Colder Weather

[Tugmistress]

I have been asked over thel ast few days about these " -10c " temperatures we are supposed to be getting, it has been too far in the future to look with any degree of certainty for me, but, i have just looked through the charts and it's going to be damn cold!

for us in caithness the chance of sleet/snow starts about wednesday lunch time, and looking forward through til saturday noon it gets colder as the week goes on. it would not surprise me if coastal areas get down to around -5c and maybe even some ice days and high ground getting colder.

please be aware of ice, frost and probably snow so get ready with some de-icer, salt, grit, anti-freeze in cars, carry a blanket in your car and a flask and shovel/spade if you are heading anywhere this week after wednesday :eek:

If i get chance i will update this thread each evening with what i can see, because as i have said before, i will look up to 5 days ahead but that can and does change!

[spaceddaisy]

Usually I just take the weather as it comes but I'm moving house this weekend. Fingers crossed it changes before then.

[cherokee]

A massive thank you Tuggs on behalf of all the Caithness.Orgers !!

You are always reliable and spot on with your forecasts, and I'm sure it has helped many Caithness residents plan ahead for any trips "doon 'e rod" :D

I would take my hat off to you lassie........but it's too darned cowld !!! :lol:

Seriously though Tugmistress - you are a huge asset to this community!

[Tugmistress]

This is the chart where i think we will start to see snow rather than sleet or rain, to be updated each evening if i get chance

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs960.snc4/75393_460224803143_300395478143_5692089_665579_n.j pg



and this chart is where the minus 10c air starts to come over us where snow is gauranteed is anything falls out of the sky! serious freezing temperatures so watch out for friends and neighbours and those needing assistance please

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs935.snc4/74885_460226738143_300395478143_5692114_3507718_n. jpg

[annemarie482]

oh dear... we're heading to aberdeen on sunday morning!
oh well, at least we'll know what to expect, cheers x

[Tugmistress]

Don't worry about sunday just yet! that is 7 days away and i wont say that it will happen that far away, just keep an eye on this thread and i will try to do a decent update each evening starting tomorrow :)

[changilass]

Cheers for the heads up Tuggs, oh gonna get a 10 trip bus ticket instead of goin in on the scooter, not worth coming off again lol.

[annemarie482]

cheers tuggs!
we'll be wrapped up warm anyway as aberdeen always seems to be colder than here! ;)

[Vistravi]

Usually I just take the weather as it comes but I'm moving house this weekend. Fingers crossed it changes before then.

We are moving into our new house tomorrow. Glad to have it done soon :)
Good luck with your move. Hope it stays ok for you.

Tuggs i'm not bothered about the weather as long as it doesn't affect my driving test on tuesday. Be mighty annoyed if they cancelled it on me!

[lindsaymcc]

Thanks tuggs. At least I know in advance to have all the winter woollies out and ready for us all for mid-week!

Must see if I can fin some vests for my little lad though - the girls have theirs but couldnt get any 3-4yr old boy ones last time I looked!!!

If it gets seriously cold, it will be leggings or tights under trousers for the girls!

[brandy]

well, will get the hats and gloves out then. just bought me a hat today! and boys havent used their new ones yet!

[Liz]

Thanks ever so much Tuggs.

Looks like I'll have to crank up the heating on Tues night!:roll: Your forecast is the only I can rely on to know when to do this.

Will it be windy this week and, I know you said there will be some snow/sleet, but just wondered whether we will get some dry weather for walks? Need to keep the circulation going!:lol:

[Tugmistress]

Shouldn't be windy as such, more like a stiff breeze (gusting about 30mph ish) mainly from the north east when the temps drop. I don't think we'll get any decent 'dumpings' more like cloudy days and showers after wednesday with the odd typical bright spell just to confuse us all lol

[Tugmistress]

Some excellent advice here (http://trafficscotland.org/images/news/Badweatherleaflet.pdf)on driving or going somewhere in bad weather! please read and if you only remember one thing then at least you are one thing better prepared :)

[Fran]

Oh dear, driving to Glasgow on friday evening hope it wont be icy.

