About that global warming

From the UK Telegraph -- a two-fer: First:

Snow threatens fragile UK economy
The snowstorm, predicted to last 40 hours and produce 12 inches of snow in some areas, will be especially unwelcome for a retail sector reeling from disappointing December sales, as it sees key Saturday trading impacted by extreme weather.

"With the economy in a fragile state, even relatively limited disruption from snow and freezing conditions could very well be enough to tip the balance towards modest GDP contraction rather than modest growth in the first quarter of this year," warned Howard Archer, chief economist at forecasting house IHS Global Insight.

Didn't seem to hurt grocery sales though - second:

UK snow: panic buying hits supermarkets as shelves stripped bare
Frantic scenes were reported across the West Country, Home Counties and south Wales, in what officials described as worse than peak Christmas shopping periods.

With much of Britain expecting to be brought to a standstill today by a 40�hour snowstorm, shelves were left completely empty and basic items disappeared amid fears families would be left snowed in.

Supermarkets reported a "frenzy" as people stampeded along the aisles, filling their trolleys with bread, milk, vegetables and other essentials, leaving stores "virtually empty".

Didn't the Met Office predict the end of snow a few years ago?