On Tuesday, 5 February 2013 20:54:25 UTC, Len Wood wrote:
On Feb 5, 1:48*am, wrote:

On Monday, February 4, 2013 10:46:02 PM UTC, Adam Lea wrote:

On 04/02/13 19:58, Len Wood wrote:



On Feb 4, 6:13 pm, willie



wrote:



On Monday, February 4, 2013 1:45:17 PM UTC, Lawrence13 wrote:



God I've just been to Tesco's for some OXO cubes and they are completely out of stock !!!!



LOL,



Just seen a nice piece on 4th Feb 1963 on our local Spotlight BBC



news.



Impressive pics of cars buried with just aerials showing and steam



locos buried in drifts on Dartmoor.



Would this happen today? No chance.



Now that would presumably a red warning?



It was inconvenient then but everyone survived.



Bet many of the pensioners didn't.



According to the ONS, the excess winter mortality for the UK '62/63 was 89,600. That's nearly ninety thousand extra dead people caused by excessive cold. Mild, wet, 'tropical muck' winters? 'Bring It On!' is what I say.- Hide quoted text -



- Show quoted text -



I apoligise for my flippancy.

89,600 dead is definitely more than inconvenient..

There would have been far fewer dead if we had had the present UKMO

warning system in place don't you think Lawrence?

A red warning for snow would have halved the number dead.



You can reply to me Lawrence if you like.

;-)



Len

I'll reply to you Len. No the winter of 62/63 was objectivleyand exceptionally harsh . People died of bitter weather for all sorts of reasons, hypothermia, strokes, heart attacks and respiratory problemms caused by the smog in Nov/Dec and the buses stall ran take note folks.


As you say Len no amount of Red warnings would have changed that in 62/63. I'd be interested to see those statistics as stuff like that is ahrd to find.

However for anyone to suggest that the Red warnings system would prevent pensioner dying in a severe winter like 62/63 is daft. People die due to lack of heating and neglect and no red warning system in that winter would have made anu difference whatsover.

But to even suggest that a cold spell now is every bit as severe as those far off days of 62/63 . before central heating, before double glazing and insulation, before warden flats and personal alarm systems is not talking sense.

The coloured warnings are used far too readily and I would suggest, no I would state that the elderly in the UK are infinitley more at risk from dying by simply entering an NHS hospital from neglect or infection than by any current weather.

Another thing is how many people , especially the elderly look at the UKMO web site and if they did all the warnings would more than likely cause more heart attacks and strokes than any winter weatherby scaring the bejesus out of vulnerable folk.