Patricia

[SpurMeUp]

Hurricane P hit land in the last couple of hours. Various people holed up in the middle of the most powerful Hurricane to hit the Western hemisphere posting videos of social media. Other storm chasing nut cases actively trying to get as close as possible.

Apparently not the 200mph winds predicted, only 165mph! When we have the big store in the 80s or 90s what was the wind speed?

https://instagram.com/yetoa26sanchez/

 

[Notmegov]

Hurricane P hit land in the last couple of hours. Various people holed up in the middle of the most powerful Hurricane to hit the Western hemisphere posting videos of social media. Other storm chasing nut cases actively trying to get as close as possible.

Apparently not the 200mph winds predicted, only 165mph! When we have the big store in the 80s or 90s what was the wind speed?

https://instagram.com/yetoa26sanchez/

Factfile: The 1987 Great Storm
Find out a range of key facts about the 'Great Storm' of 1987

Weather statistics

• Mean (average) wind speeds of 50 mph were observed across South East England.
• A maximum gust of 115 mph was observed at Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex.
• Gusts of 94 mph were observed in London between 3 am and 4 am.
• The Royal Sovereign lightship on the south coast recorded a mean (average) wind speed of 86 mph.
• Temperatures rose by up to 10 ºC for a short period overnight as the storm pushed north.
• A pressure rise of more than 20 mb was observed in just three hours as the low moved away to the north.
• Storm centre pressure fell to 951 mb over the English Channel.

Maximum gusts (in knots) during the 1987 storm
Forecast

• TV weather forecaster Michael Fish said on the October 15 lunchtime broadcast: "...earlier on today apparently a woman rang the BBC and said she'd heard there was a hurricane on the way. Well if you are watching don't worry, there isn't..."
• Five days before: Forecasters predict severe weather on the following Thursday or Friday.
• A few days before: Computer models suggest severe weather would only hit the English Channel and coastal parts of southern England.
• Afternoon 15 October: Winds very light over most parts of the UK. Gale warning issued for the English Channel.
• Late evening 15 October: Gales in the channel forecast to be Force 10. Over land the emphasis of the last evening TV forecast is on very heavy rain.
• Early hours 16 October: Storm progresses, starts to turn more northwest towards South East England. Warnings of severe weather issued to various agencies and emergency authorities, including the London Fire phalanx and Ministry of Defence.

Impacts

• 18 people lost their lives in Britain, four in France.
• Devastation costs are reported to be more than one billion pounds.
• An estimated 15 million trees were lost.
• Thousands of homes were without power for several days.
• Wreckage blocked roads and railways.
• A ship capsized at Dover, and a Channel ferry was driven ashore near Folkestone.
• It was the worst storm since 1703 and was analysed as being a one in 200 year storm for southern Britain.
• A public enquiry was announced shortly after the storm and an internal enquiry was conducted by the Met Office.
• Government funds the Met Office to set up the National Severe Weather Warning Service.

 

[SpurMeUp]

Haha 50mph, less than a third of what Mexico took. Looking at the videos last night, it didn't seem too bad though. Haven't checked it out this morning.

If you got into the eye of the storm, and say it was 200mph winds in the surrounding storm (apparently 400+ is the strongest recorded), could you move along in the eye with the storm until it dissipates?

 

[Notmegov]

Haha 50mph, less than a third of what Mexico took. Looking at the videos last night, it didn't seem too bad though. Haven't checked it out this morning.

If you got into the eye of the storm, and say it was 200mph winds in the surrounding storm (apparently 400+ is the strongest recorded), could you move along in the eye with the storm until it dissipates?

Its a question i have often wondered my self, as for comparing storms its a bit unfair to compare storms in a region that regularly has these sorts of event to one of ones like 87. There are a number of factors with the 87 storm was so hard hitting in the uk, trees still in leaf, waterlogged ground from a very wet autumn all led to the destruction.