[Closed] Schools closed due to wind.....

Yes

Have you ever tried standing up in 100 mph winds? Its near on impossible and very scary.

Just take a look at the charts, the average (not gust) speed is predicted to be 85mph or higher in some areas around Glasgow.

Completely sensible precaution IMO.

Where I was last week the schools were closed because it was raining - it a light rain - although it hadn't rained for 8months previously.

If you take only your child out of school then only your child will fall behind.
If all the kids are off school, they all miss the same things and none of them will be (comparatively to the rest of the group) worse off.

Would you sue the school when your child gets hit by a falling tree in the playground?
Closing schools for safety and keeping your kids off school for your convenience are two completely different things.

Good call by the authorities.

Would you sue the school when your child gets hit by a falling tree in the playground?

A radical idea I know, but how about keeping them inside the school?

Are we turning into a namby pamby nation

Turning? It's already happened.

Close schools but every other business/service is ok to stay open?
Excellent logic.

Well done for helping bring up a generation of big sissy drips who daren't go out if it's too wet/windy/hot/cold/snowy/dry/cloudy 🙄

I expect a lot of the children will be out and about with their parents in exactly the same wind that the Govt is so convinced is going to kill them all to death.

And how often are the MET office right about anything anyway 😉

Surely they just need to cut down on the beans at dinnertime..?

Or am I missing something..?

My school stayed open in 1989 when we had those rather windy days.

Until one of the top floor windows blew in showering the room in glass. Lucky no one was in it at the time as it was lunch break.

Walking home I got blown over.

Hindsight says that they should have shut the school earlier.

Snowdon wasn't closed by the National Park owners when I went up one January in gale force winds, snow, sleet and limited visibility.

I got blown over more than once. My ears got a bit cold too at one point. And I had trouble unscrewing the lid on my flask.

Why wasn't there somebody there to nanny me?
Who do I complain to?

joao3v16 - you had god to protect you, a 6 year old in a 75mph wind, hasn't....

Why wasn't there somebody there to nanny me?
Who do I complain to?

Presumably though, if you'd had kids with you and half up it was too dangerous you would have made the decision to go home? I guess everyone has to make a judgement call, particularly when you're responsible for other peoples children. Not sure whether this is a good call or not, just saying.

It's easy to make a call for yourself, not so easy when you have to make that call for hundreds of children.

Its not just schools that are being effected though. Some roads are being closed and trains are only running at reduced speed.

Let's go fly a kid, up to the highest heights...

They should still send the fat kids in to school tho, and make them walk. They won't get blown away.

trains are only running at reduced speed

At least the train operators will be glad for a 'real' excuse for all their trains being late

They should still send the fat kids in to school tho, and make them walk. They won't get blown away.

Or get all the children to hold hands so that they act as ballast for each other.

I thought most parents [s]were so lazy they[/s] drove their apparently wind-intolerant children to school anyway?

Apparently all this wind is coming from Brussels..

And ironically, I live furtherest from my work out of everyone, and so far I am the only person in...

When I was a kid we didn't let a stiff breeze stop us getting to school

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Quite a lot of buses cancelled at the moment. And given the number of kids that use buses there may be no chance to get them home.

Met office have flagged us as RED.

Sensible precaution, although i will be here after the school shuts at lunch to run cover for those that can't make alternative arrangements.

Are we turning into a namby pamby nation
Turning? It's already happened.

Well done for helping bring up a generation of big sissy drips who daren't go out if it's too wet/windy/hot/cold/snowy/dry/cloudy

Too windy FFS 🙄

I am looking forward to seeing the reporters on BBC Scotland trying to stand up during their live broadcasts later 😀

Well, one way of looking at it is that nobody takes responsibility for themselves and prepares adequately, so if there are problems the emergency services will have to deal with it. Keep people in their homes its cheaper in the long run...