[onecalledk]

ah, driving to Rhynie on wednesday afternoon! fingers crossed that I dont get snow here and then snow there !

K

[stekar]

Thanks Tuggs, glad I'm not going anywhere :-)

[skaterboy]

Brilliant, just in time for me heading to Glasgow for the football on Wednesday! The return journey back north afterwards will be fun!

[The Angel Of Death]

Brilliant, just in time for me heading to Glasgow for the football on Wednesday! The return journey back north afterwards will be fun!

Am thinking exactly the same myself

[Liz]

well, will get the hats and gloves out then. just bought me a hat today! and boys havent used their new ones yet!

I've been using my Polopancho (this is great by the way) and gloves for some time now.:D
Also have my handwarmers for particularly cold days and have ordered gel insoles which warm up so hoping to be nice and toasty on walks.

[Chrisf1961]

Were all dooooooomed capt mainwaring its gonna be a bad winter!

[Tugmistress]

Update for today .....

Still looking like wednesday is going to be the day where it is more liable to be snow that falls rather than sleet or rain ...

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs931.snc4/74464_460911263143_300395478143_5701450_7506046_n. jpg


And it's looking like that colder upper air is spreading across us a little earlier at friday noon now, these temps are quite possibly going to give ice days! please be warm and safe

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs593.ash2/154516_460911573143_300395478143_5701455_4300033_n .jpg

[upolian]

Whats wrong with a bit of snow??

[young_fishin_neep]

Whats wrong with a bit of snow??

its cold :P x

[changilass]

Awww Neep, no point asking you to come build a snowman or play snow angels with mini changi then?:lol:

[young_fishin_neep]

only if your gunna fill me up with hot chocolate or coffee after! lol x

[changilass]

Do you want marshmallows, a flake and cream with that hot chocolate?

[young_fishin_neep]

yes please..

right snow.. hurry up! lol
xx

[Chrisf1961]

So are we getting snow do we think ?
Conflicting reports on a lot of channels /sites
Over to our expert weather lady!

[Jeid]

Cheers for the updates Tugs. Driving to Aberdeen on Thursday so I'm keen to know what sort of fall we're going to get.

In fact, Driving to Scourie and KLB tomorrow :(

[Tugmistress]

ok this might help ease a few minds!

yes tomorrow is the start of the cold enough upper air for anything falling to be white, the seriously colder air is now looking like saturday before being here (possible ice days) BUT i can't see any serious precipitation of any sort for caithness, further south and along the east will get it more. High ground and mountains are obviously more at risk of more accumulations.

I think we are looking at a few showers here and there, it's more a case of be vigilant for ice than a massive snow fall.

[Jeid]

Sweet, Cheers!

[donnick]

hello thank you for this

[Tugmistress]

Aberdeenshire traffic scotland webcams showing the start nicely at Huntly on the A96 also the Grantown camera has a nice christmassy view!

[Tugmistress]

Update .....

Looking ahead we might get a degree warmer on friday, but the cold comes back with avengeance on saturday, looked as far as tuesday next week and can't see an end to it yet!

keep warm and safe folks

[Tugmistress]

Update -
i keep looking further ahead and i still can't see an end to this cold snowy spell before wednesday

[silverlady]

So I shouldn't even consider going to Fife tmorrow with any hope of returning on Sunday?????

[Corrie 3]

So I shouldn't even consider going to Fife tmorrow with any hope of returning on Sunday?????
Bit risky unless you are going in a JCB..

C3...;)

[Tugmistress]

So I shouldn't even consider going to Fife tmorrow with any hope of returning on Sunday?????

Depends on how much of a confident driver you are and how aware that other roads users can be 'idiots'.
Also depends on your vehicle - a smart car then no way but a 4x4 then up to you :)

that's probably as clear as mud and as useful as a chocolate teapot :cool:

[silverlady]

Mazda 5, with 2 kids in back??

