Discussion
Some older folk on FB were on about the horrendous Smog they used to get in Manchester in the fifties and thereabouts.
I was born in 1970 and don't remember these "Pea Soupers" as they call them, my mum and dad do and said it was very unpleasant.
But, as a kid in the late seventies into the eighties I remember hanging round with my mates and fairly often it would be properly foggy, as in couldn't see two feet in front of your face, not smoky or unpleasant.
just very foggy. Might be me remembering it as being more frequent than it was but it did seem to happen pretty often this time of year, always seemed like fun as you felt you could get away with anything, even if you werent up to anything.
Worst thing was one lad disappearing and wondering where he went, he then ran past completely b
k naked, blink and you (thankfully) missed it, only to arrive back, fully clothed a few minutes later grinning like a loon.
Was thinking it may be as I don't hang around on the streets with groups of teenage lads any more but I do walk the dog most nights but never really see a proper fog in years and I live withing four miles of where I grew up.
So, where's all the fog gone ? same place as the snow ?
I was born in 1970 and don't remember these "Pea Soupers" as they call them, my mum and dad do and said it was very unpleasant.
But, as a kid in the late seventies into the eighties I remember hanging round with my mates and fairly often it would be properly foggy, as in couldn't see two feet in front of your face, not smoky or unpleasant.
just very foggy. Might be me remembering it as being more frequent than it was but it did seem to happen pretty often this time of year, always seemed like fun as you felt you could get away with anything, even if you werent up to anything.
Worst thing was one lad disappearing and wondering where he went, he then ran past completely b
k naked, blink and you (thankfully) missed it, only to arrive back, fully clothed a few minutes later grinning like a loon.Was thinking it may be as I don't hang around on the streets with groups of teenage lads any more but I do walk the dog most nights but never really see a proper fog in years and I live withing four miles of where I grew up.
So, where's all the fog gone ? same place as the snow ?
The smog went when domestic coal fires were banned and our industry closed and mostly moved abroad.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clean_Air_Act_1956
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clean_Air_Act_1956
Edited by 55palfers on Wednesday 11th November 19:42
I was born in 94, and I remember fog being much more common as a child. It was slightly foggy last week, but it wasn’t particularly thick, not even enough to justify fog lights for me, though most drivers put them on, or didn’t bother putting any lights on.
I think it’s foggy maybe once or twice a year.
Same with snow, as a child each winter brought snow. I don’t think there was any snowfall in 19/20 winter. The beast from the east a couple of years ago was normal snowfall 10 years ago.
Of course my late dad used to tell me of his stories growing up in the 70s of snow closing everything it was so heavy. I can’t say he ever mentioned fog, he grew up in Nottingham.
I think it’s foggy maybe once or twice a year.
Same with snow, as a child each winter brought snow. I don’t think there was any snowfall in 19/20 winter. The beast from the east a couple of years ago was normal snowfall 10 years ago.
Of course my late dad used to tell me of his stories growing up in the 70s of snow closing everything it was so heavy. I can’t say he ever mentioned fog, he grew up in Nottingham.
Edited by carlove on Wednesday 11th November 19:47
Fog is notoriously difficult to forecast as it can appear, or not, only within a narrow range of climactic conditions. A slight breeze for example and no fog.
We noticed at Heathrow about 4 years ago that the prevalence of fog seemed less than it was in the early 2000's. One of us went through the duty logs and proved it. We are getting less fog.
But no-one knows why.
We noticed at Heathrow about 4 years ago that the prevalence of fog seemed less than it was in the early 2000's. One of us went through the duty logs and proved it. We are getting less fog.
But no-one knows why.
Leeds in the 70s we had fog so thick that it was scary doing 20mph and the council put 'Alladin's Lamps' on the roundabouts - like a watering can with a flame coming out of the spout - because the illuminated arrow signs weren't visible.
Nottingham in the 80s we still had fog - the Trent valley was famous for it. I remember driving home in the Spitfire, 2nd was knackered and very noisy (I put a new gearbox in a couple of weeks later) but driving as slowly as it would go in 3rd was scary, parked cars and bollards weren't visible soon enough so I had to put up with the grinding from the box! A friend had to stop part way round a roundabout and walk about to find the way off!
Since I moved down south 30 years ago, with frequent trips up north, I don't think I've ever driven in fog - a bit misty occasionally but never fog.
Nottingham in the 80s we still had fog - the Trent valley was famous for it. I remember driving home in the Spitfire, 2nd was knackered and very noisy (I put a new gearbox in a couple of weeks later) but driving as slowly as it would go in 3rd was scary, parked cars and bollards weren't visible soon enough so I had to put up with the grinding from the box! A friend had to stop part way round a roundabout and walk about to find the way off!
Since I moved down south 30 years ago, with frequent trips up north, I don't think I've ever driven in fog - a bit misty occasionally but never fog.
J4CKO said:
Some older folk on FB were on about the horrendous Smog they used to get in Manchester in the fifties and thereabouts.
I grew up in Manchester in the 1950's and I can remember about 1962 my dad driving us from the city centre to Ashton, along Ashton new road and you couldn't see six feet in front of you in broad daylight because of the smog..there were paraffin lamps burning every few hundred yards along the kerb to guide cars along. Thank god for the clean air act..Stalybridge station around 1960.
Edited by Wacky Racer on Thursday 12th November 16:28
Worst I’ve seen it was late 80s, having to tell
My mum who was driving to follow the kerb because visibility was the kerb, think we were going about 15 mph.
I used fog lights for the first time in about three years last week
As an aside the fog lights are useless on my Volvo as they are the turning lights and light just to the side.
Useless of course you were my mum in the late 80s and needed to follow the kerb I guess....
My mum who was driving to follow the kerb because visibility was the kerb, think we were going about 15 mph.
I used fog lights for the first time in about three years last week
As an aside the fog lights are useless on my Volvo as they are the turning lights and light just to the side.
Useless of course you were my mum in the late 80s and needed to follow the kerb I guess....
Whilst out on my usual Sunday evening "mini-hoon" a few days ago, there were long stretches between Newport and Crudgington where I was down to less than 30 'cause of fog.
I must admit, it doesn't happen often but when it does I find (as most people, I suspect) driving in proper fog very unsettling. Memories of the reports of that pile-up on the M42 some years ago don't help.
I must admit, it doesn't happen often but when it does I find (as most people, I suspect) driving in proper fog very unsettling. Memories of the reports of that pile-up on the M42 some years ago don't help.
Evoluzione said:
Amazed you know so little of your recent history.
Leeds city centre:
It isn't fog, it's smog.
So much of our towns were left black from the Victorian era and beyond.
Yeah, fully aware of the industrial revolution and its impact, hence why I was careful to differentiate between pre clean air act Central Manchester and South Manchester in the 80s, which seemed to see much more Fog (not smog) than we do now.Leeds city centre:
It isn't fog, it's smog.
So much of our towns were left black from the Victorian era and beyond.
Never had the dirty black nose and didnt feel like was breathing anything other than water vapour, remember it smelling fresh and pretty clean.
Might have been due to some degree of pollution, cars used to pong then, planes left big smoky plumes but most folk had gas fires rather than open ones and industry had massively cleaned up its act by then.
Might be climate change, it does change over time anyway.
Less Ultravox videos being made, who knows ?
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