Spring Weather

[Maggi Young]

Fred - thanks for the update!

We've had a fair bit of rain here but always there is wind so a lot is getting  blown away before it does any good.  Even so, I'm quite surprised to see some rhodos looking so badly dry.

[fredg]

Considering the cooler weather I've been surprised how fast the water was evaporating from the trays. They're promising rain tonight and tomorrow morning so here's hoping.

[johnstephen29]

With us Fred it's the wind coming off the North Sea that dries out the soil, it's that flat around here so there's no protection, it can get pretty wild.

[Hoy]

Rainy and cold here. A few hours with sun a couple of times during the week. No summer weather in sight.

They manage to open this road from west to east tomorrow. It is always closed during winter. Not because of the weather but the reindeer wouldn't stand a chance to cross the road during winter!



Still 9m of snow here!

Forgot to tell the source: http://www.nrk.no/rogaland/brokke-suleskard-apner-pa-lordag-1.12373123

[johnstephen29]

Glad it's there with you Trond and not here with me

[Hoy]

Glad it's there with you Trond and not here with me

Well, I am glad it's not my garden
But it is always interesting to drive such roads

[johnstephen29]

Oh I don't know, I absolutely hate driving in snow.

[angie]

Wow I will never complain about the amount of snow that we have here,  amazing to see.

I am with you John I hate driving in snow, got rid of my 4x4 this year so I have even less chance of driving in the snow now 

Angie 

[johnw]

Should I assume you both switch to snow tires for the winter?  If you're trying to drive in snow with All Season tires they're useless.

johnw

[johnstephen29]

To be honest with you john the winters here in the UK aren't what they used to be, the last two winters you could really call them that, no snow and a bit of light frost, really wet though in 2014 2015 a bit of snow, a bit more frost, rain and really windy, this was the situation in my part of UK, I'm not sure what it was like further north in Aberdeen where Angie lives. Snow tyres would be a waste of money here to be honest, having said that I don't know of anybody who uses them. Is it a North American thing to use these?

[Leena]

Over here the snow tyres are obligatory from the beginning of December until the end of March.

[Hoy]

Most people here use snow tyres with studs. I use snow tyres without as it is usually no or little snow where I live in winther but I always have snow socks in my car.



They are easier than snow chains.

[Anthony Darby]

Snow tyres or chains can only be used if the road never gets cleared "to the black" for your whole journey. That doesn't happen in the UK with the amount of salt used.

[johnstephen29]

That explains it, thanks Anthony.

[Hoy]

Snow tyres or chains can only be used if the road never gets cleared "to the black" for your whole journey. That doesn't happen in the UK with the amount of salt used.

If you have to use chains you just use them on snow for a short while and low speed. But snow tyres with studs are used all winter both on "black" and "white" roads. Studs are better on ice, chains are better on snow. Snow tyres without studs can be used all year but are inferior on "black" roads when the temperature is above freezing but quite OK on snow and also ice in cold weather. It depends very much on the design of the tyre. Snow socks are for snow and nothing else.

Where I live most drivers use studs all winter although we have few days with snow or ice but they are prepared for bad weather or a trip to higher elevation. I use snow tyres without studs from December till Easter and have never been stuck. I also bring snow socks which I have used a couple of times but just for a few kilometres and I drive 25,000km/year.