It was forecasted that Wombourne would see snow and generally experience freezing conditions at some point over the festive period - unlike previous winters when such occurrences were rare.
Above is a recent photograph of the section of the Wom Brook Walk adjacent to Gravel Hill. To date, the Wom Brook Walk remains icy and caution should be taken when using it.
Many thanks to members of the Friends of Wom Brook, along with other villagers who regularly collect litter deposited along the Brook. Their efforts were visible this morning in the form of filled refuse sacks awaiting removal by South Staffordshire Council.
These scene was photographed in February 2007, and shows both Bow footbridge and Gravel Hill Bridge during a snow shower. The white blobs were created by the camera’s automatic flash reflecting off the snowflakes.
Weather forecasts yesterday predicted that an overnight frost measuring -2 degrees Centigrade would dominate the night air. The above scene greeted early morning walkers today along the Brook. It was a chilly reminder to ensure gloves and hats were available for the less hardy amongst us; certainly the students from Ounsdale High School didn’t seem to notice the freezing temperature-although cold, it wouldn’t have been ‘cool’ to wear a hat and gloves for school!
Those of you familiar with the story of Noah’s Ark will recall that the rainbow was a message from God to Noah that the rainfall was at an end.
Last week, after a welcome period without rain, we received a day of prolonged showers. It ended with an evening rainbow-which was photographed from the Gravel Hill section of the Wom Brook Walk, looking in a south easterly direction.
It would be good to see another rainbow-otherwise we’ll have to be building our own arks, as yet again this August we seem to be plagued with more rainfall than sunshine.
On Tuesday this week, the Wom Brook was the setting for the BBC Midlands Today weather forecast. Weather presenter and Wombourne resident Simon Keeling presented his forecast from the Gravel Hill section of the Brook, following an interesting feature on one of the Brook�__s more elusive creatures, the water vole. He even found evidence of their presence, from recently chewed plants.
Simon confirmed the numerous sightings of the water voles by the Friends of Wom Brook
As the 2005/6 winter draws to a close with a flourish (or should that be a flurry) of snow showers and frosty nights, Wombourne woke to yet another morning of snow and ice.
Walking along the Brook-although picturesque, was not without its risks-snow had obscured ice, causing a number of early morning walkers to slide unexpectedly.
The above photo was taken looking south along the Railway Walk, where it crosses the Brook-almost out of picture in the left foreground is the footpath leading to the centre of the village.
The above scene, taken at sunrise from the Railway Walk, looking down towards the Brook, was photographed on Wednesday morning 30th November, almost two days after the first snowfall of the winter.
Rain preceded the heavy snowfall at midday on Monday 28th November, and the subsequent drop in temperature soon ensured that the village woke to two successive snowy sunrises.
This part of the Wom Brook Walk is a particularly popular recreational area following snowfall-the gentle slope encourages many budding winter sport enthusiasts, evidenced by the many tracks seen in the above photograph.
At the time of posting this entry, the vast majority of the snow had melted.