Thorn Cycles Forum

Community => Muppets Threads! (And Anything Else) => Topic started by: jags on March 11, 2013, 12:19:02 AM

Title: snow again.
Post by: jags on March 11, 2013, 12:19:02 AM
An more snow to come will we ever see some nice sunny dry weather. :'(
are you guys in the uk suffering as well. :o
Title: Re: snow again.
Post by: bobs on March 11, 2013, 02:16:13 AM
Yes, we had our summer last week.

Bob
Title: Re: snow again.
Post by: Danneaux on March 11, 2013, 02:39:41 AM
Summer here in Eugene, Oregon yesterday, then cloudy and some sprinkles on my ride today and supposed to be rain/showers but with mild temps for the next three weeks. Supposed to be snow/rain mix on the 28th, but that's rather too far out to be very accurate.

Snow? Now?!? Sympathy!

We changed our clocks last night so they're now an hour ahead. Makes it light later in the day (Daylight Saving Time). It seems to have ended our daylong flirtation with Summer.

Best,

Dan. (...who is singing, "Rain, rain, go away; come again some other day!")
Title: Re: snow again.
Post by: NZPeterG on March 11, 2013, 02:56:23 AM
Show?
Its hot and dry! we need rain!

Pete . . .
 :)

Title: Re: snow again.
Post by: ianshearin on March 11, 2013, 07:58:51 AM
Flippin weather...
Went to see my parents (Mothers day) so thought it would be a nice cycle over, about 15mile.
What a nightmare.... Freezing biting wind all the way, I looked liked a frozen chicken when I got there...

Must get some decent cycling clothes, I must, I must....
Title: Re: snow again.
Post by: il padrone on March 11, 2013, 08:06:52 AM
Despite very few really hot days (above 40C) in Melbourne, this summer has seen the hottest January average temps on record, broken the record for the most days over 30C in February (16), and tomorrow likely to break the similar record for March (8 days so far). It has also been the hottest summer since records began.

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/69250_10151257254526455_1866963273_n.jpg)


For you folks over in Ol' Blighty this might seem marvellous but people here are terribly tired of it all. Night-time temps are not dropping below about 24C. Sleep is torrid.

Meantime Rockhampton has 349mm in one day...... that's over 13" of rain..... one day!!


Quote from: ianshearin
I looked liked a frozen chicken when I got there..

Over here you go out for a ride and come home looking like a broiled chook  :(
Title: Re: snow again.
Post by: il padrone on March 11, 2013, 08:14:20 AM
We changed our clocks last night so they're now an hour ahead. Makes it light later in the day (Daylight Saving Time). It seems to have ended our daylong flirtation with Summer.

Have your cows gone off their milk?? Are the curtains faded by it all?? Seems to happen to folks in Queensland here. all sorts oof horrors happen because of that evil daylight saving conspiracy  ;D :P
Title: Re: snow again.
Post by: julk on March 11, 2013, 10:21:44 AM
Snow lying here around Edinburgh.
Brrrrrr.

Back on the rollers today.
Julian.
Title: Re: snow again.
Post by: StuntPilot on March 11, 2013, 11:25:48 AM
Blizzards in the Scottish Borders! And I have only just removed the Marathon Winter studded tyres in anticipation of Spring!!
Title: Re: snow again.
Post by: jags on March 11, 2013, 12:40:05 PM
snowing hard all morning and bitter cold a few days of that aussie weather whould work wonders over here in ireland actually if your guys are on for it we will swap a few days we will have the sunshine and you can take this biting weather fair exchange i would have thought. ;D
Title: Re: snow again.
Post by: RobertL on March 11, 2013, 01:41:05 PM
This winter has confirmed I am not tough enough to be riding if the temperature goes below say 4oC, and/or wind speed is above 15mph - did a couple of sleet/snow runs to confirm this! OTOH the nice aspect of UK/Ireland weather is we are not testing the broiling limits that often.
Title: Re: snow again.
Post by: il padrone on March 11, 2013, 01:45:58 PM
Normally even in a hot summer we get 40+ then a cold front whistles in and the temperatures plunge to refreshing low 20s temperatures for a few days, then back to 35. Not this year, we've had high 20s and mostly 30-37 for days. The air-con gets a good work-out at home and nights are sweaty  :-\