[upolian]

The car is half the battle,you need to be a competent driver!! Kids can also distract so extra care needs taken!

[The Angel Of Death]

Came back from Glasgow last night Perth to Inverness was bad in places but as with everything else take your time and don't rush it

All in all Glasgow to Wick took me 6 hours we quick stops in Perth and Inverness normally at night I'll do it in 4.5 / 5 hours to give you an idea

[Tugmistress]

As said before, if you feel confident in the snow then taking your time with no undue risks and your tyres are good you should be ok, but take with you blankets food thermos and shovel and maybe warning triangle and extra de-icer and you should be ok. oh and make sure mobile phone is fully charged :)

[Tugmistress]

Well we just got a message from an ebay seller we are heading off down to cumbria and back again today to pick up a car to drive back lol i know we're cracked but i love driving in adverse conditions :)

[young_fishin_neep]

yes you are crazy! but thanks for the new car :P ;) xx

[Jeid]

Drove to Aberdeen yesterday, fine up until Keith, then it was pretty bad until Huntly, then it was fine again. Pretty bad in Banchory just now, however, the snow is keeping my cans of cider very cold.

[Tugmistress]

Just back from carlisle, 11 hours to get back non stop - down to 20mph in places, visibility down to a few yards when caught in blizzards. turned onto causewaymire and to get home took an hour stuck behind an empty foreign lorry :(

[Liz]

Well glad you made it back safely Tuggs!

The forecasters are saying this snow is going to last two weeks but can they tell that far ahead?

[Tugmistress]

It's something to do with the jet stream lizz, it's formed in to a particular shape and when that shape is seen it is generally around for two weeks, so they can be fairly certain about that. i think it's called an 'omega block' ?

[Liz]

Oh dear I was hoping they were wrong!:confused

Ah well will just have to get on with it and hope the snow won't be too heavy.
Looks like the heating will need to be kept kranked up!:(

Cheers Tuggs. x

[serendipity]

Just to let people know, Serendipity is open tomorrow from 12 until 4 - just incase anyone needs rock salt or snow scoops!

Still have some rock salt left, but next delivery won't be for 4 weeks unfortunately!

[EDDIE]

In weather like this when your travelling make sure you set of with a fill tank of fuel because if you stuck anywere at least you can leave the engine running to keep warm?

[sandyr1]

Nice day here/ Minus 15 at the cottage, 2 hours North of the City of Toronto! Plus 6 inches of nice snow, and this is out first snowfall.
Come on you guys.....Caithnesians are tough......stop complaiming...just love it!

[Dadie]

Just back from Aberdeen tonight!
2045ish (well car was unpacked and the girls bunged in bed by 9) Aberdeen to Nairn was hellish..20-30mph (if you were lucky) after that not too bad...30-60mph(ave 45ish) till Latheron then back to 30-45mph home!
3 small kids in the car and a couple of stops for food or/and a pee...couldnt believe it when Lauren had to go on the potty at dunbeath and it was -7!

[ShelleyCowie]

Checked Google earth and Aberdeen is getting hit hard just now Dadie! Lucky you left early today. Doesnt look like we are gonna get much more snow tonight tho. :(

But i aint the pro, and im just usin google earth! Tuggs is our lady :D

[Dadie]

Forgot to say left at midday!
yesterday it was fine travelling up from Blackpool until Portlethen..then hit the snow.
The worst part was actually leaving the carpark at the hotel..but as long as the car was moving it wasnt bad...just some bad driving to be witnessed...and dodgy overtaking etc witnessed along with a couple of bumps and a jack Knifed lorry hindering our progress (not us)

[Metalattakk]

Looks like the whole A9 is getting a battering:

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z55/Metalattakk/traffcam.jpg

[annemarie482]

on route to aberdeen for work commitments.......
survial kit packed :lol:
wish us luck!

