In article ,
Graham writes:
Currently snowing quite hard in Des Moines according to my mate - roads
are 'interesting' after 3 days of freezing rain too..

http://www.theiowachannel.com/weathe...70/detail.html

The UK would just grind to a total halt. Iowa ranges from -30C to +40C
in an average year, yet the roads aren't falling apart, the trains
don't stop running... Wonder where the UK lost the plot? Seriously, I
seem to recall that in '79 & 81 the UK seemed to at least have a grip
on what to do in winter, can't recall much detail from '86 / '87 which
was quite bad in Lincolnshire IIRC, but the decline in our ability to
cope began around then.

You could argue that it's reasonable for councils and utilities to spend
less on preparations in case of severe winter weather when such episodes
seem to be becoming increasingly rare. How much is it worth spending on
insuring against problems that occur very seldom?

In Des Moines they know that they are going to get severe conditions
every winter.
--
John Hall

"The covers of this book are too far apart."
Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914)