What’s the worst storm you have experienced living in the UK?

[Harry]

Goatherd, that is the best footage of a UK storm I think I have ever seen!!! Truly amazing.

Weve had similar storms like that here in the SE but have never owned a video camera, GRRRR!!! One of the most potent ones I can remember, I was 11, was August 1998 and it had been very hot. They'd forecast storms, so I went to bed hopeful and nothing came....until about 1:30am when I was asleep and woken by one of the loudest explosions I have ever heard. All the windows were open as the temperature even then wouldve been in the 20s, so full blast of noise into my room! Needless to say, seconds later I had ended up in my parents room I was so petrified. I was shaking violently it scared me so much. The lightning was awesome and almost constant, and the biggest array of colours, I remember, orange, purple, pink, white, blue and even deep red. As for the rain, sounded like a never ending freight train!

Speaking of which, it seems a while since we have had those middle of the night crackers, where every clap of thunder is a deep, ferocious boom, the rain is like a constant pouring of water from a bucket and the lightning doesnt stop! Had those afternoon/evening ones, like the MCS which hit Kent this year, but some how I find them more awesome when its night!

Worst wind storm, none really spring to mind. I was 11 months old during the 87 storm. There have been plenty I can remember where the gusts have hit 90 - 100mph, but none overall stick out. I suppose one which was bad was when we got smacked with the remnants of Hurricane Lily, probably close to 12-15 years ago now. Anyone else have any recollection of that?

[knightstorm]

It was 11 years ago, Sept 96. I had just started year 5 and we got 80-90mph gusts, it hit during the evening having been a category 4 hurricane only 3 days earlier it had been downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it made landfall in th UK! Still don't think this was as bad as October 2000 though! I remember that thunderstorm you mentioned, it had been a really hot August if I recall correctly and I remember thinking to myself going to bed that evening having not seen the forecast that I thought there was going to be a thunderstorm because it was so humid and the sky was turning lumpy and the clouds where gathering!

Than at about 11.30pm I woke up to a relatively distant rumble of thunder, but could see constant red flashing through my bedroom curtains. Than as time progressed the thunder got louder and louder and the lightning got brighter and brighter, to the point where I was shacking with fear as I was really scared of thunder when I was little and this was the worst storm I could remember, I got into my parents bed for comfort, and even they seemed pretty concerned about it! The storm aventually cleared some 10 hours later at 9am, it was the longest thunderstorm I can rememeber and the most terrifying night of my life!

[Paul Sherman]

It was 11 years ago, Sept 96. I had just started year 5 and we got 80-90mph gusts, it hit during the evening having been a category 4 hurricane only 3 days earlier it had been downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it made landfall in th UK! Still don't think this was as bad as October 2000 though! I remember that thunderstorm you mentioned, it had been a really hot August if I recall correctly and I remember thinking to myself going to bed that evening having not seen the forecast that I thought there was going to be a thunderstorm because it was so humid and the sky was turning lumpy and the clouds where gathering!

Than at about 11.30pm I woke up to a relatively distant rumble of thunder, but could see constant red flashing through my bedroom curtains. Than as time progressed the thunder got louder and louder and the lightning got brighter and brighter, to the point where I was shacking with fear as I was really scared of thunder when I was little and this was the worst storm I could remember, I got into my parents bed for comfort, and even they seemed pretty concerned about it! The storm aventually cleared some 10 hours later at 9am, it was the longest thunderstorm I can rememeber and the most terrifying night of my life!

Are you sure it was downgraded to a Tropical Storm KS?? The Uk is quite a long way from the tropics!!

Worst one I can remember was during the Summer of 1981. Was living in Chelmsford at the time and the storm started at about 10pm, went on until 6am the next morning, we lived quite near the Prison and the "D Wing" got struck by Lightning and had extensive fire damage that night, it was one of those Mcs's that have constant Lightning for about 6 hours, although I vividly remember wave after wave of Storms, this I would learn in later life would be an MCS, lots of different storms in the same complex! Oh if only I had a DSLR Back then

Paul S

[knightstorm]

Well yeah obviously we are not in the tropics, but hurricane's normally occur in the tropics so when they die down and the eye of the storm is lost they are called tropical storms, regardless of where they fall. When Hurricane Lilly was at her height she was just south of The Azores I believe, which is classified as a tropical area.

[Paul Sherman]

Well yeah obviously we are not in the tropics, but hurricane's normally occur in the tropics so when they die down and the eye of the storm is lost they are called tropical storms, regardless of where they fall. When Hurricane Lilly was at her height she was just south of The Azores I believe, which is classified as a tropical area.

Really

I thought they were called Ex Tropical Storms, like the ones that Hit the Uk during the late summer of 2004, now correct me if I am wrong but how can they still be called Tropical Storms when they hit the Uk at this Latitude. Really trying to grasp this and it would be great if you could teach me.

[Cookie]

I think he's got you thier knightstorm

[knightstorm]

Well not really cause the reason they are called tropical storms is because of where they are formed, not where they end up. If a storm is formed near the UK than it would most likely be described as a European Wind Storm, example being the Jan 2005 storm which hit Scotland. But if a storm is formed further out at sea in the Atlantic and comes up from the south, than it is most likely that the storm began to take shape in the tropics like the 87 storm did! And if Lilly was an ex-hurricane like people claim than it must have been tropical because hurricane's can't form anywhere else but over tropical waters! <_<

[Paul Sherman]

Thanks for clearing that one up then. Will have to go back to learning about this as I thought when "Depressions" or Low pressure areas hit the Uk in late Summer and Autumn they were more vigorous because they had "Ex" Tropical Moisture contained within them, and hence they were stronger as a result, think you might want to Email the Met Office to let them know the Uk experiences Tropical Storms as They may not be aware of this <_<

Paul S

[Cookie]

are you being sarcastic paul? im confused

[knightstorm]

Yeah so if the storms had tropical moisture in them, dosn't this make it tropical?

