36 Days of Snow! (It's in the Sun so it must be true)

Snakebite the 2nd
Snakebite the 2nd Posts: 452
edited October 2015 in Commuting chat
With predictions of 36 days of snow and/or ice on the cards how will your daily commute be affected.

Yeah I know it's in the Sun, but just play along for a bit will you :mrgreen:

(Not that I read the Sun, it came up on Facebook. Honest).
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Comments

  • chris_bass
    chris_bass Posts: 4,913
    can anyone remember a winter when we didn't have a story like this?

    I'll believe it when I see it and if it does happen i may actually buy the wahoo kickr i've had my eye on for a while!
    www.conjunctivitis.com - a site for sore eyes
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 27,130
    With predictions of 36 days of snow and/or ice on the cards how will your daily commute be affected.

    Yeah I know it's in the Sun, but just play along for a bit will you :mrgreen:

    (Not that I read the Sun, it came up on Facebook. Honest).
    Great news!
    Given their reliability, I can leave the longs in the storage cupboard for a while longer now. :P
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • itboffin
    itboffin Posts: 20,064
    i've lived in Windshire for 9 years in Feb and we've only had one winter without snow, we've had two with some for four months of the year including being snowed in for over a week a couple of years back. I was the only person in the village able to get around thanks to ice & snow studs on my CX and MTB bikes.

    If that happens again i'm not riding anywhere, it's a ball ache.

    I HATE WINTER
    Rule #5 // Harden The Feck Up.
    Rule #9 // If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period.
    Rule #12 // The correct number of bikes to own is n+1.
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  • They probably took the Metoffice seasonal forecast for Ben Nevis and extended it to the rest of the nation... that's what they do in general.
    36 days of snow is probably realistic in Scandinavia, Canada and part of Russia, as well as the alps above 6000 ft
    left the forum March 2023
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 27,130
    They probably took the Metoffice seasonal forecast for Ben Nevis and extended it to the rest of the nation... that's what they do in general.
    36 days of snow is probably realistic in Scandinavia, Canada and part of Russia, as well as the alps above 6000 ft
    Same applies to Canada.
    It doesn't snow anywhere near what you'd think in the highly populated areas.
    The great white north is slightly further north.
    Random useless information. Toronto is roughly the same latitude as Monaco. :shock:
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • vimfuego
    vimfuego Posts: 1,783
    To answer the original question - in the event of proper snow (not one snowflake landing on the roof of the Met Office or whatever) commuting will be abandoned in favour of "WFH" ie playing on the MTB in fresh snow - great fun - followed by a snowball fight with the kids.

    As above though, given that the prediction was in the currant bun, I've consigned the longs & heavy base layers to the bottom of the pile!
    CS7
    Surrey Hills
    What's a Zwift?
  • What an absolute, total, ridiculous amount of tosh on this thread.

    It was in the Mirror as well. :D
    My blog: http://www.roubaixcycling.cc (kit reviews and other musings)
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  • iPete
    iPete Posts: 6,076
    Does anyone want my 26 inch schwable snow tyres? FREE

    I might get some demand with those headlines..
  • gbsahne001
    gbsahne001 Posts: 1,973
    What an absolute, total, ridiculous amount of tosh on this thread.

    It was in the Mirror as well. :D

    and the telegraph
  • meanredspider
    meanredspider Posts: 12,337
    They probably took the Metoffice seasonal forecast for Ben Nevis and extended it to the rest of the nation... that's what they do in general.
    36 days of snow is probably realistic in Scandinavia, Canada and part of Russia, as well as the alps above 6000 ft

    There's normally snow on the top of Ben Wyvis (seen from my house) by around now
    ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH
  • rhodrich
    rhodrich Posts: 867
    I bought some Schwalbe Winter studded tyres last winter, to guarantee that we wouldn't have any snow. Let's hope they work this winter too. Have mounted them to my spare fixed gear wheelset just to be sure!
    1938 Hobbs Tandem
    1956 Carlton Flyer Path/Track
    1960 Mercian Superlight Track
    1974 Pete Luxton Path/Track*
    1980 Harry Hall
    1986 Dawes Galaxy
    1988 Jack Taylor Tourer
    1988 Pearson
    1989 Condor
    1993 Dawes Hybrid
    2016 Ridley Helium SL
    *Currently on this
  • AlSee
    AlSee Posts: 10
    So we can expect to see the council gritting the roads this afternoon?
  • meanredspider
    meanredspider Posts: 12,337
    I bought some Schwalbe Winter studded tyres last winter, to guarantee that we wouldn't have any snow. Let's hope they work this winter too. Have mounted them to my spare fixed gear wheelset just to be sure!

