A little snow is no reason to tremble where I live. In fact the economy is helped by a good ski season. But in the U.K. a little snow, like that pictured below, causes much of normal activity to grind to a halt. They are not set up to deal with below freezing temperatures. The train signals may fail. So on the trip when I took this photo, near Rochester, England in late December we made just a quick visit to the Cathedral & headed right back to the train station to make it back to London where we were staying.
It’s like that in Richmond Virginia too. Of course, they also don’t have the snow removal like we’re used to in the Midwest. But the merest hint of snow is enough to wipe out the grocery stores.