4 dgrees.... soft! I thought all you guys in the UK kept riding right through -10C and below winter days  :P
Title: Re: snow again.
Post by: Danneaux on March 11, 2013, 05:00:59 PM
Quote
We changed our clocks last night so they're now an hour ahead. Makes it light later in the day (Daylight Saving Time). It seems to have ended our daylong flirtation with Summer.
...and...
Quote
all sorts of horrors happen because of that evil daylight saving conspiracy
Y'see...go messing about with the time and the weather goes all blooey!  :o

I say, change it to DST and then leave it. Live in the dark all winter  :P and make up for it in the summer.  ;D And leave the weather alone!  >:(

Scientific method? Bah!  :-\ Tossing it out in this case. Correlation:Causation at 1.0.  ;)

All the best,

Dan. (...who thinks that hour back-and-forth has confused the weather works. "Add up enough of those hours, and...well! Y'get this..."*)

*Actual words of one of my neighbors.
Title: Re: snow again.
Post by: Andre Jute on March 11, 2013, 07:03:15 PM
In sunny, smiling West Cork it is sullenly overcast, temperature 3 degrees C, flurries of snow. This is our spring, except they forgot to tell the skies. -- Andre Jute
Title: Re: snow again.
Post by: NZPeterG on March 11, 2013, 10:15:14 PM
Its the mid of Summer! so how.do you have Snow? do you all live at the top of mountains?
Its hot.and Sunny! We do need a little rain.

Pete . . .
:-)
Title: Re: snow as usual...
Post by: John Saxby on March 12, 2013, 12:56:45 AM
Early March, we had the first of our usual 2 March storms, about 35-40 cms.  I had bailed out to Rio de Janeiro on a working trip--that's my story, anyway, and I'm sticking to it.  My wife was not impressed by my ignoring my job description: when the snowplough came round and made a berm about 2 ft high at the street end of our driveway, the Berm-shoveller was in Rio and she had to cover for me so that she could get to work...  So in the interests of domestic harmony, we'll dodge our expected One Last March Storm and go to Australia's Gold Coast next week 'til mid-April, to see the kids and our first grandchild, just over 3 weeks old.  :-)  By the time we get back, all the snow will be gone 'til next winter (unless we get a May snowstorm!), the ice will be nearly out of the river, geese will be flying north, and we'll be into our two-week spring, with the 2-wheelers on the road, the crocuses poking up with the trilliums (trillia?) tulips & lilacs to follow.

Sometimes, about now, we think we'll live on a cold planet for the rest of our days.  At least, during the last few months of winter, we get a fair dose of sunshine, much more than northern Europe & Foggie Olde.  The usual euphemisms ensue, of course: "It's a dry cold."  "At least it's sunny."

J.
Title: Re: snow again.
Post by: il padrone on March 22, 2013, 01:13:28 AM
Mulwala, Victoria, Australia  :o

(http://images.theage.com.au/2013/03/22/4130880/tornado-729-620x349.jpg)


Welcome, John  ;)
Title: Re: snow again.
Post by: John Saxby on March 22, 2013, 01:39:39 AM
Thanks!  This morning in SE Queensland we awoke to birdsong, soft warm air, and vegetation one could actually smell! Trees & flowers brought back memories of Southern Africa... 

Last Sunday, we drove to the West Country in UK through a mid-March snowstorm, of all things.  Pretty genteel by Ottawa standards, but I was glad not to have to test my rental car's all-season radials.  Marked contrast with the weather on my Monday visit to SJS Cycles--the Somerset coast was sunny, clear, and dry.

J.
Title: Re: snow again.
Post by: Danneaux on March 22, 2013, 01:43:11 AM
WoWza!!!  :o

Looks like it could suck up anything!
Quote
'Ernie' screamed as the tornado took seven minutes to pass over his Toyota Landcruiser, almost toppling it.
As per http://media.theage.com.au/selections/i-went-through-the-eye-of-the-tornado-4131511.html (audio)...and... http://media.theage.com.au/news/environment-news/tornado-hits-victoria-with-150kmh-winds-4131591.html (video). In Mulwala NSW, at least, it looks like the end of the world. Is it extending down your way as well?

I lived for a year in northern Mississippi, about 130km south of Memphis. I can still remember seeing the little "tornado" icon in the corner of the television screen, counting down the miles-to-population and direction of passing tornadoes, and the percussive thunderstorms. Big changes in air pressure sucked-out three windscreens from a colleague's car and a thunderstorm cracked my bathroom window.

