I have heard that the UK is being hammered by high winds, and most of the US is having freezing rain

[Kansas Terri]

How are you folks making out? Are you having any problems due to the bad weather?

We were lucky: the freezing rain turned to snow early enough so that my area kept its power. Various areas around the USA were not so lucky! And, I have heard that many people in the Northern UK have lost their power as well due to high winds?

My son had to cancel meeting his friends on Sunday as they said they could not come, and my car does not have snow tires on it and so I refused to take it out on ice. After working in health care for many years I am a very good driver on ice, as patients need care even when the weather is bad, but my husband chose the tires on the car! The grip on those tires is not very agressive, so I told my son that I could not take him to meet his friends. He was very quiet all morning, but in the afternoon he perked up because, after all, Christmas is almost here!

The storm has passed and the snow plows have cleared and salted the streets, so I can now go out even though it is extremely cold!

So, other than a cancelled get-together for my son, we have made out OK. I had the snow shovel at my front door before the snow began and the ice melt was in the house, so we were better prepared for this storm!

How are you other folks in the UK and USA doing? Are you having any big problems with this terrible weather?

 

[zigs]

Rain coming in sideways, getting in places its never done before. Went out to the garden centre earlier, buckets all over the shop catching leaks from the roof, same in the local shop.

On the way back had to drive slowly thru loads of floods, water pouring off the fields onto the roads.

The levels look like a sea.

Took this yesterday, don't know what its gonna be like in the morning.

View from the house, those are normally fields beyond the trees.

2 folk drowned in swollen rivers so far

Reports of structural damage, more expected overnight.

 

[blueiris]

Down here in Florida we were spared the hard weather, this time. It's been hot - in the 80's this week. I'm hoping for some cooler weather soon. Thats a great pic, zigs! It looks like a swamp! I hope you have dryer weather for a while.

 

[Kansas Terri]

I do not know what has been happening to the weather these last two years, it has been so strange! I am not a fan of the global warming theory, as it was proposed with such scientific evidence as we had too many cows that farted, but this weather is getting BEYOND strange!

Stay safe, people!

 

[zigs]

All calm this morning.

Had 4 inches of rain since yesterday.

This is the view of the fields this morning.

 

[Kansas Terri]

Um, yes. What a big lake!

 

[zigs]

 

[Trellum]

Same thing in the Netherlands! Really strong winds! The Netherlands has a really strange weather around this year, but the temperatures have been really high for this time of the year. I'm starting to think this global warming thing is very real. I really hope it isn't, but the weather is starting to get really crazy! I'm worried about tornadoes...

 

[headfullofbees]

It's weather, not climate.

 

[zigs]

Yep, it's just the jet stream pushing up @ChanellG 's storms after she's finished with them

Happy Christmas everyone

Got to try to find a way to get thru the floods, couldn't get out going South yesterday, and Christmas Dinner is down at the sea this year.

Anyone got snow?

 

[gata montes]

Zigs - thank you and wish you a very Happy Christmas too - although it sounds very much like you've missed out on Christmas Dinner hope you have some goodies in the cupboard to make up for it.

Beautiful photos Zigs - have been following the news reports on the weather you have been experiencing in the UK and judging by your photos - you've clearly been having a very bad time, but hopefully it will ease up soon, especially has it has now arrived in the Mediterranean and we are currently experiencing some pretty freaky stuff.

Since last night we have had strong winds with hurricane force gusts, mini tornadoes, thunderstorms with lightening strikes, giant hailstones and severe flooding both inside and out.

I'm glad we don't celebrate Christmas in the same way as other countries, as so far today we've been struck by lightening, which took the power out and although its back is fairly unstable and am not sure how much longer its likely to say on for, as well as having water everywhere, including inside due to the torrential force of the rain and am continually having to try and keep it at bay, and on top of that, although I can't get outside to look at what damage has been done to my garden - do know - that many of my pots are smashed and some of my trees have been uprooted, as I saw them float past the window earlier on - so no - we haven't had snow yet, but do appear to have experienced just about every other type of weather condition - freaky stuff - if it wasn't for the fact that there are very few cows here - I might even begin to think that the cows Kansas Terri mentioned have something to do with it

Hopefully the rest of you are having a better day that I am and they do say

 

[Kansas Terri]

The wild birds have been eating two to three cups a day of bird seed, because they eat more in cold weather and it has been VERY cold! It has been down to -3 Fahrenheit (20 below Celsius), and that is almost unheard of for December! It makes me wonder how cold it will be in January, which is usually our coldest month!

On the GOOD side, the weather broke today, which is a very good Christmas present, There is still a great deal of ice and snow about but the roads are now clear. I feel for the people who still have no power, both in the USA and abroad. So far the weather this year has been very, very strange!

Zigs, those pictures are amazing!

 

[zigs]

Blimey, sounds like we're all having a bit of a time at the moment.

All went well yesterday, floods on the roads were passable & Christmas Dinner was reached

Warnings of a further storm later though

 

[zigs]

A few pics from the hill looking over Sedgemoor today, bear in mind these are usually fields.

 

[gata montes]

Zigs - lovely pictures - if I hadn't known otherwise I would have thought that I was looking a rice fields - suppose its something that you could consider doing - should your freaky weather continue