Recap of winter in 2010; will 2013 be any different?
Jan 22
2010 was one of the worst winter seasons the UK has seen in years and it caused major disruptions. We are now starting to see a repeat of the consequences of that weather now as we come into 2013. Snow it hitting certain parts of England, Scotland and Wales very heavily which is disrupting transport networks and business activity.
This article will look at the 2010 winter in hind sight to see what happened and how it could have been dealt with better. The average temperature for that winter season was 1.51oC which compared to the previous 30 winters the average worked out to be 3.7oC. This was a decrease that was more than double the winter average. The lowest recorded temperature was -22.3oC in the Scottish highlands. This was obviously going to cause problems; but the UK was exposed as being dramatically underprepared for such conditions.
There were both winners and losers when it came to the effects of this weather. For example ski resorts in the north of Scotland saw one of their highest snowfalls on record. This boosted business and extended the season considerably. However there were many more businesses that were adversely affected. Postal and courier services across the country were delayed beyond belief which was a big blow for internet based product companies. With so many people relying on the internet to source goods remotely there were major blockages in supply routes.
Having experienced this severe weather both businesses and home owners are more prepared. Hopefully the chaos of 2010 will not be repeated in future winters.