The Great Blizzard of 30th January 2003

Found this amusing webpage by a Londoner. It charts the author's amazing journey from Hammersmith to Kingsbury on the 30th January 2003. If you remember there was a severe blizzard that day that crippled London's transport network.

Just to be sure I checked my Outlook calendar folder and sure enough under 30 January 2003 I wrote (I treat Outlook as a journal/diary rather than an organiser) the words: FUCKING BLIZZARD!

I remember that day like it was yesterday. It was 4pm when the blizzard started. The day before the BBC warned of an artic blast heading our way. Well we didn't care really. Three weeks before snow battered and brought London to a standstill.


8 January 2003

I was traveling from South Kensington on the Piccadilly Line to South Ealing. Jennifer was coming from Brighton on the train and would arrive at about 8pm. So I thought, hell just go home first, get dressed, head back into Central London and pick her up before going out for dinner somewhere in the city.

Big mistake. The usual 20 minutes journey from South Kensington to South Ealing lasted one hour. Once at South Ealing it was a scary journey on foot back to my flat. Because the South Ealing station's platform is an island I had to be careful not to fall into the train pit. The walk home was tough. I do not own boots so it was slippery. It was also extremely cold.


The day after...

I got home at about 5.15pm, dried myself up. My woolen jacket is completely soaked. I had to search for another jacket. Had a quick shower and caught The Simpsons on BBC Two. At 6.30pm while The Simpsons credit was still rolling I left the flat. This time I headed to Ealing Broadway station. Simple reason why I chose Ealing Broadway really. It was nearer and I didn't want to head back to South Ealing and stand on its narrow island platform.

Well it didn't matter which line I took because both are overground lines and only goes underground once it reaches Zone 2 or Zone 1. Both were delayed because of the amount of snow being hurled down. I finally reached Victoria one hour later and met Jenni. We bundled up and went straight back. Through the District Line this time.

Peering out the Tube window it was clear that this will last the night. Temperatures were already dipping well below freezing.