Up to eight inches of snow on the way as forecasters warn Britain to brace for most severe early winter since 1993link

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 12:53 AM on 25th November 2010

• Comments (364)
• Add to My Stories

• London facing two inches of snow on Saturday
• Met Office issues severe warnings until the weekend
• Commuters told to prepare for chaos on roads and rail

Britain is bracing itself for the most severe early winter cold snap since 1993, with forecasters predicting up to eight inches of snow could fall across the country.
Blizzards will hit the UK from tonight with some areas warned to prepare for between four and eight inches of snow in the next few days.
London and the South-East is set for up to two inches of snow on Saturday brought on by bitter winds from Siberia.
The Met Office has issued severe warnings for heavy snow and blizzards until Saturday and urged those travelling to prepare for chaos on roads and rail.

Police officers try to help stricken motorists on roads over the North Yorkshire Moors today after they were blocked by snowfalls and blizzards

Police on the scene as a car lies suspended on a bank after sliding off a snowbound road on the North Yorkshire Moors

Temperatures are likely to plummet to -3C tonight, with freezing fog a possibility for tomorrow morning.
Sarah Holland from the Met Office said: 'As we head towards the weekend it's going to get much, much colder.
'We have issued an advisory for London and the South-East for Saturday. There is potential for one to 5cm (2in) of snow in London, and more on hilly ground, with the potential for ice on the roads. The worst hit area will be to the north of London.'
BBC forecaster Matt Taylor warned: 'It's not just a short, sharp shock, it'll be around well into next week.'
Mr Taylor added: 'We've had snow earlier than this, but to have as much as this across a large part of the country, we have to go back to about 1993'.
Last year's record breaking big freeze began one week before Christmas, with snow and ice remaining in some northern areas for a full calendar month.
This time November will herald the first and now customary scenes of transport chaos and weather-related problems.
And astonishingly it seems that some local authorities have failed to learn the lessons from last winter's long-running freeze, when a number of councils were criticised for running out of salt and grit supplies.

A snow plough clears a way around Lumsden near Huntly, Aberdeenshire, after snow swept across the north east of Scotland

Police officers direct traffic as motorists get into difficulties on the North Yorkshire Moors. The Met Office is predicting the Big Freeze is on its way south

Many councils are still waiting for deliveries of thousands of tonnes of salt to ensure they can grit main roads and some are so worried they have set up arrangements with neighbouring authorities to help out if necessary.
Peter Box from the Local Government Association admitted:'There will be no room for complacency in the weeks ahead. The fact that many councils are still waiting for salt to be delivered at this late stage is undoubtedly going to make a challenging time of year even more difficult.'
For some, the Big Freeze has already arrived as snow swept across the north-east of Scotland and the northern counties of England.
Ploughs and gritters were forced into action, and police and motoring organisations had their work cut out as drivers got into severe difficulties, especially across Aberdeenshire and the North Yorkshire Moors where roads were blocked by blizzards and a spate of accidents.
In North Yorkshire, the A169 was blocked near the Hole of Horcum on the North York Moors after a lorry skidded in the snow and hit a fence.
Police said the road was blocked for two hours and reopened at 12.30pm. No one was injured.
Conditions were described as 'treacherous' in some parts of the county this morning, but appeared to have eased this afternoon.

It may be pretty but the snow made conditions difficult for drivers and pedestrians  in Ballater, Aberdeenshire

Rail workers battling to keep the trains running at Faversham, Kent, during the Big Freeze of November 1993

THREE-DAY FORECAST

TOMORROW:
NORTH - Snow showers especially in the east. Max 2C (36f) Min -3C (27f)
SOUTH - Dry and bright with some wintry showers in east. Max 4C (39f) Min -2C (28f)

FRIDAY:
NORTH - wintry showers and sunny intervals. Max 2C (36f) Min -3C (27f)
SOUTH - cloudy with some wintry showers. Max 5C (41f) Min -3C (27f)

SATURDAY:
NORTH - cloudy with snow showers in east. Max 2C (36f) Min -4C (25f)
SOUTH - cloudy with snow showers possible in east.  Max 4C (39f)   Min -2C (28f)

