Ellson lau Historical Study England 2009

Winter Wonderland or woe?

Snow hits South East England

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 Closure

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

County Closed This table shows the number of schools reported

closed. It is interesting to note that although the
South East
snow is no heavier in the South East of England,
Essex 250+ one of the eastern counties has reported more
Hertfordshire 100+ than 250 of its schools are closed.
Middlesex 80+
Sussex 50+
North
Greater Manchester 100 This gave the children lots time to play in the
Lancashire 70 snow, snowballing, making snowmen and snow
Cumbria 34
Durham 70
Northumberland 33
Yorkshire 1
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angels. The snow gave an added dimension, producing some very picturesque scenes,
many captured on camera.

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.

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 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.
 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 week read.

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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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