When, oh when, will I learn to keep my mouth shut! After going on about the unseasonably warm weather — three straight days with the temperature locked at 46-ish — and even posting pictures of the vanishing snow…
I wake to what you see here, plus a 25-degree drop in temperature. My (currently still working) indoor-outdoor digital temperature gizmo tells me it’s currently 21 (point nine) outside. Said gizmo also tells me the high today was 32 (point whatever), which was probably at midnight.
So, Hello Winter, I see you found us again. Now go away!
Logos con carne 
December 16th, 2014 at 3:18 pm
“Weather Retort” 😉
Oh yes, I can so do without snow. Over here, they keep saying that this will be a very harsh winter, so I am rather foolishly heeding that warning (they are always wrong) and am about to buy myself a 4X4 so that I can plough my way through the damned fluffy stuff. And if it transpires that none falls, well, at least I can get through the floods that seem to beset the Somerset Levels annually now.
December 16th, 2014 at 3:29 pm
You can always use it for some very off-road camping or exploring. I’ve had 4DW vehicles (GMC Jimmy and a Jeep Cherokee), and they are a lot of fun! It is a source of some amusement, though, seeing all those 4WD vehicles in the ditch after a big snow fall… 4WD helps you go, but does nothing to help you stop! XD
In winter driving, inertia is not your friend! Newton’s F=MA… in the snow, when your Mass Accelerates too much, the ‘F’ stands for… well, you know. (A venerable Anglo-Saxon word that probably wasn’t what Isaac had in mind. 😮 )
December 16th, 2014 at 3:44 pm
That’s right W.S.; I certainly intend making use of the thing when the weather is good too. Many years ago I had a Mercedes G-Wagen which made me feel that I could invade any English village I chose to. It used to do about 14 m.p.g. so I won’t be getting another of those at today’s fuel prices! I have heard that lighter 4X4’s are better in the snow because they tend not to sink in so much ❓ though whether that holds true I’m not so sure. I was thinking of a Subaru Forester or Outback; though I expect they go by different names in the U.S. They both are pricey to fix when they go wrong, but are very good on tarmac and quite capable on mildly undulating terrain. As long as I can get up and onto the high moorland that will be fine; I don’t need to do any really serious off-roading.
December 16th, 2014 at 3:53 pm
Yeah, 4WD is more complicated which inevitably translates to “more expensive to fix.”
It’s certainly true that, the wider the tire, the more you want it to ride on — not in — the snow. Wide tires can act like little snowplows trying to push their way through the snow. Not good.
Depending on your intended uses and the depth of the snow you’ll face, two considerations: ground clearance and under-chassis protection. I know people who’ve put holes in their gas tank or gas line by settling on or kicking up rocks.
Low center of gravity is important if you like to corner fast or plan to be on steepish inclines.
December 16th, 2014 at 4:07 pm
The centre of gravity thing was a consideration in weighing up the Subaru’s against others. They seem to offer a good compromise between tarmac ability and light off-roading. The other thing I considered was a Land Rover Freelander which has a good chain cam BMW diesel engine but dubious running gear. That would have the wider tyres you refer to, so perhaps the Subaru’s are more suited to snow and moorland off-roading. May I ask, do Subaru’s have any sort of reputation in your part of the world?
December 16th, 2014 at 4:40 pm
The only sense I have is that, like Toyotas, they have a reputation for lasting a hell of a long time. Subaru itself has been around a long time, and that probably means something. You could probably find other Subaru owners talking about their vehicles online — there are a lot of websites devoted to cars!
December 19th, 2014 at 12:44 pm
All I can say is that I’m glad I don’t have to put up with that. Of course, where I live, we so seldom get that kind of weather that it usually leads to school and business closures.
December 19th, 2014 at 12:52 pm
Us hardy Minnesnowtans are always vaguely amused when some town in Texas shuts down because an inch of snow fell.
Wait, did I say “vaguely amused”? I meant Rolling On the Floor Laughing Our Asses Off (ROFLOAO)! XD
My bummer is that we’re one-for-nine on sunny days now. 😥
December 19th, 2014 at 1:19 pm
We had three sunny days (40-60F) this week, but today it’s dark, cold, and raining. Not that I’m complaining. I’ll definitely take that over a snowstorm. I’ve been in exactly one of those in my life, and that was one too many.
December 19th, 2014 at 1:35 pm
Aw, you’ve never built a snowman or had a snowball fight? That’s terrible! 🙂
December 19th, 2014 at 1:46 pm
Oh, I have. We don’t waste those one inch snow days when they come once a decade.