With more bad weather forecast for the region, motorists were urged to take extra care when driving and allow more time for their journey. Drivers were also warned to carry out vehicle checks and pack an emergency weather kit in their cars.
Several councils across the country have recruited 'volunteer snow wardens' to help clear pavements, side roads and footpaths while gritting lorries concentrate on the main routes.
Sheffield City Council has recently 'trained and equipped' more than 50 of these wardens, who could be called into action for the first time tomorrow .
Councillor Shaffaq Mohammed, Sheffield's Communities chief, said:'We believe it is important to make it possible for local people to get involved and the new snow wardens, with our support, will help to keep the city moving if heavy and lasting snow strikes.'
In London, a 24-hour walkout by Tube staff is currently scheduled to go ahead from Sunday evening - leading to even more chaos on the roads.
The Met Office stopped its seasonal forecasts this year after wrongly predicting a ‘barbecue summer’ last year.
But its long-range forecast for the next month says cold conditions are likely to continue in the run-up to Christmas.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1332420/Snow-blizzard-warnings-weekend-Britain-temperatures-plummet.html#ixzz16L6Iccme

 

Snow arrives as prolonged spell of cold weather starts

by admin on Nov.25, 2010, under National News

Ushaw Moor, Durham on Thursday the 25th. Picture by Angela Scott

The earliest widespread snowfall for 17 years has begun to grip many parts of the UK.
Up to 10cm (4in) of snow settled in northern Scotland and north-east England overnight, with falls also reported in Northern Ireland and Wales.
The Met Office has issued warnings of heavy or drifting snow and widespread icy roads, particularly for the eastern side of the UK.
Weather forecasters predict the cold spell will last for almost a fortnight.
Temperatures are expected to drop to -5C in some areas over the next few days, far lower than those normally experienced in November.
It is unlikely to rise much above 2C-5C by day, remaining lower in the more exposed, rural areas.
Northern and eastern parts of the UK are expected to bear the brunt of the wintry conditions.
Chris Fawkes, from the BBC Weather Centre, said 5-13cm (2-5in) of snow was expected in low-lying areas later, but places like the North York Moors, which were particularly exposed to the north-east wind, could see falls of up to 20cm.
“Winter has arrived early this year,” he said. “This cold snap is probably going to last the best part of a fortnight.”
He said many central parts of the UK would be dry and sunny by day, but cold and icy by night, and snow was likely to hit southern counties of England next week.
Icy roads
The Met Office’s severe weather warnings stretch from the Scottish Highlands to Cornwall.
Motorists were urged to exercise caution on the roads as temperatures plunged and snow settled on ice.
The AA reported a surge in breakdowns and had received 3,000 call-outs by 0930 GMT, largely in northern and eastern areas.
Spokesman Gavin Hill-Smith said: “We are expecting another busy day and a particularly hazardous commute for people this evening.
“People should try and stick to the main routes where possible and, when they can, avoid the more rural roads where black ice can be particularly treacherous.”
Some councils have already said they would not be gritting as many roads this year to save money.
Across Scotland, the worst affected areas are Grampian, East Lothian and the Borders, with the snow forecast to spread to the rest of the country by the weekend. Seventy schools in north-east Scotland have either closed or cancelled pupil transport. No schools have been shut in the Highlands.
Grampian Police say road conditions throughout the region are treacherous and are urging motorists not to travel unless it is absolutely necessary.
Police said all roads in the Grampian region had snow and ice, and the A93 at Glenshee and the A939 Ballater were among those that had closed.
A spokeswoman for Aberdeenshire Council said: “A total of 49 gritters with blades, six snowploughs, 28 footpath gritters, 24 farmer’s snowploughs and 13 diggers have been in operation overnight and this morning.
“The lowest temperature overnight was -3.8C at Westhill.”
Rock salt sales
North Yorkshire woke up to a blanket of snow on Thursday morning, and 10 schools in the county have closed.
A spokesman for North Yorkshire County Council said all major roads were open, including the A169 Pickering to Whitby road, which had been badly affected.
But the drive into work was hazardous for many motorists in the county. The A170 at Sutton Bank was particularly affected by snow, as was the B1249 at Staxton Bank near Scarborough, and the A165 Reighton bypass was partially blocked.
BBC Radio Cornwall had several reports of snow and slippery roads. It said gritters had been out throughout the night and Thursday morning, but there were accidents and delays on the main trunk road, the A30. Lorries and coaches have been getting stuck on some roads.
The highest parts of County Durham and Northumberland have seen 15cm (6in) of snow, and there have been reports of accidents and smaller roads not been gritted.
A car overturned on the A1 southbound in Gateshead, and in County Durham one lane of the A1 northbound was blocked between Carrville and Chester-le-Street because of a jack-knifed lorry.
More than 20 schools have closed across Northumberland, County Durham, and Tyneside and Wearside.
The prospect of continued snow has sparked a surge in rock salt sales of 1,600%, according to DIY chain B&Q.
Wellington boots were also flying off the shelves, it said.

