Media hysteria or not? Snow next week

[Noel]

Get your end of the world shop done tomorrow! Ever since the met office introduced 'alerts' the media seem to hype up routine winter weather events be it storms, frost, snow, etc (e.g. Teresa Mannion, storm ophelia, etc). The prophets of doom are predicting varying levels of snow later this week, ranging from 1cm of snow to worse than 1982 and 2010? Continentals nearly die laughing at how the least amount of snow brings Ireland to a stand still.

Photo Irish Rail website

[Broithe]

Doing things outside most days, I signed up to the UK Met Office email alerts. It's a rare day that I don't get a warning - I must be close to three figures for this year already,  I've had four today alone. Currently, they are mostly snow/ice and some wind-related.

Generally, it turns out to be just marginally unpleasant weather. On the odd occasion, when it is actually worth knowing about, it does take some further searching to convince myself. If I was to believe them all, I would possibly have not left the house this year, maybe not even gone downstairs a lot of the time...

The problem of all this is, that even when it is true, people may feel inclined to disregard the advice.

These days, we have access to regularly updated rain radar, cloud cover, temperature and wind mapping - a quick glance at those, and a look out of the window, is always worth doing.

[WRENNEIRE]

"Currently, they are mostly snow/ice and some wind-related."

Onions, I get these wind related ones after onions.....

[burnthebox]

I think it's all because of the Precipitation, Isobars, Minima & Maxima......!!!!

[GNRi1959]

Our college got an email alert for extreme snow conditions on Thursday (Omagh area)

[Noel]

Sheep herd panic? 

Its not the end of the world, when it does eventually snow folks will be able to get to the shops in within a few days!!! These met office alerts amplified by a hysterical media just worry people unnecessarily.

Edited February 27, 2018 by Noel
no electricity, no water, no heating, no food, for 5 seconds

[Broithe]

Some nice flurries on the Big Island, but it's hard to tell when the next one is coming now..

[jhb171achill]

I'll go for the "over-estimated futile panic" theory. 

My theory on what's happening: I call it "winter". There will be no minus twenty, no two metres of snow. Remember where you read this first; my pleasure.

By the way, what's a weather "event" meant to be? What inane and stupid terminology, says jhb171 the grinch.

[Glenderg]

23 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

I'll go for the "over-estimated futile panic" theory. 

My theory on what's happening: I call it "winter". There will be no minus twenty, no two metres of snow. Remember where you read this first; my pleasure.

By the way, what's a weather "event" meant to be? What inane and stupid terminology, says jhb171 the grinch.

 

[Broithe]

44 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

IBy the way, what's a weather "event" meant to be? What inane and stupid terminology, says jhb171 the grinch.

A 'weather event' is something weather-related that we think we can get away with calling "news", even though it's the sort of thing that often happens around this time of the year.

This was the 22nd of March last year,

[minister_for_hardship]

7 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

By the way, what's a weather "event" meant to be? What inane and stupid terminology, says jhb171 the grinch.

 

[jhb171achill]

We have 2 inches of the stuff.

Shock!   Horror!   Armageddon approacheth; there will be mighty plagues of locusts, yea, saith the Weatherman, and plagues of locusts and asps!

And the bread will be no more!

And that leather-clad wan on RTÉ weather will appear, yea, even in your own homes on TV,  to torture your eardrums with her ghastly contrived elocution-lesson pronunciation, that would verily make Ross O'Carroll Kelly throw up in a bucket....

Doom!   Repent ye, miserable wretches, of your sins!

Edited February 28, 2018 by jhb171achill

[WRENNEIRE]

Bring it on

 

[Barl]

On 2/28/2018 at 12:52 AM, jhb171achill said:

By the way, what's a weather "event" meant to be? What inane and stupid terminology, says jhb171 the grinch.

It's actually a term used when designing for certain rainfall/precipitation intensities and durations. For example a 1-in-100 year return period (1%AEP) rainfall intensity, along with a selected storm duration, is a design rainfall 'event'. Apologies for the jargon 😂

It seems to have been adopted by the media for anything now!

Edited March 1, 2018 by Barl

[RobertRoche]

9 minutes ago, Barl said:

For example a 1-in-100 year return period (1%AEP) rainfall intensity, along with a selected storm duration, is a design rainfall 'event'.

Additionally a 1-in-100 year rainfall event could occur every year and still be classed as a 1-in-100 year event. The 1-in-100 designation relates to the probability of that event occurring in any year. It doesn't relate to the actual frequency of occurrence. What was classed as a 1-in-100 year event twenty years ago might only represent a 1-in-50 year (for example) event today as the climate changes.

[Irishswissernie]

Here in Haltwhistle (Centre of Britain) we have 2 feet of snow, only one road open to the rest of the World, all trains and bus services cancelled, no papers or bread. Nowt on telly -er no that's normal!!! The wife has now gone in meltdown because she has now run out of grapes!!!