Best,

Dan. (...who is glad to again live where the only likely disasters revolve around the volcanic Cascades coming back to life and erupting, coastal tsunamis, and inland earthquakes...but nothing much deadly from the skies)
Title: Re: snow again.
Post by: il padrone on March 22, 2013, 01:48:39 AM
Yes, that really is a tornado (http://youtu.be/83JaolExJvU) - a good bit bigger than the normal summer 'willy-willies' (http://youtu.be/mk_Z2OLplfo) we often get.

No, nothing like that down in Melbourne. It's 250kms north to Yarrawonga, across the dividing range and much drier, hotter and flatter up there.
Title: Re: snow again.
Post by: John Saxby on March 22, 2013, 02:05:57 AM
Have to say these twisters give me pause for thought about my prospective motorcycle trip across the US this coming July.  I'll head through the more northerly states west of The Soo--reckon the dodgy section is from the Mississippi/Missouri to the Rockies, maybe a four-day "Window of Windiness"?

When our David and Sarah left for the Gold Coast in Aug 2010, I gave them Bill Bryson's A Sunburnt Country -- the things that can come & get you here really don't bear thinking about...
 

J.
Title: Re: snow again.
Post by: JWestland on March 22, 2013, 07:51:10 PM
Been snowing all night and day here and we just had a powercut...

Lovelyjubbly  ;D
Title: Re: snow again.
Post by: Andre Jute on March 22, 2013, 10:11:36 PM
9C in scenic West Cork today. Great, except for a few hours of heavy rain I slept through. At 6pm went for a ride. Cool, pleasant, just right for riding your bike, catching up after the long cold spell. -- Andre Jute
Title: Re: snow again.
Post by: il padrone on March 23, 2013, 04:13:48 AM
Mulwala tornado damage. Maybe not nearly as bad as they get in the mid-west USA, but still a virtually unknown experience here in Victoria  :o

(http://resources1.news.com.au/images/2013/03/22/1226603/752029-130323-mulwalatornado.jpg)



They're now saying it was an F3 rating - winds of 250-300kmh........  :o

More details here (http://www.news.com.au/national-news/victoria/tornadoes-and-powerful-storms-hit-victorias-northeast/story-fndo4cq1-1226602134758), and some video footage here (http://youtu.be/QJfpxmY4QkE). More in a news report here (http://youtu.be/ZiroxBNZBDI).

Quote
Danny Janosevic's home, a caravan, flew 25 meters through the air and exploded on impact with Danny inside. After suffering some cuts and bruises, Danny then took off to help out neighbours.

Read more: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/national-news/victoria/tornadoes-and-powerful-storms-hit-victorias-northeast/story-fndo4cq1-1226602134758#ixzz2OKq8E100

Every van in that caravan park has sustained some sort of damage, probably 90% of them will be condemned.


(http://resources2.news.com.au/images/2013/03/22/1226603/471470-tornado-damage.jpg)
(http://resources3.news.com.au/images/2013/03/22/1226603/310831-kyffins-reserve.jpg)

Just so very lucky it wasn't next weekend - Easter - when those vans would have been full of holiday-makers. Easter is a very popular time on the Murray. Potentially, many lives would have been lost.
Title: Re: snow again.
Post by: Andre Jute on March 24, 2013, 12:10:14 AM
Ouch!
Title: Re: snow again.
Post by: John Saxby on March 24, 2013, 05:59:46 AM
The cold & the snow one can manage, and often, even enjoy, esp when it's sunny.  Tornadoes seem other-worldly.  Check Wikipedia for "Phil Campbell, Alabama".  Terrifying.

J.
Title: Re: snow again.
Post by: JWestland on March 25, 2013, 10:12:45 AM
Snow and powercuts please, instead of tornados...

(the odd of that over here are low, though you never know with the weird weather)
Title: Re: snow again.
Post by: il padrone on March 25, 2013, 11:59:27 AM
Tornados..... in Ireland ?


Never...... (http://youtu.be/Rl6URtz1Bls)  ever....... (http://youtu.be/5lv3IYNq81U)

Next thing you'll be suggesting they're in Scotland as well (http://youtu.be/QoyMAS3YdkA) ???

