LATEST WEATHER NEWS:
Flintshire based Dandy’s Rock Salt Supplies have seen sales of road grit and de-icing salt hit an all-time high as telephones ring off the hook and websites see a jump in visitors, after an official weather warning is released.
Dandy’s Rock Salt Supplies of Flintshire, near Cheshire, have seen sales of rocksalt and de-icing grit rocket as an official heavy snowfall weather warning is issued to parts of the UK.
The BBC and Sky News who amongst others use a traffic lighting system for weather warnings, have reported that there is a yellow level chance of snow and sleet in Scotland and parts of Northern England this week.
Weather experts expect the snow storm to travel down the country with the Midlands being the most affected on Thursday afternoon, leading through to Friday.
Winds of up to 80mph will be pushing the Atlantic snow storm across the UK and a red level warning has been released for this with some schools already cancelling transportation in anticipation of the dangerously fast gusts.
News of the expected snow and the recent flurry already seen in Northern Scotland earlier this week, saw Dandy's Rock Salt Supplies reach record sales figures, smashing targets set for the year.
The company has already provided one global retailer based in the UK, with all of its de-icing salt supplies, as well as a number of councils, businesses, the emergency services and homeowners across the country.
This has resulted in the huge amount of rock salt which was shipped into Dandy’s packaging plant at the start of the summer, already having been packed up and shipped out.
Although the rock salt mountain at Dandy’s premises on Deeside Industrial Park is still substantial, the company expect the record sales so far for this year to be a clear indication of things to come, and so more stock has already been secured to ensure that the company is able to keep up with the increased demand for its products.
UK Sales Manager, Simon Hughes, commented; "We've seen a steady increase year on year for sales of our de-icing range but with so many competitors flooding the market we didn't expect sales to rocket as they have done this year.
I attribute our success to our new, easy to use website and also the fact that we've got the best sales team we've ever had promoting the business and our products.
One major retailer pre-bought supplies from us this year after they saw record sales of our products last year when they came on board as a new re-seller. On top of this we have seen many returning customers as well as new shoppers taking advantage of our pre-season prices and special advent offers for December."
About Dandy's:
Dandy's have been a family run business since 1826 and continue to be so despite rapid growth propelling them from a small to medium sized business over the past four years. The business relocated to Deeside Industrial Park in late 2010 and plans to expand next year with North Wales first truck stop. Dandy's are award winning, market leading suppliers of topsoil, gardening and landscaping supplies as well as home fuels and rock salt and de-icing supplies.
Will it snow?
Rock salt is a product in short supply in recent years; particularly after the past four severe winters seen across the UK. Finally, Britain as a nation appears to be waking up and getting the message that the traditionally mild winters of the nineties and noughties are long gone and that the new status quo is sudden, long drawn out weeks of heavy snowfall and near Arctic temperatures.
This change of season started back in January 2009 when counties across Britain were hit with a very late, extreme and unexpected bout of snowfall. So unexpected in fact that the UK literally ran out of rock salt; supplies which had previously been more than adequate to last the entire year were wiped out in just ten days.
In December that same year the country had a white Christmas (welcome to some no doubt) which lasted well into the New Year of 2010, creating mass disruption for most business owners, schools, emergency services and councils.
In January 2010 Sky News reported that an alternative to traditional rock salt had been developed. Whilst other Rock Salt suppliers literally ran dry and shut up shop, Dandy’s found that UltraGrip™ Rock Salt overtook their best-selling Lawnmix® and Vegegrow® topsoils to become the most popular product sold by the company in over 180 years of trading. That same year Halfords sold out of sledges and Debenhams did a roaring trade on winter coats, gloves and scarves.
Most recently in November 2010, despite the previous winter periods seeing so much snow and ice; Britain remained, yet again, unprepared for the winter that was to come and the country all but closed down after major transport networks ground to a halt for days at a time after running out of rock salt and de-icing supplies. Chief airports such as Heathrow and Gatwick were hit especially hard after having no choice but to ground ‘planes leaving disgruntled, unhappy passengers with nowhere to go!
So, following the trend of the past few years and the increasingly harsh winters we’ve seen; is it likely to snow this year?
Weather forecasters are indeed predicting another harsh winter. Paul Michaelwaite, of NetWeather.tv, is forecasting a cold start to winter based on two computer models. He said:
“October and November will both see below average temperatures. In November we expect the average to be at least one degree colder than usual. We are forecasting an early start to winter and a similar pattern to last year. We don’t claim to be 100 per cent accurate but our long-range forecasts two to three months ahead are pretty reliable and for one month ahead we are usually close to the mark.”
Others, including James Maddon from Exacta Weather are saying that they expect the same again this year as last with low solar activity and wind patterns, click below on the pics to read what papers are saying about all of this…
Will I need Rock Salt this winter?
Here’s what the forecasters are predicting…
JAMES MADDEN, a forecaster at Exacta Weather which uses analysis of solar activity to provide free long-range forecasts, is already warning of a cold snap: “As we head towards winter I expect to see the first signs of some moderate to heavy snowfalls as early as October or November in certain parts of the UK. I expect December, January and February to experience below-average temperatures, with the heaviest snowfalls occurring within the timeframe of November to January across many parts of the UK.”
PIERS CORBYN, of WeatherAction, uses historical weather patterns and solar observations to produce long-range forecasts, which he claims to be the most accurate of all: “Forecasts of a cold and dry October will fail. It will be generally wet and mild with divisions across the UK and two dangerous storm periods. Predictions of a cold autumn and winter is baseless hype from a gaggle of wannabes.”
WEATHER SERVICES INTERNATIONAL, a US company, was spot on with last year’s freeze and forecaster DAN LEONARD says: “It will be up to one degree below average in the UK for October and November, cooling to one to two degrees below average in December.”
THEWEATHEROUTLOOK, another online forecasting system, also warns that we should prepare early for winter: “October may bring a spell of drier and warmer weather before a wet and cold November with a wintry sting rounding off the autumn.”
MICHAEL DUKES, forecast manager for Meteogroup, Europe’s largest private weather company, says: “There’s a higher probability of colder and more snowy weather in the next three months than normal.”
MARK VOGAN, a lorry driver from Lennoxtown, Dunbartonshire, is an amateur forecaster who writes a weather blog: “This year will continue the cycle of colder and snowier than normal winters for the UK. 2011-12 may be one of the worst overall UK winters in the past 100 years with the past two a mere curtain raiser. The worst of the weather will hit just after the New Year.”