I may never go outside again. (apart from going home from work tonite)

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So how much is this costing the economy? Big deal when the teachers were on strike and private sector workers had to stay home to look after their kids so why isn't it a big deal that those same people are having to stay home today?

looking forward to seeing the kite flying accidents on the news tonight 😀

Im taking the opportunity to hold my jacket above my head and make it into a sail

I work in an office on the top floor, no protection whatsoever and surrounded by floor to ceiling glass......should be interesting (packs crash helmet)

To be fair, its a bit breezy even by Scottish standards.

The issue isn't just the strength of the wind it the fact its going to be blowing through the most populated area of Scotland at the time when most people are trying to travel.

Shutting the schools early and therefore geting one lot of travel out of the way before the worst of the weather hits isn't a bad idea

The forecast is for windspeeds high enough to damage buildings and blow adults over.

Not sure where I stand on this really, I had a building blow down when I was in it, winds of c.95/100mph. It hurt. I wouldn't want that to happen to a school.....but I suspect the chance of slates falling off roofs & landing on their head as the walk to a mates house or a branch falling off a tree are higher.

Off to stand in the corner feeling confused now

ive been out in pretty constant 60knots on a heli deck/roof in the middle of the north sea .... wouldnt fancy being half my weight in that wind !

The forecast is for windspeeds high enough to damage buildings and blow adults over

I'd like to see a minimum recommended 'being outside in the wind' weight stated, and/or a drag coefficient so that more sreamlined people may feel safer going out.

Anybody with a BMI of under 18.5 should stay home 🙂

It now looks like the east of the central belt may not be hit by the worst of the winds, although the west will take a battering.

This could change if the track of the low pressure alters from its currently predicted path.

Me and my bike got interviewed by Sky News in the school playground this morning - so the closures are pretty cool in my book.

I'm glad I'm not the one who has to make these decisions - you're going to get flack whatever you do.

The wind has a nice deep rumble to it that I've not heard in a long time.... 😉

Currently blue skies and glorious sunshine in Glasgow city centre 😕

Yeh I didn't know what all the fuss was about earlier this morning or why the schools were closing. The storm in glasgow 20 minutes ago changed my mind - that was proper scary weather and it's not even reached its peak yet.

Don't most kids get a double decker bus to school, can't imagine one of those being out in 85mph winds!

All the staff have to go to school though...

Surely they just need to cut down on the beans at dinnertime..?

Or am I missing something..?

Damn- you beat me to it 🙄

I was at school in the Michael Fish hurricane, or rather i should have been! My mum decided to make me stay at home having been kept awake all night with the wind removing roof slates one by one.
Found out later that school was shut anyway.

I dont remember it myself, i woke up when it was all over. There were more trees laying around on pavements to be honest.....

Surrounded By Zulus - Member
The wind has a nice deep rumble to it that I've not heard in a long time....

Yes, it is starting to get quite noisy out there.

I must admit that as long as everyone is safe I find a good blow quite exhilarating!

I was at school in the Michael Fish hurricane

We had a big old Eucalyptus tree at the front of our house which blew down and smashed through our neighbours roof and ended up in their living room..

It's a good job that their kids were at school or they may have been hurt.. 😉

Erskine and Forth bridges closed to all traffic.

That's going to cause major traffic problems.

[i]All the staff have to go to school though... [/i]

Yeh my wife had to go in, on way home now though.

When I first heard they were considering closing schools this afternoon I though 'bloody elf & safety gone mad' etc... the school isn't going to blow down....

However now that I've had a chance to think about it the forecast for 3-4pm this afternoon (when kids are leaving school) is for:

"Widespread damage to vegetation. Many roofing surfaces are damaged; asphalt tiles that have curled up and/or fractured due to age may break away completely."

with gusts which will:

"Very widespread damage to vegetation. Some windows may break; mobile homes and poorly constructed sheds and barns are damaged. Debris may be hurled about."

I wouldn't be surprised to see some of the younger primary children blown off their feet, and many parents would have to drag a younger sibbling with them to escort them home.

I'm not worried about schools blowing down, but it would only take one child to get hit by a chimney pot, slate or large branch - all of which are potentially fatal to have public outcry that children were allowed to go home at the peak of the exceptional weather.

