Transport chaos hit London as children built snowmen in gardens, schools were closed and postal workers skied down high streets during the British capital’s biggest snowfall in decades.

The usual noise of peak-hour traffic and the hum of the city succumbed to a magical quiet as the British capital disappeared under a mantle of pristine powdery snow and airports were closed and train and bus services were halted.

Huge tracts of Britain slowed down but London was the hardest hit as the snow kept falling. A total of 30 centimetres was expected in the next 24 hours.

Most flights at London’s Heathrow airport were grounded after one jet slid off a taxiway.

A Cyprus Airways plane with 104 passengers came off the icy taxiway at Heathrow, the world’s busiest international airport, airport operator BAA said. No injuries were reported.

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London Snow February 2009 video

MOUNT VERNON — Knox County was quickly blanketed with snow Wednesday, resulting in early school dismissals and slow-moving traffic throughout the area.
Knox County Sheriff David Barber issued a Level 2 snow emergency at 2:35 p.m. Wednesday. A Level 2, according to Barber’s press release, means “roadways are hazardous with blowing and drifting snow. Only those who feel it is necessary to drive should be out on the roadways.”
Road crews worked throughout the night to keep city and county roads safe.
Mount Vernon streets are “snow covered but passable,” Dave Carpenter, Mount Vernon Streets Department superintendent, said this morning. Although only three trucks are currently operable, Carpenter hopes to have six trucks out today.
“We normally have seven trucks out,” he said. “We are just facing routine issues that we have when we are out plowing snow, things like a transmission leak.”
Despite the shortage of plow trucks, crews were able to take care of the first priority streets, such as the main roads and streets with hills. With that accomplished, Carpenter said crews will start work today on the secondary or residential streets.
“Streets aren’t going to be cleared today, maybe not until tomorrow. It will take some sun on them to get down to bare streets,” Carpenter said. “We have some that are bare now, but not much.”
With temperatures well below freezing, traditional road salt does nothing to clear the streets of snow and ice.
Carpenter said the city is using a 50-50 mixture of salt and No. 9 gravel, which is small, pea-like gravel, on areas where necessary. The application will help with traction and will melt snow and ice once temperatures start to rebound and the sun shines.
The public is reminded that Mount Vernon has several streets that are deemed snow streets. When snow exceeds 3 inches, parking on these roads is prohibited allowing road crews the opportunity to clean from curb to curb.
“If [cars] aren’t moved, we just plow around them,” Carpenter said. “They get plowed in and that makes it pretty difficult to get the car out.”
Kate Stickle, public information officer for the Ohio Department of Transportation’s District 5, said 11 crews were out since 4 p.m. Wednesday, and will continue to work around the clock.

More information here