    I've found the various studded tyres pretty useless in anything other than a light layer of snow. Was speaking to a guy from Montreal at the weekend who says the best tyres in proper snow are 23c slicks
    ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH
  • veronese68
    veronese68 Posts: 27,757
    Does anyone want my 26 inch schwable snow tyres? FREE

    I might get some demand with those headlines..
    Yes, I could add them to the 20 or so tyres that I've got in the garage.
    Isn't it usually the Express that has STORMAGEDDON type headlines?
  • bompington
    bompington Posts: 7,674
    I think the express have rather trumped that one:
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/weather/612369/SHOCK-CLAIM-World-is-on-brink-of-50-year-ICE-AGE-and-BRITAIN-will-bear-the-brunt

    More seriously, it all depends on what you mean by a "day of snow". In both of the two really cold winters we've had recently there was snow lying somewhere near my house for over 50 days, and I actually live in one of the less snowy parts of Scotland. There's been snow lying in nooks and crannies in the mountains that hasn't melted for nearly 10 years now (2006 was the last year that no lying snow survived from one winter to the next) but in even the snowiest winters, there are usually parts of the west coast and islands where none lies at all.
    Just the other day in the Cairngorms:
    11850593_10205459959405689_4340345544714679278_o.jpg
    As a keen skier and user of studded tyres, I personally am hoping for another cold one.
  • veronese68
    veronese68 Posts: 27,757
    As a keen skier and user of studded tyres, I personally am hoping for another cold one.
    Snow is great, in the right place, I completely agree with you there. Unfortunately snow in London lasts a few seconds before it turns to brown slush and all goes to sh!t. Although I did have great fun once riding a motorbike home from Park Royal after a heavy snowfall one Thursday afternoon. Took me a bit longer than usual and was a bit hairy at times. But a lot of my colleagues gave up and slept at work and a neighbour doing the same journey left early and still took over 5 hours.
    Snow belongs on the top of a mountain.
    Nice photo by the way.
  • lostboysaint
    lostboysaint Posts: 4,250
    They probably took the Metoffice seasonal forecast for Ben Nevis and extended it to the rest of the nation... that's what they do in general.
    36 days of snow is probably realistic in Scandinavia, Canada and part of Russia, as well as the alps above 6000 ft
    Same applies to Canada.
    It doesn't snow anywhere near what you'd think in the highly populated areas.
    The great white north is slightly further north.
    Random useless information. Toronto is roughly the same latitude as Monaco. :shock:

    You have looked at Toronto's weather and climate history haven't you. I've been there quite a bit (and Alberta and BC) and I can tell you with every certainty that whilst it may offer Monaco type temperatures in the June to early September period it certainly doesn't any other time of the year. And in their "summer" temperature swings of over 20degC from one day to the next are very, very common.

    As for Calgary and the non-coastal part of BC, well I think you'll find it snows quite a lot!
    Trail fun - Transition Bandit
    Road - Wilier Izoard Centaur/Cube Agree C62 Disc
    Allround - Cotic Solaris
  • meanredspider
    meanredspider Posts: 12,337
    They probably took the Metoffice seasonal forecast for Ben Nevis and extended it to the rest of the nation... that's what they do in general.
    36 days of snow is probably realistic in Scandinavia, Canada and part of Russia, as well as the alps above 6000 ft
    Same applies to Canada.
    It doesn't snow anywhere near what you'd think in the highly populated areas.
    The great white north is slightly further north.
    Random useless information. Toronto is roughly the same latitude as Monaco. :shock:

    You have looked at Toronto's weather and climate history haven't you. I've been there quite a bit (and Alberta and BC) and I can tell you with every certainty that whilst it may offer Monaco type temperatures in the June to early September period it certainly doesn't any other time of the year. And in their "summer" temperature swings of over 20degC from one day to the next are very, very common.

    As for Calgary and the non-coastal part of BC, well I think you'll find it snows quite a lot!

    Ha - yes - I have friends in Lethbridge not far from USA - quite often -40 (F or C - you choose). Toronto seems to be built half underground. And, if Toronto is the same latitude as Monaco, that must put NY State around Barcelona or the Algarve and we know it never snows in NY State :roll:
    ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH
  • lostboysaint
    lostboysaint Posts: 4,250
    They probably took the Metoffice seasonal forecast for Ben Nevis and extended it to the rest of the nation... that's what they do in general.
    36 days of snow is probably realistic in Scandinavia, Canada and part of Russia, as well as the alps above 6000 ft
    Same applies to Canada.
    It doesn't snow anywhere near what you'd think in the highly populated areas.
    The great white north is slightly further north.
    Random useless information. Toronto is roughly the same latitude as Monaco. :shock:

    You have looked at Toronto's weather and climate history haven't you. I've been there quite a bit (and Alberta and BC) and I can tell you with every certainty that whilst it may offer Monaco type temperatures in the June to early September period it certainly doesn't any other time of the year. And in their "summer" temperature swings of over 20degC from one day to the next are very, very common.