As far as I recall the "Michael Fish Hurricane" was in the mideterm October holiday, Scotland was not as badly affected as the south, and the worst of the weather came during the night not at precisely te moment pupils were walking home so I am not sure the comparison is real.

I have seen a whole chimney blown off a roof and I'll certainly be giving the scaffolding on the building opposite a wide berth on n my way home tonight. Considering the weather that closed schools last winter (when it was just some snow to walk through) I don't have a problem with closing early today.

As far as I recall the "Michael Fish Hurricane" was in the mideterm October holiday, Scotland was not as badly affected as the south, and the worst of the weather came during the night not at precisely te moment pupils were walking home so I am not sure the comparison is real.

I think the comparisons were being drawn [i]in favour[/i] of school closures.. stating an example where the weather wasn't taken seriously..

Down here in Devon we saw death and widespread destruction and weeks of disruption as a result of the high winds..

In the half mile it took to get to the shop this morning, one road was almost closed by flooding and another had half a tree across it. So I think it's sensible not to run school buses durning the worst of it.

Currently trending #1 worldwide on Twitter - #hurricanebawbag

druidh - Member
Currently trending #1 worldwide on Twitter - #hurricanebawbag

Ha ha!

When it's windy round here, my kids,especially the three and eight year old struggle to stay upright.
Last year, a chap that lives in the same building as me ended up being blown into the side of a skip,ended up unconscious as well as in intensive care and being given the last rites. He was in a coma for a month, before eventually coming to.

I'm quite happy with the kids not going out.....

Tay, Forth and Erskine bridges closed, vehicles blown over on M9.... I think the authorities have planned ahead well.

http://getaroundglasgow.spreadshirt.co.uk/hurricane-bawbag-C222012

Dont worry about missing a day of school - the examiners will tell you whats in the questions anyway. The kids can merely swot up on the "exact" questions (or quotations) in advance.

I live in Fife and some trains have been cancelled. One was hit by a flying shed!

This tree was 2 minutes from my wee ones school. Blown over lasy year when it was far less windy than what is predicted today.

[IMG] [/IMG]

I think it was a good call shutting schools and colleges early. No one with any common sense, would go out in 100mph winds unless absolutely necessary.

This tree was 2 minutes from my wee ones school. Blown over lasy year when it was far less windy than what is predicted today.

So not much chance of hitting anybody at the school today then.

**rubbing hands**

theres gonna be lost of free firewood about tonight!!!, better get that chainsaw sharpened!!

#HurricaneBawbag No 1 trend on twitter. As sir Alec Ferguson would say "Pwoud , very Pwoud"

I am working from home on the Wirral and its pretty biblical at the moment! I went for a run earlier but since I got back all hell has broken loose!
One child poorly ick and asleep on the coach the other in scholl but I will probably pick her up when school finishes.

Exactly Organic lots of trees down means more fuel for the fire.

Also on the Wirral, a place of serious wind at times, and this is the worst ive seen so prolonged and the rain, also theyve closed thte James ST entrance to James St underground station, in Liverpool, due to storm damage to the building next door.So a long walk up the subway to water street.

Drac. Comedian eh? You should get yourself on stage.

I work in Clackmannanshire. Our authority decided at 7.06 am today that we would open as normal and then close at 12pm, after saying yesterday that we would be open as normal.

Today at 10am the weather was incredibly violent for 20-25 minutes. We took the decision to keep all the kids - 900 - inside at break as it certainly would be dangerous to be outside, let alone getting soaked to the skin. This was entirely necessary but modern schools are not designed to accommodate such large numbers at breaktime and lunchtime. Our kids were dismissed at 12pm and I hope they all got home safely.

I love how STV used Jeremy Clarkson as an example of the definition of a bawbag "It’s a vulgar Scottish term used for the scrotum, also derogatively against anybody who’s a bit of an idiot. (For example, Jeremy Clarkson may often be thought of as a complete bawbag)"

"900 - inside at break as it certainly would be dangerous to be outside"

then ... "Our kids were dismissed at 12pm" 😯

Now there is logic !

bobbyg81 - Member
Drac. Comedian eh? You should get yourself on stage.