On the plus side I have ordered my rake of Tara's, uploaded over 50 images to Flickr (mainly 1920's Scottish) and have quite a few Irish images to add (narrow gauge and GNRI steam)

I am off to the Keighley & Worth Valley Gala next thursday so we need weather up-turn soon.

Still , look on the bright side, another day nearer death!!!

Ernie

Up-date; just been advised Madame has run out of Kitcats-- AAAARRRRGGGHHHHH!!!!

Edited March 2, 2018 by Irishswissernie
whingeing wife

[Noel]

Yes it's was a bit mad. But even up here in the mountains the roads were quite usable yesterday with many treated. Today will be different but being snowed in for 24 or 48 hours is not life threatening nor worthy of the media and govt 'end of the world' hysteria. Hope to get lots done on the layout. 

[JasonB]

Don't know about anybody else, but I'm starting to feel how Jack Nicholson did in The Shining  

[WRENNEIRE]

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.........

 

[jhb171achill]

I saw that fella on the Enniskerry Road earlier.....................

(I got the last pan loaf........cost me €120 but I sold it later on ebay for €1000....)

[Noel]

"Ireland must stop ‘shutting down’ when it snows". says hotelier 

I agree with him. This nanny state intervention leading to mass unfounded fear needs to change in future. The cities should have been able to and allowed function. Unlike 1982 this time all the main national routes remained continuously open (now motorways N routes back in 82).  Foreign tourists we amazed so little snow stopped the cities and public transport. It's not like 2m of snow fell in 48hrs. This is routine in many continental cities, we need to learn from them.  Nanny state gone mad combined with excessive H&S. There are risks to living.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/ireland-must-stop-shutting-down-when-it-snows-hotelier-says-1.3413223

[Robert Shrives]

Hi on the other Island much the same  Back in 1948 Railways had over a million employees today at best 120000. There are just not enough boots on the ground to have manual snow clearing - mechanised is fraught with  danger to what you are trying to protect.  

The Army/ governmental agencies offers not enough due to shrinking  sizes. So it is seen  as better to stop to reduce risks to a minimum and take the commerical hit as its a once in a 10 year event.  European cities often "labelled" as doing it well but yes its main routes and folk are prepared for annual events also most have some form of national  service that requires civils to assist- clearly in our nanny states this would be seen as infringing "human rights"- but to generalise these will be the first to moan that they could not get the KFC handouts!!   You are right there needs to be quite a bit of deep thinking by state powers and a social shift away from "number one" selfish thinking.

About to walk to Central Birmingham for a 12 hour control shift - boots and waterproofs but have just seen a bus ploughing the roads  even if council have not even attempted anything - snow not deep enough to plough it has to be said and given state of dirt tracks underneath a plough would do just that and then as the first city of the north in the pothole stakes we would have an unassailable lead, as the roads would just get smashed up.

Have to say yesterday some personal efforts by my train crews to dig out trains and cut into drifts were quite brilliant even though Network rail attempts quite feeble with a   lack of preparedness that was amazing on the Western Zone.

enjoy the snow!

Robert       

[Noel]

Giant white seal staring in the window this morning when I drew back the curtains  

Edited March 3, 2018 by Noel

[RobertRoche]

This was the N25 yesterday morning in Wexford, at least 6 inches of solid snow and drifts of 1-2 feet which got worse. Meet a loony who said he had driven from Cork and was heading to Rosslare who got stuck here. A tractor pulled him out.

Two feet of snow in the garden,

[Mike 84C]

I'm just an old git but I started work December 1962 and the Midland Red always got the guys to work at the Aluminium factory in Banbury , even from villages 7/8 miles away, for a 6am start. I often cycled the 6 miles to work on BR  in the snow and we had lots of it. I believe it lasted till late Feb/March.

  I think that these events are hyped up so that large numbers of the population stay at home  so the authorities  do'nt have to spend so much money on snow clearance , hey its a cost saving.The insurance companys take a hit and our premiums increase next year, so who pays ?!

  Maybe I should do more modelling!

  

[minister_for_hardship]

6 hours ago, Noel said:

"Ireland must stop ‘shutting down’ when it snows". says hotelier 

I agree with him. This nanny state intervention leading to mass unfounded fear needs to change in future. The cities should have been able to and allowed function. Unlike 1982 this time all the main national routes remained continuously open (now motorways N routes back in 82).  Foreign tourists we amazed so little snow stopped the cities and public transport. It's not like 2m of snow fell in 48hrs. This is routine in many continental cities, we need to learn from them.  Nanny state gone mad combined with excessive H&S. There are risks to living.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/ireland-must-stop-shutting-down-when-it-snows-hotelier-says-1.3413223

Have seen pics of abandoned and upside down cars that clearly should have stayed at home and personally saw an occurance with a pair of idiots in a car at the top of a steep hill which could have ended VERY badly if they didn't manage to stop where they did. The simple fact is this country is not used to or set up for such conditions, there would be absolute carnage if drivers were given carte blanche to drive whenever and wherever they liked.