Battle to get Huddersfield moving again after snow

Dec 3 2010 Huddersfield Daily Examiner

THE battle to get Huddersfield moving has been stepped up.

Gritting crews switched from the priority routes after a full patrol yesterday morning to some of the secondary roads.

But their task was made more difficult with dozens of cars parked on the roads.

And they faced a tough battle last night as temperatures plunged, freezing the snow piled high on roads and pavements.

Temperatures started to drop yesterday and were expected to drop throughout the night with a possibility ofŠ -9°C early today.

That posed big problems on the roads. Kirklees Council gritted all the main routes at 6pm last night and again at 5am today but warned drivers grit is less effective at temperatures below -5°C, with a very limited effect below -10°C.

A spokesman said: “This means that even though a road has been gritted, it could still be slippery at these extreme temperatures and motorists are being advised to proceed with caution”

Salendine Nook meteorologist Paul Stevens, who warned of temperatures as low as minus 10°C, said: “The cold weather is set to continue well into next week and there will be further snow across Huddersfield.

“The Siberian winds that have brought the snow showers will switch to the North West as high pressure moves to the west of Ireland, rather than across Scandinavia.

“Through this afternoon, light to moderate snow will move in from the west bringing 1 – 2cm and this may make it a difficult commute home this evening.

“The snow is also coming after a very cold night. Temperatures yesterday struggled to get much above freezing and we had the perfect meteorological conditions coming together to create bitterly cold temperatures.

“We had an area of high pressure, cold dry air from the continent with less moisture in the air to hold heat and snow cover to stop heat from the ground.