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With a Forecast for Snow – Are You Prepared?

With weather forecasters warning us here in Great Britain that the current cold snap could bring some snow how prepared are you for some prolonged freezing temperatures?

The long period of cold, snowy weather that we experienced early in 2009 highlighted how unprepared we in the U.K. usually are for bad winter weather. Perhaps I shouldn’t generalize because people in the north of the British isles tend to fare better than their soft southern counterparts. Scotland experiences some proper winter conditions most years and, as a result, tends to be far better prepared than people in the south.

One problem that arose early in 2009 was that gritting trucks ran out of road grit. It has been suggested that this was due to local authorities running out of money. But this really comes down to poor resource planning. While the south can experience periods of intensely bad winter weather they tend to be shortlived. There was not enough grit to last for the prolonged cold snap which lasted for 5 weeks.

But how do they cope in countries like Sweden and Norway where they have snow on the ground for much of the winter?

Driving on compacted, icy, snowy roads is very dangerous. Not only as a result of slippery road surfaces but also due to poor visibility caused by snow, sleet and slush. Winter tyres can be a good idea.

Although they do grit their roads in both Norway and Sweden they often limit this to busy road junctions only. Once away from the busy city and town roads you’ll find roads consist of compacted snow and ice. In these conditions it is important to travel slowly and make no sudden movements.  Overtaking is a bad idea in these conditions.

Winter tyres can help a lot. Winter tyres contain a small amount of silicone which helps them to remain flexible at low winter temperatures. These tyres will also have heavier tread patterns and fine lateral lines that help to increase the surface area of the tyre in contact with the road surface.

Another option is snow chains, but it should be remembered that these are really only useful in snow and not much use on icy surfaces.Another useful option is studded tyres, which can be helpful on icy road surfaces.

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