[cherokee]

Be safe Annemarie !
Hope you get there OK, just take your time !
Good you have the "survival kit" with you lass.
Let us know that you made it safely? :D

[annemarie482]

cheers cherokee, leaving in a couple hours.
should be ok, if we go canny and have supplies.
if i can get the org on my phone i'll let you all know how the roads were. ;)

[brandy]

good luck and be safe!!!

[orkneycadian]

Come on you guys.....Caithnesians are tough......stop complaiming...

I agree - Lot of weather pussies about nowadays....

Light dusting and everything is either cancelled or dramatised - Folk put more effort in getting to a beach in Spain than they do the end of the road when a peedie grain of snow comes. No wonder folk in most other countries of this latitude pee themselves laughing at all the drama!

Came through Caithness yesterday morning (Wick to Gills) and no unusual drama - White roads all the way, but keep it going steady and it took just under the half hour - Maybe 5 or 10 minutes longer than usual - And no, that wasn't in a Chelsea Tractor!

Over this side of the water, they even close the schools when it is windy these days! :roll: God knows why - Presumably somebody in the Council offices who has come from a much more urban location, and thinks the world is about to end when it starts blowing a force 6!

I know folk with jobs and kids get really hacked off with them when the schools get closed in a light dusting. For everyone else, its business as usual (i.e. their place of employment is open and working as normal, all roads are open and clear), but someone has pressed the panic button and closed all the schools, meaning the parent(s) have to take a day off work to look after them. :roll:

[ducati]

I agree, although complacency when driving is a killer, I don't care what kind of car you have, I've had 'em all, landys, Range Rovers and most Jap 4x4s, you still can't stop from 50mph on snow! :eek:

And 4x4s are a lot harder to stop than an ordinary car.

[orkneycadian]

you still can't stop from 50mph on snow! :eek:

And 4x4s are a lot harder to stop than an ordinary car.

Hence why folk should leave plenty of space (but don't) between them and vehicle in front, especially approaching junctions and the like! Folk wonder why they get stuck on a slight incline when they crawl along at 10 mph nose to tail in snow, when they would do an awful lot better going a bit faster with a lot more separation space.

They should do the same with snow driving as they have with trailers. Just because you have passed your car test doesnt mean you can drive in snow / with trailer until you have had seperate snow / trailer driving instruction and passed a snow / trailer driving test extension!! :cool:

[Hoida]

We are up west and have a fair bit of snow. My concern is tomorrow, Monday, as I have a hospital appointment in Wick early afternoon, not sure if consultant will make it north from Inverness.Can anyone tell me what like the roads are between Thurso and Wick. I intend to phone Caithness General for confimation that the clinic is going ahead before leaving.

[orkneycadian]

Its a long time between early afternoon today and early afternoon tomorrow - Snow could be gone, or there could be 10 times as much!

As you rightly point out, phoning the clinic to confirm it is going ahead, followed by tuning into MFR, or checking out the Traffic Scotland Website at the time, is a sound plan.

[the_big_mac]

We are up west and have a fair bit of snow. My concern is tomorrow, Monday, as I have a hospital appointment in Wick early afternoon, not sure if consultant will make it north from Inverness.Can anyone tell me what like the roads are between Thurso and Wick. I intend to phone Caithness General for confimation that the clinic is going ahead before leaving.

Wick - Thurso road is fine, nearly completely black in most places.

[sandyr1]

Looks like the whole A9 is getting a battering:


http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z55/Metalattakk/traffcam.jpg

Isn't that just some snowflakes getting accentuated with the light...

[orkneycadian]

Would appear to be indeed, sandyr1. In a few of the cases, the road is black with the white lines still visible....

Apologies for the drama we folk across here seem to attach to a minor snow shower these days. Must be a good laugh for you guys over there seeing what a fuss gets made here over a light coating of snow!

