Growing up in Wisconsin, snow is something we're quite used to, and I miss having been away for over 7 years now. So I was thrilled to hear the 'Beast from the East' and storm Emma were set to unleash a rare snowstorm in Bristol. We rarely get snow here and when we do, it's the lightest of dustings that melts within a few hours. Even that causes traffic headaches as there just isn't the snow equipment readily available to deal with the situation. I've seen it snow 3 times so far in our 18 months here and each time, it's been over night with the dusting melting before morning rush hour.
But the Beast and Emma were different. It started snowing on Wednesday afternoon, but wasn't sticking - just gorgeous fluffy flakes that melted as soon as they hit the ground. But the warnings were out saying we were in for a few inches, high winds and below freezing temps. So lots were planning to work from home on Thursday to avoid getting stuck.
We came in, of course as we're very used to driving in snow, I had a class to teach and most of Brian's colleagues walk in so he knew the office would be full. And the morning was just fine - cold and windy but no snow yet. It started snowing and sticking around 10am and was really pretty to watch, but you could feel those in the office getting nervous. I was thrilled and enjoyed my walk to another building in the falling snow.
I had a class from 1:00-2:30 and in the middle of it, the University sent an announcement they were closing at 2pm and all day Friday. Really? A snow day? I'd never had one of those before and certainly didn't expect to have one in Bristol! So we packed up class and I headed to Brian's office for the remainder of the day.
A few pics from my walk to the Epic office.
By the time we headed home, there was less than an inch on the roads, but because there wasn't much salt or grit yet and no one has winter tires, the going was pretty slippery. We actually had to turn around on one road as it's a gradual incline and cars weren't able to make it up. Luckily, we had another route that was more flat and made it home without incident.
Our cat, Petra, from UAE couldn't quite figure out what that white stuff was. And she's remained leery of it through the weekend. Her first foray she bounded out and was stuck up to her knees and then realized it was wet, cold and very unpleasant!
The next morning, we had another inch. I had a snow day so was planning on staying put, but Brian wanted to head in so we drove to the train station - no way we would make it all the way to city centre to his office and there did seem to be at least one train running.
We got stuck coming into the train station and got some help from some very nice passersby who pushed us out. Brian headed to the train and my job was to drive home. What a mess! There were only maybe 2 inches of snow, but imagine that with no snowplows, salt or winter tires. Slip sliding away! In fact, I had to park the car at a nearby convenience store as I couldn't make the slight rise into our cul du sac!
The whole city was shut down - no buses were running at all. Trains were on significantly reduced schedules and many many businesses were closed for the day. Nothing to do but sit on the couch and watch the snow fall.
Brian ended up taking a taxi home as there were no trains running by the end of the day (it has snowed another good inch during the afternoon).
Saturday dawned a bit warmer and clearer so we walked to the grocery store to find bare shelves and long lines. Today, Sunday, is even warmer and it's forecast to rain. The streets are clear again as much of the accumulation has melted and businesses are open again as normal. The snowstorm of 2018 seems to be coming to an end.
(sigh) And now I'll probably have to wait another 20 years to see snow again in Bristol - glad I was around for this one.
But the Beast and Emma were different. It started snowing on Wednesday afternoon, but wasn't sticking - just gorgeous fluffy flakes that melted as soon as they hit the ground. But the warnings were out saying we were in for a few inches, high winds and below freezing temps. So lots were planning to work from home on Thursday to avoid getting stuck.
We came in, of course as we're very used to driving in snow, I had a class to teach and most of Brian's colleagues walk in so he knew the office would be full. And the morning was just fine - cold and windy but no snow yet. It started snowing and sticking around 10am and was really pretty to watch, but you could feel those in the office getting nervous. I was thrilled and enjoyed my walk to another building in the falling snow.
I had a class from 1:00-2:30 and in the middle of it, the University sent an announcement they were closing at 2pm and all day Friday. Really? A snow day? I'd never had one of those before and certainly didn't expect to have one in Bristol! So we packed up class and I headed to Brian's office for the remainder of the day.
A few pics from my walk to the Epic office.
By the time we headed home, there was less than an inch on the roads, but because there wasn't much salt or grit yet and no one has winter tires, the going was pretty slippery. We actually had to turn around on one road as it's a gradual incline and cars weren't able to make it up. Luckily, we had another route that was more flat and made it home without incident.
Our cat, Petra, from UAE couldn't quite figure out what that white stuff was. And she's remained leery of it through the weekend. Her first foray she bounded out and was stuck up to her knees and then realized it was wet, cold and very unpleasant!
The next morning, we had another inch. I had a snow day so was planning on staying put, but Brian wanted to head in so we drove to the train station - no way we would make it all the way to city centre to his office and there did seem to be at least one train running.
We got stuck coming into the train station and got some help from some very nice passersby who pushed us out. Brian headed to the train and my job was to drive home. What a mess! There were only maybe 2 inches of snow, but imagine that with no snowplows, salt or winter tires. Slip sliding away! In fact, I had to park the car at a nearby convenience store as I couldn't make the slight rise into our cul du sac!
The whole city was shut down - no buses were running at all. Trains were on significantly reduced schedules and many many businesses were closed for the day. Nothing to do but sit on the couch and watch the snow fall.
Brian ended up taking a taxi home as there were no trains running by the end of the day (it has snowed another good inch during the afternoon).
Saturday dawned a bit warmer and clearer so we walked to the grocery store to find bare shelves and long lines. Today, Sunday, is even warmer and it's forecast to rain. The streets are clear again as much of the accumulation has melted and businesses are open again as normal. The snowstorm of 2018 seems to be coming to an end.
(sigh) And now I'll probably have to wait another 20 years to see snow again in Bristol - glad I was around for this one.
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