 

Jet Stream Gone Haywire! "Significant" Snow Falls for Europe Predicted by Mid-Week

 

Britain is set to shiver in temperatures as low as minus ten this week with 'significant' snow falls hitting the country, the Met Office warn.
The last time the mercury plummeted this low was in March - at the summit of a Scottish mountain.
The north and the east of the country are in line for heavy snow, although forecasters say this could spread across Britain as we head to the weekend.
For the start of the week temperatures will be average, with daytime highs of seven or eight Celsius.
But as December nears this will fall, with a north easterly wind battering the coast and bringing showers with it.
Rural parts of the country could see overnight temperatures as low a -10C, said Met Office forecast Alex Fox.
He said: 'The last time temperatures reached that low was on the night of the 9th and 10th of March this year at the top of Braemar, a mountain in Scotland that's 1,000ft above sea level.
That gives us an idea of how cold things are going to get.
'With these conditions there's an increased chance we could see snow, especially in northern and eastern parts of the country.
'And some places could get a significant amount of snow as we head towards the end of week.'
'We are getting closer and closer to December in that transition phase. At the moment temperatures are about average but over the next few days this will definitely get colder.
'We will still see showers, although not heavy rain, on Monday and Tuesday in some parts of the country.
'But by the end of the week this could have turned to snow hitting the south by late Wednesday, early Thursday and staying until the weekend.'

© North News & Pictures Ltd
Motorcyclists taking a slow drive in one of the first snow falls of winter in Teesdale, County Durham

© Press Association
Snow and thick fog on the Northumberland boarders as temperatures drop and more snow is forecasted during the next week

© Press Association
'But by the end of the week this could have turned to snow hitting the south by late Wednesday, early Thursday and staying until the weekend'

© Press Association
People enjoy ice skating at Somerset House Ice Rink, Strand in London during the launch of the Somerset House Big Ice Dance Workout
Comment: Looks like Europe is in for trouble weather-wise. Next weekend, freezing temps, snow and maybe even storms at the same time. The Jet stream appears to have stopped or broken down over Europe. Check out this image:

You see the UK and Ireland, Northern France, Germany etc. and Scandinavia in the bottom center? Usually the Jet stream goes straight across Northern Europe acting as a buffer against the freezing Arctic weather. But now it has looped down over Spain with another arm over North Africa. Apparently that has never happened before.
Here's an image from the US earlier this year:

© AccuWeather
It's the same deal, "chilly air forced southward" because of a distortion in the normal flow of the Jet stream. Thing is, that happened over North America in June, it's happening over Europe in winter.
Here's an article with a video explaining what happened in India, Russia and China this year as a result of a similar strange break down/up of the Jet Stream (ignore the 'global warming' nonsense).