[Mystical Potato Head]

Would appear to be indeed, sandyr1. In a few of the cases, the road is black with the white lines still visible....

Apologies for the drama we folk across here seem to attach to a minor snow shower these days. Must be a good laugh for you guys over there seeing what a fuss gets made here over a light coating of snow!

Oh there's plenty of fussing on this side of the firth too.

Well back when i were a lad in Stromness(60's & arly 70's)we used to get 2ft falls almost every winter and folk just carried on as normal,probably because heavy snow was the norm back then.People put chains on their tyres and off they went,provided the roads werent blocked by 6ft drifts.We would do the shopping for some of our elderly neighbours and ppl just got on with things.Now people seem to get their knickers in a twist over a few inches of snow,its not just up here but the whole country,look at the news,even a coating of snow is like the coming of the next ice age.

[changilass]

I remember Dad putting the snow chains on, its something you never see nowadays. Can you still get them?

[orkneycadian]

Probably, but never seen enough snow for years to justify them!

[orkneycadian]

Well back when i were a lad in Stromness(60's & arly 70's)....

Ah, the "When I were 't lad....." opener!

Well, when I were 't lad, the school bus only didn't go when it physically couldn't go with 30 of us out the back pushing it! Even when it did go, there were plenty of times where it would drop you off as close as it could, and you had to wade through snow the rest of the way home!

Aye, when I were 't lad.... ;)

[bekisman]

I remember Dad putting the snow chains on, its something you never see nowadays. Can you still get them?

What about these: http://www.activeoutdoors.info/activeoutdoors/Article91.html

[ducati]

The tyre manufacturers; Dunlop, Avon etc are pushing a cold weather tyre, I noticed when I was in the tyre shop yesterday. Apparently they sell loads on the continent but struggle to persuade UK people that buying an extra set of tyres (at about £400) is a good idea :lol:

Apparently, you're supposed to fit them when the temp. falls below 7°c :eek:

[sandyr1]

You know the World has changed.....We had studded tires years ago, but now they say they damage the road surface as with chains. Actually lorries are required to have and use chains in Western Canada and some of the snowy areas in the United States.
Yes I remember the days of big snow in Caithness. Went over a dry stone dyke one night myself, and another time took the front bumber and mudguard off on the Struie.
Of course cars were not so fast and the trucks/ lorries were not so wide and fast, and of course people were not suing each other for next to nothing!
What perplexes me is the cancellation of schools, meeting and any other gathering when the wind/ snow starts blowing a bit.
It occurs over here also, perhaps not to the same extent.
We have a lot more bad/good weather in Canada, and recently in Alberta and some areas out West it was down to 30 below, but then you dress for it and the cars are built for it.
This is the start of our Winter, and it will not be too warm until April, BUT.....there is skiing and all sorts of winter sports, car/ motorcycle/ skidoo/ ATV use, and racing on the frozen Lakes. Most outlying areas have winter carnivals.
AND then there is Southern Florida/ Texas/ Mexico, when one gets fed up Winter.
What a wonderful World!

Just read the post on snow tires...Quebec has now made snow tires mandatory.....

[lindsaymcc]

Just read up on the snow sock things - they look fab, but you would have to remove them every time you got to a clear road!

Surely careful driving and only going out if you NEED to is more cost-effective?!

[orkneycadian]

Surely careful appropriate driving

Sometimes it needs a judicious amount of clog....


and only going out if you NEED to is more cost-effective?!

Could be said about any car trip I guess, but it doesn't stop folk clogging up the roads the other 364 days of the year with needless runs here, there and everywhere.

