It's absolutely ridiculous the way the country grinds to a halt after a couple of snowflakes or the odd leaf falls off a tree. You'd think it had never happened before! It pretty much snows a bit in winter, rains a bit (ok, a lot) for most of the year, gets warmer in summer, and trees shed leaves every autumn. There are no surprises - this has happened regularly. Absolutely amazing then that trains grind to a halt because there are leaves on the line, roads melt because it's a nice day for once, and complete nationwide chaos after a brief snowfall.
I believe it comes from the management book of excuses to conceal the fact that companies are understaffed and cut corners.