Martin Kettle and I are too old (Let’s scrape the hyperbole off the weather forecasts, 19 January). He clearly doesn’t know that many people jump into their cars in the morning and drive off – windscreen usually unscraped – wearing T-shirts and jeans. So they do need warning that it may be cold and icy. Even as long ago as January 1995, when West Yorkshire was struck by heavy snow at rush hour, there were – joining me in the traffic jam that caused many thousands not to get home that night – many drivers totally unprepared for winter weather. It’s the fault of universal central heating – no ice on the inside of the bedroom window to remind you. All I want to know, like Martin, is the facts, not forecasters’ own value judgments, and, most importantly, whether my washing will dry outside today.
Maureen Panton
Malvern, Worcestershire
