Environment Agency flood advice for Nottingham people
Can you guess what it is? – Build Snowmen – according to Roy Stokes a spokesperson for the Environment Agency. According to the experts snowmen melt more slowly than snow on the ground. As a result of this, building them would help to prevent floods as the snow starts to melt
This is Nottingham reported this today and it’s certainly put an interesting slant on things! Perhaps I could get a job as a snowman builder in Winter? We Brits can help slow the rate of the sudden thaw by building snowmen in the garden and on driveways it says.
Roy Stokes is Flood and Coastal Risk Management Programme Manager for Nottingham. According to Mr Stokes the snow will be compacted when you build with it and create a snowman and this helps cause the snow to melt more slowly.
I think the idea is if you clear the driveway, the snow thaws away, but the compacted pile of snow you leave at the side stays longer . According to Roy Stokes a gradual thaw is better than a really quick one as floods are a potential if things thaw too quickly.
Dr Simon Keeling, forecaster at weatherweb.co.uk, warned that localised flooding was likely following the thaw.
He said: “There is going to be a big swing in temperatures, from as low as -13°C on Friday night to 13°C on Tuesday.
“It will be really noticeable, and, as the majority of England, Scotland and Wales is under a layer of snow, there will be a lot of standing water around. There is likely to be localised flooding and conditions will not be good.
“We are going to see a rise in temperatures next week, followed by a cold spell, but nothing like the recent freeze.”
flood advice for Nottingham build a snowman
Can you believe this – I don’t know? An army of snowmen would be needed ?
With all this snow, the thawing and temperature conflicts – perhaps it should be borne in mind what damage will be caused to our driveways, paths , patios and gardens. Depending on what is down – tarmac, concrete, block paving, imprinted concrete, paving slabs they are all permeable and if water can get down it has the potential to freeze. Prevention and maintenance are key words here.
Tags: Concrete, driveway, imprinted concrete, mansfield, tarmac