    As for Calgary and the non-coastal part of BC, well I think you'll find it snows quite a lot!

    Ha - yes - I have friends in Lethbridge not far from USA - quite often -40 (F or C - you choose). Toronto seems to be built half underground. And, if Toronto is the same latitude as Monaco, that must put NY State around Barcelona or the Algarve and we know it never snows in NY State :roll:

    I have family in Lethbridge. Some good biking around there and south into Waterton (on the US border) or west into the Rockies around Kimberley etc. And yes, it's normally cold with a capital F there outside of that wonderful June - Sept period.
    Trail fun - Transition Bandit
    Road - Wilier Izoard Centaur/Cube Agree C62 Disc
    Allround - Cotic Solaris
  • veronese68
    veronese68 Posts: 27,757
    I have family in Winipeg and that is further south than London, temperatures of -40'C are quite common in winter. I believe it has to do with various factors such as they are in a huge land mass so temperature variations are greater and the Gulf Stream raises our winter temperatures. I once read a rise in global temperatures of 2'C could divert the Gulf Stream leading to our average winter temperatures dropping enormously.
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 27,130
    You have looked at Toronto's weather and climate history haven't you. I've been there quite a bit (and Alberta and BC) and I can tell you with every certainty that whilst it may offer Monaco type temperatures in the June to early September period it certainly doesn't any other time of the year. And in their "summer" temperature swings of over 20degC from one day to the next are very, very common.

    As for Calgary and the non-coastal part of BC, well I think you'll find it snows quite a lot!
    Look at a forecast? I lived there for 5 years.
    Yes, it does get bloody cold, and yes, it does snow. But not as much as the average Brit would think.
    Gulf Stream is what saves us. If that goes then we are in trouble.
    PS. I did look at the Toronto weather forecast. Much the same as here.
    My simple point was the perception of the great white north. I found the snow levels to be disappointing.
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • y33stu
    y33stu Posts: 376
    I've found the various studded tyres pretty useless in anything other than a light layer of snow. Was speaking to a guy from Montreal at the weekend who says the best tyres in proper snow are 23c slicks

    This.

    We had a bad winter in 2010. Which was my first year of commuting. Knowing no better, I continued cycling through thick snow on 25c Gatorskins. And other than being cautious on corners, had no bother at all. I was using SPD-SL's even. Couldn't clip in as the snow got stuck!

    I've since tried other tyres in the snow, (not spikes) but have never found anything better than slicks. Oh, I will use SPD's though :)
    Cycling prints
    Band of Climbers
  • lostboysaint
    lostboysaint Posts: 4,250
    You have looked at Toronto's weather and climate history haven't you. I've been there quite a bit (and Alberta and BC) and I can tell you with every certainty that whilst it may offer Monaco type temperatures in the June to early September period it certainly doesn't any other time of the year. And in their "summer" temperature swings of over 20degC from one day to the next are very, very common.

    As for Calgary and the non-coastal part of BC, well I think you'll find it snows quite a lot!
    Look at a forecast? I lived there for 5 years.
    Yes, it does get bloody cold, and yes, it does snow. But not as much as the average Brit would think.
    Gulf Stream is what saves us. If that goes then we are in trouble.
    PS. I did look at the Toronto weather forecast. Much the same as here.
    My simple point was the perception of the great white north. I found the snow levels to be disappointing.


    Hard luck. It's a great place to visit but not to live (IMO, obviously). Seems strange that you wrote what you did when the city averages 40 days of snow a year and the rural areas around it more.

    I'm more than aware that the Gulf Stream saves us, but that's another subject!

    It's early October, it will be, although you'll remember from your time there that it snows on average 3 days in November and the average temperature is shite! Rural Ontario had no positive temperatures between 30th November and 1st April last winter (I visited relatives who've been there 55 years) and for a couple of weeks in January the MAX temperature didn't get above -20degC. Hardly Monaco.

    Your experience is very limited because Alberta and BC* are somewhat different and most definitely very, very white for a long time.

