a station that once held the UK record for warmth!
The drive into work is something I'll never forget either. I set off a bit later than usual, and hadn't heard anything from the school. For 12 miles I drove over compacted snow, only seeing the very odd glimpse of tarmac. The A249 dual carriageway, normally choked with 40000+ vehicles a day, was down to one lane... and as I crossed the hills of the Isle my car themometer read -17 or -18 all the way.
It was still reading -14 as I arrived at work (in Sittingbourne), to find the gates of the school chained shut. I turned off the engine of my car, got out, and saw my phone had a text message: "Westlands is closed today!". One three point turn later, in 3 inches of virgin snow, and I was heading home.
I decided to take the long way back, stopped off at Tesco - and aside from a few workers, I was the only car in the car park. The staff (congregated in the lobby) all stared at me as I breezed in, wishing them a cheery "good morning"! (And cheery it was too, as I had a day off to enjoy the snow!)
I drove back, still with the thermometer saying -17, until I got home... at -14. I did the classic "boiling water in the air" trick but it wasn't quite cold enough - only half "poofed" into ice, the rest plopped into the snow. I then enjoyed reading about how SE England had ground to a halt and nobody was going anywhere!
The school was open the following day (as the caretakers had come in at 1AM!) but they closed after it started to snow again... just slight snow, but it spooked them. It was powdery and with the biting wind whipping loose snow from the thick cover on the playground and fields, it just wasn't safe to keep the school open.
The drive home was a nightmare. Tarmac was visible now, but once I got to the neighbouring village I encountered a van driving really, really slowly up the hill. I waited at the bottom (luckily nobody else was around) until I was sure the van would make it up - he did, eventually. The road then became a single ploughed lane, with 2ft-3ft high drifts either side. Going down the hill was a bit dicey, and at the bottom there was a double-decker coming the other way. A few seconds later and I'd have blocked the road, as I wouldn't have been able to reverse up.
Those drifts lasted for two more weeks in sheltered spots, even as the March warmth came surging back. It was quite odd having temperatures in the mid teens and seeing snowdrifts!
All in all, a lovely reminder of what we've lost. I do wonder whether I'll ever see that sort of snow again in my life... every year that goes by makes it less likely, of course. Yet for all the fuss, all the faff, it was on a par with many an 80s spell... just much shorter-lived!
(And a Corsa plus Michelin Crossclimate tyres is a great way to get around on compacted snow at -14 or lower... who needs a 4x4? )