As the UK grinds to yet another halt. I thought I would share some quotes on what non UK residents make of our snow. Some I think are a little harsh, others I think are spot on. Some countries do not get the ice that follows the snow and we do have a population of over 60 million that are trying to move around like snails. Here are the best of the quotes.
Residents who contacted the BBC News website expressed astonishment at the television pictures and stories of the effect the snow is having in places not used to such conditions.
Maija messaged from Mouhijarvi, in western Finland, deriding the weather in Poland, where temperatures have fallen to as low as -25C.
“Ha! It’s 5pm in Mouhijarvi and the thermometer outside our kitchen window is currently reading -28C. With no cloud cover in sight I would expect the temperature to fall at least a couple of degrees during the evening. Not abnormal here at this time of year,” she said.
Briton Roger Hampton said he travelled 250km from his home in Oslo, Norway, without problems on Wednesday when it was -22C.
“In the town Roros, in central Norway, it has been -40C the last two nights. I have not heard of schools closing and the roads are for the most free,” he said.
In several European countries, including Norway, the use of winter tyres on vehicles is required by law. In contrast, in the UK, where no such law exists, during the wintry weather, drivers there are advised to use their vehicles for essential journeys only.
“Why do the English have this problem every year?”, asks reader Dario More in Germany. “Here, in Dresden, at -13C, I drive my car normally on ice and snow,” he says.
Views from BBC News