{"id":11427,"date":"2022-02-18T12:21:42","date_gmt":"2022-02-18T11:21:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/?p=14251"},"modified":"2022-02-18T16:16:14","modified_gmt":"2022-02-18T15:16:14","slug":"the-great-storm-of-1987-what-happened-and-how-did-it-change-weather-forecasting","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/rss_feed\/the-great-storm-of-1987-what-happened-and-how-did-it-change-weather-forecasting\/","title":{"rendered":"The Great Storm of 1987: what happened and how did it change weather forecasting?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By John Hammond and Sara Thornton\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Friday, 18 February 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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The Great Storm of 1987 was a ferocious weather event that took Britain by surprise, with then-weather forecaster Michael Fish<\/a> famously declaring that, no matter what people may have heard, there was nothing to worry about as a hurricane wasn\u2019t on the way. Just hours later, a terrifying storm swept across the UK causing widespread havoc.<\/p>\n

Learn more about the Great Storm of 1987 in our expert historic weather guide, including when it took place and the wreckage caused by the fierce storm.<\/p>\n

When was the Great Storm of 1987?<\/h3>\n

It was a mild and seemingly normal autumn evening when Britons retired to their beds on Thursday 15th October 1987. They were blissfully unaware that the coming hours would transform parts of southern England for years to come.<\/p>\n

The Great Storm that swept into Britain that night with 100+mph winds seemed to come from nowhere. The fact that the storm seemingly caught forecasters by surprise is also testament to just how suddenly this ferocious tempest arrived. The result was described by Home Secretary Douglas Hurd as the \u201cworst, most widespread night of disaster\u201d since the Blitz.<\/p>\n

\""Men\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Workers sawing up fallen trees in England, in the aftermath of the Great Storm of 1987, 17th October 1987\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

The impact of the destructive winds that ravaged the landscape will never be forgotten by anyone who lived through it. As well as the unfortunate loss of life and the millions of pounds of damage the Great Storm caused to buildings and infrastructure, it was particularly harmful to the natural environment \u2013 leaving scars that live on in the countryside to this day.<\/p>\n

Thirty years on the Great Storm\u2019s reputation has become the stuff of legend, even for those too young to have lived through the night themselves.<\/p>\n

9 things you didn\u2019t know about the Great Storm of 1987<\/h2>\n

Beyond the facts, figures and clich\u00e9s of The Storm, here are the lesser known nuggets from that \u2018night to remember\u2019.<\/p>\n

\""Former\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Former BBC weatherman Michael Fish gained notoriety for a forecast earlier that day in which he told people not to worry about the impending storm\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

1. Michael Fish was technically correct<\/h3>\n

The Storm did not have tropical origins, and so cannot strictly be called a hurricane \u2013 so Michael Fish was in fact correct. However, to anyone who experienced that night of mayhem, it looked, smelt and felt like a hurricane. Indeed the winds which battered parts of southern England (including a gust of 115mph at Shoreham-by-Sea) were of equivalent strength.<\/p>\n

2. The rainy autumn made it worse<\/h3>\n

In the run up to The Storm, very wet weather had softened the ground, loosening root-systems. To make matters worse, most trees were also still in leaf, adding further instability to such violent winds. They were more likely to topple, and they did in massive quantities. An estimated 15 million trees were destroyed.<\/p>\n

3. Good timing saved lives<\/h3>\n
\""Damage\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Fallen trees on a London street after the Great Storm in southern England, 17th October 1987\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Its occurrence in the early hours was extremely fortunate. It is safe to assume that had an unexpected storm like this occurred during daytime, it would have caused far greater damage and loss of life.<\/p>\n

4. The Great Storm of 1987 was worse in France<\/h3>\n

The highest measured wind speeds were actually the other side of the English Channel. There were gusts of over 130mph in exposed coastal areas of Brittany and Normandy in northern France.<\/p>\n

5. It was actually rather warm<\/h3>\n

Air from the sub-tropics was sucked into The Storm, and as night fell, temperatures shot up by 10 Celsius across parts of South East England. As a result, a layer of condensation suddenly appeared on all surfaces \u2013 such as the outside of windows.<\/p>\n

6. It wasn\u2019t the worst storm we\u2019ve ever had.<\/h3>\n

The Storm was not the most violent ever. Way back In 1703, a storm following a similar track across southern England killed many thousands of people. While it is hard to make a simple comparison, in all likelihood this 18th century storm was even more severe than that of 1987, when by comparison 18 people were killed.<\/p>\n

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