No traffic on a salted road does nothing to make the salt work. It needs traffic, and for it to be moving at more than a snails pace before it can become effective

[Gronnuck]

The first flurry of snow and almost routinely the schools get closed [disgust]; I wonder how many will be closed tomorrow?
I wonder what would happen if there was a RTA and someone phoned for the Police and the Ambulance service and got told, "I'm sorry the service is closed due to snow on the roads." :confused

[kitty]

The first flurry of snow and almost routinely the schools get closed [disgust]; I wonder how many will be closed tomorrow?
I wonder what would happen if there was a RTA and someone phoned for the Police and the Ambulance service and got told, "I'm sorry the service is closed due to snow on the roads." :confused

I think a lot of the time up here the schools are closed due to the hazardous conditions of the minor roads the bus's have to go on to pick up the kids.

The school closure webiste doesn't appear to be working at the moment though

[Tugmistress]

i think the closure of schools etc is down to the modern health and safety law - i remember trudging through loads of snow to school when the outlying villages had no school transport and the rest of us 'townies' had to still go in

[cuddlepop]

The 3pm bus leaving Glasgow for Skye is terminating at Fort William tonight must be expecting worse weather further north.

Loads of snow here from yesterday but nothing else has fallen today.
Web site hasnt got a warning out for this stretch of road.:confused

[Mystical Potato Head]

Ah, the "When I were 't lad....." opener!

Well, when I were 't lad, the school bus only didn't go when it physically couldn't go with 30 of us out the back pushing it! Even when it did go, there were plenty of times where it would drop you off as close as it could, and you had to wade through snow the rest of the way home!

Aye, when I were 't lad.... ;)


An oldie from 1918
http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo189/sat5_photos/349.jpg

[lindsaymcc]

I dont see Millar academy being open tomorrow, unless there are a team of people with shovels heading down at first light! The staff car park and the playgrounds etc were still totally untouched at 3pm this afternoon!

[Gronnuck]

I think a lot of the time up here the schools are closed due to the hazardous conditions of the minor roads the bus's have to go on to pick up the kids.

The school closure webiste doesn't appear to be working at the moment though

I wasn’t referring to schools in Caithness in particular. It seems a habit that’s spread across the country to close schools everywhere at the slightest sign of snow. I just find it strange that every other organisation can manage, particularly our emergency services while schools close at the drop of a hat :confused.

[kitty]

I wasn’t referring to schools in Caithness in particular. It seems a habit that’s spread across the country to close schools everywhere at the slightest sign of snow. I just find it strange that every other organisation can manage, particularly our emergency services while schools close at the drop of a hat :confused.

My son's school aren't like that. They only had 1 day off last year... and it is a village school not one of the ones in town and they seem to shut a lot more often than his do..

Think it must just be up to the head teacher :)

[brandy]

what is strange though.. is it goes school by school.. and thats in the town! 4 schools in the town and each one is up to the respective head to open or close.

[bekisman]

I wonder?:
IPCC scientist; Global Cooling headed our way for next 30 years?


http://wattsupwiththat.com/2010/01/11/ipcc-scientist-global-cooling-headed-our-way-for-the-next-30-years/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1242202/Could-30-years-global-COOLING.html

[lindsaymcc]

We were in England last year when the bad winter snow hit, and although our village primary school didnt close, a lot of the ones on the main roads did!

A lot of it came down to clearing the playground/paths for access, and our school had a lot of parent helpers with shovels to clear the way!

If the schools up here got parents/locals on side to clear the grounds, the kids could attend school without problems.

Why shouldnt the kids go to school because there is snow?! Does life have to stop?! Ok so its nice for them to play in it, but thats where we as parents come in and allow them the joy of playing in the snow outside of school hours!

As for who makes the decision - it is ultimately the Heads decision, but a lot of factors need to be taken into consideration such as the safety of pupils in the playground (could be avoided by indoor play/lunch times) and whether the staff are able to make it in - well considering how clear the main roads are in Thurso, I cant see there being a problem there!

[orkneycadian]

Eeee, when I were 't lad, the snowdrifts used to gather in the gate to the school. Didnt stop us clambering over them to get in! And we would be most cheesed off if folk went and cleared all the snow out of the playground!

And that complete disregard for elf and safety did no-one any harm whatsoever....

