The Big Freeze ( Sunday 10th January )

I'm noticing that an increase in the usual "what will such and such a route be like in the morning" or "will it be ok to drive on a route in the snow" questions are starting to appear. So I'll give my own little piece of wisdom which comes from my own personal experiences and spending a hell of a lot of time behind the wheel of a vehicle in all weather conditions.

Driving on fresh snow doesn't present any major problems.

A 4wd vehicle can be as bad as a 2wd vehicle if the driver doesn't understand how their transmission system operates and how and when to engage the various options. Read the manual may sound obvious but so many people don't understand how to engage the systems correctly or when to. The owners manual goes some way to address this.

Stopping distance is dramatically increased but directional stability is typically better than on ice and tyre tread can be a governing factor also.

A person with fresh tyres with a wide gap in the tread will fair much better than some one with more worn tyres or narrow gaps in the tread.

Tyres with good tread depth = better chance of keeping traction.

Tyres with poor tread depth = better chance of loosing traction.

If you lose traction going uphill, back down a little way before trying again and try to keep a nice steady constant speed up before you hit the slippy patch. Keep in a reasonably high gear and lowish revs to help avoid wheel spin. If you do find yourself slippng backwards it can often be helpful to put the vehicle into reverse gear to help regain tractions and hence directional control.

Caution is naturally required when driving in the conditions the weather has presented us with, use the brake as little as possible, plan manouvers well ahead of time, gentle changes in direction and engine braking will all help to keep you between the ditches.

Most of all though time will be the main thing to take account of. If you think you have enough time planned for your journey then chances are that you dont. Add at least 50% and more where you can. Remember that a heck of a lot of people will realise a huge amount of extra time will be required so will all leave erarly therefore the morning rush hour will start earlier and be prolonged.

A good tip is that if you can hear the snow crunching beneth your tyres then you are in a pretty good situation and it is not too compacted. If you can't hear the snow beneth your tyres its either well compacted and a real danger of loss of traction exists or you're simply driving too fast. Same thing for slush, as long as you can hear the noise you're doing ok. Opening the window a crack will be a great aid to listening for these sounds.

Bring warm spare clothing with you. A hat and gloves are of great benefit to have in reserve. That way if you do get stuck you will always have something warm and dry to change into. Cold hands are pretty useless to work with, try working a mobile phone when your hands are freezing, hence the gloves. A heck of a lot of body heat is lost through the head too, hence the hat. A sugary drink is always good to help keep energy levels up.

WolfeIRE wrote: »

Joe Bastardi indicates the return to the norm as well but hints at another cold spell in February.

Why does this guy hold credence in his views of the weather ? Some of his reasoning seems lol ridiculous in that post!

Opr

Havent seen a drop of snow in Limerick since this afternoon. Was raining lightly around 8pm though.

It was about 0 degrees then

WolfeIRE wrote: »

Joe Bastardi indicates the return to the norm as well but hints at another cold spell in February.

Well deep in FI, GFS is hinting at the weather turning colder again towards the end of the month.

Still snowing here, so it be heading your way some point after it re fuels in the sea

Tactical wrote: »

Ok gang,

I've an early start in the morning so I'll be putting the head down now.

Still snowing decently here in West Limerick, pity I won't be able to enjoy it from now on :rolleyes:

Not snowing in Limerick suburbs though

Watching this thread has been like taking drugs.

The first while was all build up, then it happened as bit, which was great, thought it would better, sleet now and not that cold, now we're coming down.

High on low temperature...

further to Tactical's post about driving in snow, a tip I was given by a Canadian woman...

keep a couple of "tea-light" candles in your car somewhere... in the event of being stuck overnight in your car in the snow, lighting one in the car can mean the temperature difference between life and death.

Not tried it... I'm from Yorkshire - we just got out and walked...

Snow still falling here in Cork, but it is quite wet. It is now -1*C.

opr wrote: »

Why does this guy hold credence in his views of the weather ? Some of his reasoning seems lol ridiculous in that post!

Opr

probably because he was the only one to forsee this cold spell happening. unlike the uk met office, which in it's predictions for this winter some time back, indicated it would be a mild winter overall with no noticeable cold periods.

Rebelbrowser wrote: »

I'm off to bed. Been one of the best (if not the best?) snowfall I can remember here in Cork today. Its melting on branches at the mo but it is still snowing! Thats basically 12 hrs straight! I know today didn't happen for most of you but then again most of ye get it every year. Tis rare indeed down here. My thoughts are with those who got nothing during this spell - I think Galway city may have missed out - keep the faith for next time as if Cork city can get a decent dumping, anywhere can.....

No need for the sympathy rebel, its snowing as we speak here, and while we didn't get vast amounts of snow, we didn't miss out either. Otherwise, I think the snowball fight that took place in the estate across from the house this afternoon would've been a lot less enthusiastic!

Look at how quick that Atlantic Low/Front is steaming in. Not far off the Cork/Kerry coast now.

www.sat24.com

Lashing rain....