 

Snow Might Cover 90% of U.K. by End of November With Six Inches in Londonlink

Snow is forecast to cover as much as 90 percent of the U.K. by Nov. 29 with six inches in London as cold weather approaches, according to weather forecasts.
There may be as much as six inches (15 centimeters) of snow in southeast England, northeast England and much of Scotland, British Weather Services, which sells forecasts to businesses including energy companies, said in an e-mail.
“We expect the country to be whitened out,” Jim Dale, a senior meteorologist at British Weather Services in High Wycombe, England, said by telephone. “There’s a good chance we could be waking up to large volumes of snow.” Snowfall is also forecast across the rest of Europe, particularly across the Alps and Scandinavia, he said.
Weather forecasters use models which can predict trends in weather. The models can change. The U.K.’s Met Office issued a heavy snow warning on its website at 11:30 a.m local time. Cold weather can spur demand for natural gas, used to heat more than half of the country’s homes and businesses.
Snow is going to come “progressively as we get to the end of this week and into next,” Dale said. “On current trends, we can’t see an end to this until mid-December.”

Earthquake swarm near Djibouti Far more powerful than a normal swarmlink

                      
  

17 Nov 10 - Email from reader


Robert,


I look at the USGS earthquake site every day and have done so for over 2 years. 

I do not remember seeing activity, much less this kind of activity at the mouth of 
the red sea before. If I recall correctly, there is a rift near this area.

Tim Austin

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Maps/10/45_10.php

Thanks to both Tim Austin and Mel for this link

What's the problem here?

The problem is that these earthquakes are far more powerful than a normal 
earthquake swarm. The average swarm usually produces magnitudes 2.0 to 3.5. 

For example, according the the USGS, the total seismic energy released during 
the Dec '08/Jan '09 earthquake swarm beneath Yellowstone corresponded to 
just one earthquake with an approximate magnitude of 4.4. 

These earthquakes near Djibouti are running anywhere from 4.3 to 5.3 each.

Here is a list of the earthquakes located by the USGS and contributing networks for the 10-degree Map Centered at 10°N, 45°E.