[orkneycadian]

Think it must just be up to the head teacher :)

'Tis funny, but when the "infomercials" about school transport are being broadcast by MFR (no heard them this year yet....) they are at great pains to point out....

"And of course its up to you, as a responsible parent to decide if it is safe to send your children to school"

So what are you supposed to do, as a responsible parent, having gone out to check the snow, done your risk assessment and come to the conclusion its entirely safe to send wee Johnnie / Jemima to school on account that you can only find enough snow to make a snowball if you trawl 50 yards of ditch, and you find out that someones gone and shut the school and cancelled the buses? What happened to you, the responsible parent being the one who makes the decision?

[puffin croft]

tuggmistress,i know its early days,but rumour are that it is set in for 2 months.with yr access to charts etc,hows it looking for christmas? i just hope its cold and crisp not wet and warm!

[lindsaymcc]

I do hope Wick Airport, Edinburgh Airport and Stansted Airport are all operating as normal on 22nd December....... my dad is coming up for Christmas! Too bad if he misses the flight home on 3rd Jan, but I want him here on 22nd Dec!!!!!!

[Tugmistress]

tuggmistress,i know its early days,but rumour are that it is set in for 2 months.with yr access to charts etc,hows it looking for christmas? i just hope its cold and crisp not wet and warm!

The charts i use are available to anyone :) if you want to look they are here (http://www.netweather.tv/index.cgi?action=charts;type=gfsh500;sess=).
they don't go as far ahead as christmas i'm afraid and i wont trust anything further than 5 days away anyway, sorry

[annemarie482]

well well, the org on my mobile, thats a first! Well, we're in aberdeen, roads were slushy but otherwise fine! Was a little disappointed as after all the hype i was looking forward to the drama! Ha ha anyway, leave early and add an hour or 2 to your journey.

[purplelady]

Am going to perth at the weekend can you tell me if this will have started to clear by then thanks xxxxxxx

[Tugmistress]

Am going to perth at the weekend can you tell me if this will have started to clear by then thanks xxxxxxx


i think the actual amount of snow falling out of the sky will be reduced by the weekend but we are still going to be in the minus temperatures through the weekend, we might even see a couple of days of sunshine! just be aware of the freezing temps when driving though as the road may look black but it could well be black ice.

[northener]

I can certainly vouch for the weather being atrocious further South over the past couple of days.

Had a couple of days with friends down in Stow on the Wold, clear blue skies and -5C in the daytime, cracking for walking.

Set off back up here on Sunday morning and all was well until we got to Glasgow, the lack of traffic on the roads were a grim warning of what was to come...

We ended up in a huge tailback at the Dunblane/A9 roundabout, the road was closed and we were diverted off into Dunblane. I can honestly say I have not seen that much snow for a very, very long time. The snow on top of the cars was about 2ft thick and every single sideroad was impassable. We bailed out back to Stirling and booked a B&B for the night.

A9 was still blocked yesterday morning with conflicting info being given. The AA said closed all day, local info said possibly open by lunchtime. Sod that.....


...the the Grand Plan was created. Head West for towards Crianlarich and head down the side of Loch Tay towards Pitlochry. Unfortunately, that 'A' road is nothing more than a country lane and may not have been cleared. If it was too bad, we'd head back South and cut across to Perth on the A85. If that failed, then West again for Fort Bill (after phoning me mate in FB to see if it was doable). I we couldn't do that then we'd have to spend another night in Stirling.

The Loch Tay road was chocker with snow, hadn't been snowploughed, but luckily the only cars that could be seen were 4x4's, which meant that it wasn't compacted too much by large amounts of traffic......hmmmm....

We went for it.
What a laugh, thirty miles of great (and occasionally heartstopping) fun.:Razz
Brilliant sunshine, absolutely no traffic apart from about half a dozen 4x4's (and one intrepid Golf driver coming the other way) and shedloads of snow to play with. Just wind the car up, point it down the glen and don't touch the brakes! The only way to get through a lot of it was run at the snow doing about thirty and the wheels dead straight, brilliant. Car was slewing everywhere with the traction control warning virtually crying for mercy.