    *other than the coastal stretch which has a very similar climate to us, because of the ocean!
    Trail fun - Transition Bandit
    Road - Wilier Izoard Centaur/Cube Agree C62 Disc
    Allround - Cotic Solaris
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 27,130
    Nice that you should remind me of my time in Calgary. Only the 3 months there though but had a blast!
    FYI - 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics needed artificial snow as the temperature was 17C and that was the mountains in February. Probably suited the Jamaican bobsled team. :lol:
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • lostboysaint
    lostboysaint Posts: 4,250
    As long as you can claw an exception out to prove a rule eh! (Like the Canadian touch there?)
    Trail fun - Transition Bandit
    Road - Wilier Izoard Centaur/Cube Agree C62 Disc
    Allround - Cotic Solaris
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 27,130
    As long as you can claw an exception out to prove a rule eh! (Like the Canadian touch there?)
    I never saw any snow there in April when I was there.
    I have seen snow in Aviemore in June though so that just goes to prove one thing. Weather is unpredictable.
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • secretsam
    secretsam Posts: 5,120
    As long as you can claw an exception out to prove a rule eh! (Like the Canadian touch there?)
    I never saw any snow there in April when I was there.
    I have seen snow in Aviemore in June though so that just goes to prove one thing. Weather is unpredictable.
    Lake Louise was still part frozen when we went. In June.

    And, for the record, as this is now the official Canada thread of Commuting Chat, I utterly loved Canada and the people there (well, the bits that I saw, it's really quite big, isn't it?).

    It's just a hill. Get over it.
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 27,130
    As long as you can claw an exception out to prove a rule eh! (Like the Canadian touch there?)
    I never saw any snow there in April when I was there.
    I have seen snow in Aviemore in June though so that just goes to prove one thing. Weather is unpredictable.
    Lake Louise was still part frozen when we went. In June.

    And, for the record, as this is now the official Canada thread of Commuting Chat, I utterly loved Canada and the people there (well, the bits that I saw, it's really quite big, isn't it?).
    Best time of my life was in Canada. My wife knows this and it was before I met her. :twisted:
    I thought to add some nonsense to the thread since the OT was clearly nonsense so adding nonsense was mandatory.
    Make it sensible if you please.
    Vancouver to Calgary for scenery, Toronto for bores, Montreal for (unattached adult) fun. Never made it to the East.
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • First.Aspect
    First.Aspect Posts: 16,911
    As long as you can claw an exception out to prove a rule eh! (Like the Canadian touch there?)
    I never saw any snow there in April when I was there.
    I have seen snow in Aviemore in June though so that just goes to prove one thing. Weather is unpredictable.
    Lake Louise was still part frozen when we went. In June.

    And, for the record, as this is now the official Canada thread of Commuting Chat, I utterly loved Canada and the people there (well, the bits that I saw, it's really quite big, isn't it?).
    Best time of my life was in Canada. My wife knows this and it was before I met her. :twisted:
    I thought to add some nonsense to the thread since the OT was clearly nonsense so adding nonsense was mandatory.
    Make it sensible if you please.
    Vancouver to Calgary for scenery, Toronto for bores, Montreal for (unattached adult) fun. Never made it to the East.
    Yeah, but which ever way you cut it, Canadian weather is a bit crap.

    But if you live in coastal BC you aren't a proper Canadian. You don't have snow tyres and aplug sticking out of your car's grille.

    When it snows, you run around buying tinned food in a mad panic, just like Londoners.

    In contrast, if you come from a territory rather than a province, you wear socks with your shorts and sandals when it snows.
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 27,130
    As long as you can claw an exception out to prove a rule eh! (Like the Canadian touch there?)
    I never saw any snow there in April when I was there.
    I have seen snow in Aviemore in June though so that just goes to prove one thing. Weather is unpredictable.
    Lake Louise was still part frozen when we went. In June.

    And, for the record, as this is now the official Canada thread of Commuting Chat, I utterly loved Canada and the people there (well, the bits that I saw, it's really quite big, isn't it?).
    Best time of my life was in Canada. My wife knows this and it was before I met her. :twisted:
    I thought to add some nonsense to the thread since the OT was clearly nonsense so adding nonsense was mandatory.
    Make it sensible if you please.
    Vancouver to Calgary for scenery, Toronto for bores, Montreal for (unattached adult) fun. Never made it to the East.
    Yeah, but which ever way you cut it, Canadian weather is a bit crap.

    But if you live in coastal BC you aren't a proper Canadian. You don't have snow tyres and aplug sticking out of your car's grille.

    When it snows, you run around buying tinned food in a mad panic, just like Londoners.

    In contrast, if you come from a territory rather than a province, you wear socks with your shorts and sandals when it snows.
    I disagree. They get proper winter for winter and proper summer for summer. We just get grey mild pish.
    I only remember 2 times of "real" snow. First time we jumped in the car and went skiing. Second time was for my journey home. The flight left on schedule. No panic.
    Best time of my life.
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.