Graham Brown Historical Study England 2009

Winter Wonderland or woe?

Winter Weather forces schools to close
On Monday February 2nd 2009 the South East of England was hit by snow. I know this is not unusual in many parts
of the world, but it was interesting to watch the whole region grind to a virtual standstill. At the time of writing this
article the major London airports of Heathrow, Gatwick and London City were all closed. Stansted airport had
been closed but has just had one runway reopened. Travel chaos has ensued, the M25 is closed in many places and
many schools throughout the country have been closed.

School closures

The dramatic change in the weather has meant that a number of areas are
experimenting transport problems. This means that many schools across the
country have been closed.

County Closed
South East
Essex 250+ This table shows the number of
schools reported closed. It is
Hertfordshire 100+ interesting to note that
Middlesex 80+ although the snow was no
Sussex 50+ heavier in the South East of
North England, one of the eastern
Greater Manchester 100 counties reported more than 250
of its schools are closed.
Lancashire 70
Cumbria 34 This gave the children lots
Durham 70 time to play in the snow,
Northumberland 33 snowballing, making snowmen and
Yorkshire 1 snow angels. The snow gave an
added dimension, producing some
very picturesque scenes, many captured on camera. Travel chaos has
ensued, the m25.
The United States government offered lots of advice about preparing for
lots of snow. This advice and more details can be found in community
centres or on their website at www.ready.gov/winter-weather. There are a
number of free publications that can be ordered from their website and
are free for US citizens. These are sent within six weeks on being
ordered, or can be downloaded direct from their website. The United
Kingdom government did not offer similar advice to its citizens. The
advice from the United States is to prepare for a winter storm by doing
the following:

1. Before winter approaches, add the following supplies to

your emergency kit:
 Rock salt or more environmentally safe products to melt ice
on walkways.
 Sand to improve traction.
 Snow shovels and other snow removal equipment.
 Sufficient heating fuel. You may become isolated in your home
and regular fuel sources may be cut off. Store a good supply
of dry, seasoned wood for your fireplace or wood-burning
stove.

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Graham Brown Historical Study England 2009

 Adequate clothing and blankets to keep you warm.

2. Make a Family Communications Plan. Minimize travel. If travel is
necessary, keep a disaster supplies kit in your vehicle.
3. Bring pets/companion animals inside during winter weather. Move
other animals or livestock to sheltered areas with non-frozen
drinking water.

‘Temperature recorded at one weather station in Ross-on-Wye during the

read:’

Maximum Minimum
2nd Feb 3 -1
3rd Feb 5 -3
4th Feb 5 -3
5th Feb 2 -1
6th Feb 2 -1
7th Feb 5 -3
8th Feb 4 -2

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