Ford Fiesta TDCI Zetecs get my vote in the snow, a lot better than the Corsas.:cool:

Took ages to get down to Aberfeldy, and the roads didn't improve through the village. But we made it.

Finally got back here last night at 6.00 after taking nearly 9 hours to get from Stirling.

[Venture]

Sounds like you enjoyed every minute of it northener. Good to hear you're back safe and sound.:)

PS Hope you had your tights with you.;)

[ducati]

I can certainly vouch for the weather being atrocious further South over the past couple of days.

Had a couple of days with friends down in Stow on the Wold, clear blue skies and -5C in the daytime, cracking for walking.

Set off back up here on Sunday morning and all was well until we got to Glasgow, the lack of traffic on the roads were a grim warning of what was to come...

We ended up in a huge tailback at the Dunblane/A9 roundabout, the road was closed and we were diverted off into Dunblane. I can honestly say I have not seen that much snow for a very, very long time. The snow on top of the cars was about 2ft thick and every single sideroad was impassable. We bailed out back to Stirling and booked a B&B for the night.

A9 was still blocked yesterday morning with conflicting info being given. The AA said closed all day, local info said possibly open by lunchtime. Sod that.....


...the the Grand Plan was created. Head West for towards Crianlarich and head down the side of Loch Tay towards Pitlochry. Unfortunately, that 'A' road is nothing more than a country lane and may not have been cleared. If it was too bad, we'd head back South and cut across to Perth on the A85. If that failed, then West again for Fort Bill (after phoning me mate in FB to see if it was doable). I we couldn't do that then we'd have to spend another night in Stirling.

The Loch Tay road was chocker with snow, hadn't been snowploughed, but luckily the only cars that could be seen were 4x4's, which meant that it wasn't compacted too much by large amounts of traffic......hmmmm....

We went for it.
What a laugh, thirty miles of great (and occasionally heartstopping) fun.:Razz
Brilliant sunshine, absolutely no traffic apart from about half a dozen 4x4's (and one intrepid Golf driver coming the other way) and shedloads of snow to play with. Just wind the car up, point it down the glen and don't touch the brakes! The only way to get through a lot of it was run at the snow doing about thirty and the wheels dead straight, brilliant. Car was slewing everywhere with the traction control warning virtually crying for mercy.

Ford Fiesta TDCI Zetecs get my vote in the snow, a lot better than the Corsas.:cool:

Took ages to get down to Aberfeldy, and the roads didn't improve through the village. But we made it.

Finally got back here last night at 6.00 after taking nearly 9 hours to get from Stirling.

Sounds like great fun! I'm famous for getting 4x4s stuck but I've been trolling around in the Astra Deisel and it's been great.

[Dadie]

We had a slow run back from Aberdeen on Saturday...9hrs!
Think we decided to go home before it was too bad to go...
Not much fun with 3 small kids in the car...
Also suprised that my order is coming today as I looked on the parcelforce tracking it reached Thurso this morning...and I thought that with the snow I wouldnt get it until the middle of the week....now I have a valid excuse for not setting foot outside!

[cazmanian_minx]

According to my iGoogle weather gadget, we're having a heatwave in Bettyhill!

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll302/cazmanian_minx/weather.jpg

(Judging by the map, it's actually managed to pick up the weather in Ghana...)

[ShelleyCowie]

Thats why i dont trust weather sites! Its like Caithness doesnt exist!

[billmoseley]

According to my iGoogle weather gadget, we're having a heatwave in Bettyhill!

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll302/cazmanian_minx/weather.jpg

(Judging by the map, it's actually managed to pick up the weather in Ghana...)

just slipping in to my trunks and covering myself in lotion look out beach here i come