 :o  ???
Title: Re: snow again.
Post by: Andre Jute on March 25, 2013, 12:12:50 PM
3ºC again, all day long. Too cold to cycle. -- AJ
Title: Re: snow again.
Post by: ianshearin on March 25, 2013, 12:55:07 PM
Its beyond a joke now....
Managed 40 mins yesterday but that was a mission, cold biting wind.
Even the Golf course is closed......
 :'(
Title: Re: snow again.
Post by: Matt2matt2002 on March 25, 2013, 02:02:45 PM
Snow joke

Managed 40 miles this morning.
Dumfries and Galloway |south West Scotland UK
Snow had been piled to side of the roads which were remarkably clear. Had to get off and push 4 or 5 times to avoid ice but a good day on the whole.
Drift in picture was 3 foot high. Missed a picture of the next one at 6 foot. :-[
Title: Re: snow again.
Post by: JWestland on March 25, 2013, 03:25:08 PM
Ah great tornados, now snow...snow tornado next? :P
Title: Re: snow again.
Post by: rualexander on March 25, 2013, 03:48:13 PM
Yesterday's ride south of Glasgow, most roads fairly clear but large snow drifts in exposed sections, there was remarkably little snow cover on the fields but where the hedges had stopped the drifting snow it had piled up deep.
Title: Re: snow again.
Post by: Matt2matt2002 on March 25, 2013, 04:20:57 PM
Ok, your roads were worse than mine!
Well done my friend.
 ;D
Title: Re: snow again.
Post by: ianshearin on March 25, 2013, 04:32:33 PM
Cycling in the snow.....
Nuts  ;D
Title: Re: snow again.
Post by: E-wan on March 25, 2013, 05:28:50 PM
Cycling in the snow.....
Nuts  ;D

I would say fun and necessary, I have had my spiked tyres on my nomad since November and while towing my little boy back from nursery through the park today had much need of them. mixture of powder snow up to a foot deep in places, compacted snow that had turned to ice and slush. It's good exercise towing a trailer through a few inches of snow.

There are also more extreme versions http://www.icebike.org/

Ewan
Title: Re: snow again.
Post by: ianshearin on March 25, 2013, 10:33:11 PM
The snow thing does look kinda fun, if it wasnt for the biting wind I would be tempted with the right gear.

Respect.
Title: Re: snow again.
Post by: John Saxby on March 25, 2013, 10:37:50 PM
Great stuff!  In the words of Alan Price's song, "Just get out there and do it!"

(Searching for excuses, though, he says,) the tough thing about winter riding in the Ottawa area is not so much the snow & the cold as the ice buildup on the roads, esp the secondary ones that are the safest for riding.  There are hardcore riders who use their bikes year-round, but I put mine away in my basement workshop between mid-December and mid-March (or whenever we have the 1st serious snow, and later, clear roads.)  With the snow piled up alongside secondary roads, and drivers frustrated by winter delays, and less space than usual, plus the icy spots, I find it just gets too dangerous.

A friend who used to live in Saskatoon rode his bike year-round--typically, there's so little snow there that winter riding means only having to deal with the cold.  He reckoned he'd sooner ride 5-6 minutes to work at -30 than walk 20-25 minutes in the same temp. Reasonable enuf, in the circumstances. Sunny, tho', and a dry cold...

J.
Title: Re: snow again.
Post by: JWestland on March 26, 2013, 10:16:58 AM
My long commute tomorrow is partially over a non gritted greenway...the Mr Spikeys (studded tires) may have to come back on.

I HATE cycling in snow but I am a control freak, when I feel my wheels move I feel uncomfortable. Even though in the back of my head I know that at the speed I am doing with the spikes I won't get dumped off the bike.

Ah well. Each to their own  ;D
Title: Re: snow again.
Post by: Matt2matt2002 on March 26, 2013, 11:25:35 AM
My long commute tomorrow is partially over a non gritted greenway...the Mr Spikeys (studded tires) may have to come back on.

I HATE cycling in snow but I am a control freak, when I feel my wheels move I feel uncomfortable. Even though in the back of my head I know that at the speed I am doing with the spikes I won't get dumped off the bike.

Ah well. Each to their own  ;D

I know what you mean.
I am only just getting my head around the fact that the last thing you want to do when you hit ice, is to brake.
In fact it may be the last thing you do!
 :'(
Title: Re: snow again.
Post by: JWestland on March 26, 2013, 01:20:25 PM
Indeed that was my last hairy commute: DON'T BRAKE, DON'T STEER :):)

(is that an 80s rock song title?)

If in doubt, use the back brake gently. It's better than front. With cantilevers braking is generally more gentle and progressive too.

Was glad that was on a tow path though no way I go on icy roads with cars, a swerve may end up rather more painful than you bargain for. #crunchy cyclist