NW Highlands here

So far one tree down in the garden - fortunately lopped a lot off it last year so didn't reach the house - and one new trampoline crushed under it. 🙁

It didn't bounce back up then?

To quote one of my mates earlier today:

"Hurricane Bawbag!, you may take our garden furniture but you will never take our patter!!!"

😀

My work shut at lunchtime in Edinburgh due to police recommending [url= http://www.lbp.police.uk/information/latest_news/december_2011/severe_weather_updates.aspx ]no travel[/url] this afternoon. Thought it was overkill on both parties part, but now that I've been out in it, maybe not.

Ride home was interesting. Fortunately mainly a tailwind, which took me to some alarming speeds without pedalling. It was mostly well away from traffic too.

At one point my route is prone to crosswinds even when it's just breezy and it's a farily busy road, so I got off and pushed. The wind lifted my (portly pig iron commuter) off the ground and I had to put in some effort to hang on/stay upright 😯

Now hiding indoors and hoping everybody who has to be outside makes it home unscathed.

Still blue skies and sun here in Glasgow city centre. Was a bit breezy when I popped out about 1pm for lunch but I've felt it much worse.

Mountain out of a molehill as usual

Woo hoo

As a result of the Police travel warning, we are now advising all staff who have to use any form of transport to go home immediately.

My office has shut as well. Not that I was there. Turns out having a campus covered in massive old trees has a couple of drawbacks.

My kids leave at 8 to go to school and Falkirk council in there wisdom had not announced their plans (suspected half day)so I phoned the Mrs to tell her just to keep them off which was just as well as the aneomometer at the work was reading 60 mp/h (it reads a bit slow) at 10:30 a.m.

I love how STV used Jeremy Clarkson as an example of the definition of a bawbag "It’s a vulgar Scottish term used for the scrotum, also derogatively against anybody who’s a bit of an idiot. (For example, Jeremy Clarkson may often be thought of as a complete bawbag)"

There's a brilliant Scottish comedian called Joe Heenan who does a routine about American spelling bees and how they should start throwing in Scottish words

American Announcer: The word is "bawbag"..."bawbag"..."bawbag"

Nervous Child: Umm...Derivation?

American Announcer: Scots..."bawbag"..."bawbag"

Nervous Child: Umm...could you use it in a sentence please?

American Announcer: "Wee Rab...is a bit of a bawbag with a drink in him"

[url= http://trafficscotland.org/vms/ ]roads are looking quiet[/url]

meanwhile, on westray, one of the most northerly of the orkney islands
[img] [/img]
nothing to see here, move along

Drac. Comedian eh? You should get yourself on stage.

I was booked for Edinburgh las week but there was a bit of a frost and the county shut down.

My point is there was prevarication in making a decision, which was made too late for many parents (7am is too late to put childcare arrangements in place), then the weather deteriorated faster than predicted, and we took a decision to ensure the safety of our kids. The transport and parents had already been informed of the 12pm close, so at 10.30am there was no realistic alternative except to stick to it.

Closure decisions do not rest with the head of establishment. In November we were told that there would be "no blanket closures" (following pressure from the Scottish Government), then the Scottish Cabinet issues a diktat at 10pm last night instructing a lunchtime closure for today.

IMO an imperfect,inefficient and inflexible system. I do not think they/we got it 100% right today, but I'll be happier when I know all pupils and staff are safe. That will be tomorrow morning.

EDIT: The weather was so severe that a local Primary had it's roof ripped off forcing an evacuation an hour before the 12pm close.

Part of our school roof got ripped off in a storm once whilst pupils were in lessons.

I was booked for Edinburgh las week but there was a bit of a frost and the county shut down.

Probably for the best that it was cancelled.

Got kids Drac?

Sadly not druidh. Got crying children now!