	MAG	UTC DATE-TIME y/m/d h:m:s	LAT deg	LON deg	DEPTH km	Region
MAP	4.7	2010/11/18 02:25:52	12.009	43.979	14.4	NEAR THE COAST OF YEMEN
MAP	4.9	2010/11/18 01:56:55	12.182	44.078	11.3	NEAR THE COAST OF YEMEN
MAP	4.9	2010/11/16 15:51:27	12.080	44.023	10.0	NEAR THE COAST OF YEMEN
MAP	5.0	2010/11/16 02:07:04	12.466	44.259	11.0	NEAR THE COAST OF YEMEN
MAP	4.8	2010/11/16 02:05:20	11.989	43.932	8.6	NEAR THE COAST OF DJIBOUTI
MAP	4.7	2010/11/15 23:35:31	12.057	43.971	13.8	NEAR THE COAST OF YEMEN
MAP	4.6	2010/11/15 11:12:20	11.860	43.444	8.6	NEAR THE COAST OF DJIBOUTI
MAP	4.9	2010/11/15 07:36:08	12.116	44.040	11.2	NEAR THE COAST OF YEMEN
MAP	4.3	2010/11/15 07:13:11	12.296	43.591	16.3	NEAR THE COAST OF YEMEN
MAP	4.5	2010/11/15 07:09:10	12.269	44.038	10.5	NEAR THE COAST OF YEMEN
MAP	4.6	2010/11/15 03:44:09	12.405	43.714	15.0	NEAR THE COAST OF YEMEN
MAP	4.7	2010/11/15 00:06:08	12.104	43.803	16.5	NEAR THE COAST OF YEMEN
MAP	4.9	2010/11/14 23:25:36	12.162	43.968	16.3	NEAR THE COAST OF YEMEN
MAP	5.1	2010/11/14 22:22:30	11.955	43.629	10.2	NEAR THE COAST OF DJIBOUTI
MAP	4.9	2010/11/14 20:18:04	12.041	43.693	13.0	NEAR THE COAST OF YEMEN
MAP	5.2	2010/11/14 19:15:43	11.796	43.850	10.2	NEAR THE COAST OF DJIBOUTI
MAP	4.7	2010/11/14 18:54:29	12.123	44.115	9.6	NEAR THE COAST OF YEMEN
MAP	4.9	2010/11/14 17:39:20	12.133	43.922	16.4	NEAR THE COAST OF YEMEN
MAP	5.3	2010/11/14 17:02:50	12.055	43.735	15.4	NEAR THE COAST OF YEMEN
MAP	4.8	2010/11/14 15:15:05	12.204	43.762	2.4	NEAR THE COAST OF YEMEN
MAP	5.3	2010/11/14 15:06:30	11.930	43.644	12.4	NEAR THE COAST OF DJIBOUTI
MAP	5.1	2010/11/14 14:55:25	12.068	43.784	13.6	NEAR THE COAST OF YEMEN
MAP	5.2	2010/11/14 14:33:19	12.005	43.853	10.0	NEAR THE COAST OF YEMEN
MAP	5.0	2010/11/14 14:04:30	11.949	43.895	10.0	NEAR THE COAST OF DJIBOUTI
MAP	5.0	2010/11/14 13:50:05	12.181	43.958	10.0	NEAR THE COAST OF YEMEN
MAP	4.9	2010/11/14 12:49:55	11.810	43.773	10.0	NEAR THE COAST OF DJIBOUTI
MAP	4.7	2010/11/14 12:48:34	12.108	43.721	10.1	NEAR THE COAST OF YEMEN
MAP	4.8	2010/11/14 12:41:49	11.999	43.865	10.1	NEAR THE COAST OF DJIBOUTI
MAP	4.7	2010/11/14 12:38:59	12.169	43.971	10.0	NEAR THE COAST OF YEMEN
MAP	4.7	2010/11/14 12:17:16	11.950	43.756	9.9	NEAR THE COAST OF DJIBOUTI
MAP	4.6	2010/11/14 12:10:16	12.152	43.844	10.1	NEAR THE COAST OF YEMEN
MAP	4.6	2010/11/14 12:00:46	11.801	43.967	10.0	NEAR THE COAST OF DJIBOUTI
MAP	4.9	2010/11/14 11:30:19	12.175	43.891	10.0	NEAR THE COAST OF YEMEN
MAP	4.8	2010/11/14 11:14:12	11.715	43.994	10.0	NEAR THE COAST OF DJIBOUTI
MAP	4.9	2010/11/14 10:37:47	11.874	44.023	10.0	GULF OF ADEN
MAP	4.5	2010/11/14 10:37:25	11.750	44.080	10.0	GULF OF ADEN
MAP	4.8	2010/11/14 10:34:28	12.137	44.014	10.1	NEAR THE COAST OF YEMEN
MAP	4.8	2010/11/14 09:23:28	12.132	44.086	10.0	NEAR THE COAST OF YEMEN
MAP	4.9	2010/11/14 09:17:52	12.064	43.936	10.1	NEAR THE COAST OF YEMEN
MAP	4.5	2010/11/14 09:06:00	12.110	43.987	10.0	NEAR THE COAST OF YEMEN
MAP	4.6	2010/11/14 08:30:22	11.959	43.998	10.0	NEAR THE COAST OF DJIBOUTI
MAP	5.0	2010/11/14 08:21:22	12.152	43.967	10.0	NEAR THE COAST OF YEMEN
MAP	4.5	2010/11/14 07:57:18	12.025	44.079	10.0	NEAR THE COAST OF YEMEN
MAP	4.9	2010/11/14 07:38:33	11.979	44.019	10.0	GULF OF ADEN
MAP	4.9	2010/11/14 07:27:37	12.405	44.046	10.0	NEAR THE COAST OF YEMEN
MAP	4.8	2010/11/14 07:08:30	11.571	44.007	10.0	GULF OF ADEN
MAP	4.7	2010/11/14 07:03:36	12.102	44.113	10.0	NEAR THE COAST OF YEMEN
MAP	5.4	2010/11/14 06:32:28	12.025	43.957	9.9	NEAR THE COAST OF YEMEN
MAP	4.6	2010/11/14 06:29:29	12.578	44.032	10.0	NEAR THE COAST OF YEMEN

These came from:

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Maps/10/45_10_eqs.php
Thanks to Mitch Battros for this link