Has it snowed yet in London?

[RivkahChaya]

Currently, I'm housebound due to a blizzard in the American Midwest. Everything in town has closed including the university and bus services. At least I'll get the white Christmas for which I had been hoping .

Where are you? We got about 1/2 inch. The roads were icy, but since the blizzard of '78, Indiana has been very good about snow and ice cleanup. As long as it isn't actually snowing or sleeting, it's very safe to drive here. It's quite impressive, as usually this state is pretty backward.

I was surprised to learn that many British people didn't have central heating in the early 60s. Maybe I'm just too young to know better or it could just be a difference in heating methods/technology between America and Europe. I don't know, but I'm fairly certain radiators were common in (wealthier, at least) American homes back in the late 19th century.

The tenements that went up in the big cities had boilers, and radiators, and were several stories high. They stayed pretty warm in the winter, but then people died regularly of heatstroke in the summer.

There are very few homes in the US that are very old. Aside from the huge expansion that took place after the immigration in the late 1800s-early 1900s, huge numbers of people built houses after WWII, and a lot of houses were built in planned developments. They had central heating, and even central A/C, because when a company is building a planned neighborhood, and buying parts wholesale, and hiring crews, it's a lot cheaper, and the properties are worth much more. People who bought houses in the 1950s with A/C may not have been able to afford to run it much, but they're glad they had it, because when they sold the houses in the 1970s, the ones with A/C were worth almost twice as much.

Houses in the north had central heat from the time people knew how to design it, and they had water that went under the freeze line, then up through the foundation, otherwise, the pipes froze all the time. Central heating prevented plumbing problems.

If you use the whole house, central heating is more efficient. If you have rooms you don't use much, you have to close the vents, and keep the doors closed, but it's really better overall.

We were having the warmest winter on record here, until two days ago. Now it's like, 27'F outside. I need to go spray a few more cans of chlorofluorocarbons.

[DrummondStreet]

I'm in Madison. By then end of the storm we accumulated 16.6 inches. (That's about 42 cm for our British friends.)

Thanks for the history on heating. You're right that the pipes would freeze without central heating. Are radiators considered central heat? They almost look as though they could function individually.

[Robert]

Hi Drummond

We're not all metric. Being on the wrong side of 50, I'm happy with inches, feet, yards, miles, ounces, pounds, stones, pints etc.

[DrummondStreet]

I see that our friends in London finally got snow. Too late for a white Christmas, but, oh well.

[Limehouse]

Lots and lots of snow all over the Uk today! Wales is practically cut off - and here on the Fens its been snowing for about three hours and is getting quite deep. We went shopping just as it was getting started and can now stay in the for rest of the weekend if necessary!

Not really looking forward to walking through it all on Monday morning when work starts again though!

[Robert]

Not a flake here. They'll be having a snowpipe ban soon.

[Bridewell]

About 2" here in rural Leicestershire. Same in Grantham apparently.

[Limehouse]

About 2" here in rural Leicestershire. Same in Grantham apparently.

Did you feel the earthquake in your area Bridewell?

My daughter lives in Frisby on the Wreake and I heard there was a quake centred around Loughborough?

[Cogidubnus]

About four inches here down on the South Coast, though evening temperatures haven't been as cold as forecast and thin hail is melting much of the snowfall... however, the met office are forecasting sub zero again tonight so I guess it looks a tad icy tomorrow!

This is getting monotonous...four years on the trot now...looks as if we might actually have to start actually preparing for winter...what a bore...

All the best

Dave

[Bridewell]

Did you feel the earthquake in your area Bridewell?

My daughter lives in Frisby on the Wreake and I heard there was a quake centred around Loughborough?

Hi Limehouse.

I didn't, but then I live 28 miles by road from Loughborough. temperature now -2. Still snowing, but not as heavy as before.

[Bridewell]

This is getting monotonous...four years on the trot now...looks as if we might actually have to start actually preparing for winter...what a bore...

All the best

Dave

Perhaps the management at heathrow Airport will get around to training some staff to actually use all those extra snow-ploughs they claim to have bought!!

[Steve S]

About 2" here in rural Leicestershire. Same in Grantham apparently.

Leicester to Lutterworth was a fun trip last night..........

[Limehouse]

Think my daughter was on duty in Lutterworth last night. Have to ask her how it went.

[Wickerman]

Hi Limehouse.

I didn't, but then I live 28 miles by road from Loughborough. temperature now -2. Still snowing, but not as heavy as before.

My god its been years (1970-71?) since I was around Loughborough, Mount Sorrell actually (is that how you spell it?).
A buddy & me jumped on a bike and took off for the weekend, from Leeds. What a wild weekend that was.

Our weather channel in Ontario is showing you guy's in England struggling with snow, Reading, Worcester, Bristol, it seems quite widespread.
Here we are with all the equipment and no snow, and you have the snow but no equipment to deal with it
Such is life...

Do you even have snow tires? (or is that tyres, I forget).

Best wishes, Jon S.

[DrummondStreet]

I'm a bit jealous of you guys with your recent snowfall. Most of the snow in my region has already melted, thanks to the 40 Fahrenheit heatwave we're experiencing. Can't wait for the next blizzard.