Wind!!!

Ok, so last weekend was quite spring like after a fortnight of rain, this weekend...

NATIONAL SEVERE WEATHER WARNING SERVICE

FLASH WARNING OF
- SNOW AND WIDESPREAD ICY ROADS

FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS
- NE ENGLAND
- NW ENGLAND
- YORKSHIRE & HUMBER
- CAMBRIDGESHIRE
- CORNWALL & ISLES OF SCILLY
- DERBY
- DERBYSHIRE
- DEVON
- LEICESTER
- LEICESTERSHIRE
- LINCOLNSHIRE
- NORFOLK
- NOTTINGHAM
- NOTTINGHAMSHIRE
- PETERBOROUGH
- PLYMOUTH
- RUTLAND
- STAFFORDSHIRE
- STOKE-ON-TRENT
- SUFFOLK
- TORBAY

ICY STRETCHES WILL DEVELOP WIDELY ON FRIDAY EVENING AND OVERNIGHT
INTO SATURDAY MORNING ON UNTREATED SURFACES. THE PUBLIC ARE ADVISED
TO TAKE EXTRA CARE AND TO REFER TO THE HIGHWAYS AGENCY FOR FURTHER
ADVICE ON TRAFFIC DISRUPTION ON MOTORWAYS AND TRUNK ROADS.

ISSUED BY THE MET OFFICE AT 15:20 ON FRIDAY, 01ST FEBRUARY 2008

Infact as I sit typing the temp. outside is currently MINUS 6 DEGREE'S!!!

Add that to the 50mph gales, gusting to 80mph the UK has been having has meant Ive been worrying about the state of my allotment for the past few days. The problem I have is that I work fulltime, so its dark when I goto work, and dark when I get home - the allotment has no lights so even if I drive past its pitch black and I cant see anything through the fence!

Luckly managed to finish early today though so get to the plot whilst it was still light. Touch wood, so far the greenhouse is holding up. I checked al round it and everything seems ok, and even dared to go inside (not nice being surrounded by glass in such strong winds) and although the cement is showing some signs of stress and cracks its keeping it well grounded! The wind was so strong, mixed with snow and hail, blowing across the plots it was actually difficult to stand still!

Whilst I was there I stood watching the greenhouse for a while, and I swear the frame was FLEXING in the gusts... how the glass has not come out yet is amazing! Ive never seen anything bend so far without breaking!!!

Unfortunatly my greenhouse undamaged greenhouse is not the norm, almost every other one I went past (had a drive round the whole site) had at least one pane missing. Gordon's from a couple of plots across looks to have exploded with about 50% of panes missing, and glass spread for some distance from the greenhouse, and looks like the guy from a couple of plots above has got a lot of smashed glass too!!!! Also a couple of sheds with windows blown out, and felt roofs ripped of them!

Hope your greenhouses and sheds are holding up ok!