[Paul Sherman]

are you being sarcastic paul? im confused

<_< Have you got a Spade for Knightstorm Cookie!

[knightstorm]

It may have escaped your notice guys, but the UK does actually have a tropical climate during summer months that's why we get those sticky humid days, and quite often thunderstorms! <_<

[Paul Sherman]

I'll leave it for Nick to explain, just hurt my head banging it against the wall!

Paul S

[Nick F]

Well not really cause the reason they are called tropical storms is because of where they are formed, not where they end up. If a storm is formed near the UK than it would most likely be described as a European Wind Storm, example being the Jan 2005 storm which hit Scotland. But if a storm is formed further out at sea in the Atlantic and comes up from the south, than it is most likely that the storm began to take shape in the tropics like the 87 storm did! And if Lilly was an ex-hurricane like people claim than it must have been tropical because hurricane's can't form anywhere else but over tropical waters! <_<

Unfortunately you appear not to have a total understanding of the mechanics of tropical storms which differ from the mechanics of temperate mid-latitude depressions which affect us.

For a start, Tropical storms and hurricanes form over warm waters +/- 26C ... they are low pressure systems that don’t have fronts; they have anticyclonic outflow (clockwise) at upper levels; they are warm at their centre or core; wind speeds decrease with height; also latent heat from the condensation of water vapour is the primary energy (heat) source

Conversely, mid-latitude depressions are cold-cored in that a trough of cold air (upper low) exists above the surface depression; also these depressions have cold and warm fronts; wind speeds increase with height in mid-latitude Atlantic depressions - when the low deepens considerably (like Oct '87 storm) a strong jet streak is present aloft so this is why winds increase with height unlike hurricanes or tropical storms which have no jet present above them. The primary energy is baroclinic (i.e. the differences in temperature along the polar front cause the low to form) rather than barotropic wrt to tropical storms which don't have a thermal boundary.

So any deep low that heads towards the UK that may have been borne of ex-tropical origins (usually tropical warmth and moisture increasing the thermal boundary along the polar front) cannot be still classed as a TD, TS or Hurricane outside of tropical or semi-tropical areas -as the mechanics of that low change once it merges with the mid-latitude westerlies and comes under the polar front jet.

[Cookie]

thanks for that nick <_<

[nkaol2001]

Worst storm for sheer destruction is 1987 followed by 1989 in the UK.

Callie <_<

Sorry, but you will find the intense storm of 25th. Jan, 1990, considerably worse. 16/10/87, killed around 17 ppl, but the 1990 storm killed 46, as it was spread over a far wider area, all of England & Wales, + S. Scotland were affected. The wind blew for longer & more sustained speed than '87, & lasted for hours. I was living in London at time, & it lasted from around 10Am-6Pm, with the peak gusts around 4Pm, of 70-80mph. Enormous damage was done, yet it was bright & sunny throughout! Wind direction was W. veering N.W. during a/n, as an intense depression moved rapidly east over the Scots borders & out into the North Sea. 1989 storm was feeble by comparison & only affected the far west of Wales & Ireland I'm not expecting any big storms this winter, by the way, lol.

[Nick F]

Sorry, but you will find the intense storm of 25th. Jan, 1990, considerably worse. 16/10/87, killed around 17 ppl, but the 1990 storm killed 46, as it was spread over a far wider area, all of England & Wales, + S. Scotland were affected. The wind blew for longer & more sustained speed than '87, & lasted for hours. I was living in London at time, & it lasted from around 10Am-6Pm, with the peak gusts around 4Pm, of 70-80mph. Enormous damage was done, yet it was bright & sunny throughout! Wind direction was W. veering N.W. during a/n, as an intense depression moved rapidly east over the Scots borders & out into the North Sea. 1989 storm was feeble by comparison & only affected the far west of Wales & Ireland <_< I'm not expecting any big storms this winter, by the way, lol.

But the Burns' Day Storm of 25 Jan '90 occured during the daytime - whereas the '87 Great Storm occured at night - if the '87 storm occured during the daytime there would have been far more deaths with more people out and about.

The wind gusts were stronger during the '87 storm ... 115 mph reached at Shoreham-by-Sea (W Sussex) ... whereas peak gusts in the Burns' Day storm were around 100 mph. It is true though that the '87 storm affected a much smaller area - mainly just Sern England and E Anglia and that the strong winds lasted longer in the Burns' Day Storm.

[Paul Sherman]

Thanks for that Mr Faldo.

Now to try and keep the thread on track, please post other stories of Great Storms you have encountered in the Uk

Paul S

[Callie]

Sorry, but you will find the intense storm of 25th. Jan, 1990, considerably worse. 16/10/87, killed around 17 ppl, but the 1990 storm killed 46, as it was spread over a far wider area, all of England & Wales, + S. Scotland were affected. The wind blew for longer & more sustained speed than '87, & lasted for hours. I was living in London at time, & it lasted from around 10Am-6Pm, with the peak gusts around 4Pm, of 70-80mph. Enormous damage was done, yet it was bright & sunny throughout! Wind direction was W. veering N.W. during a/n, as an intense depression moved rapidly east over the Scots borders & out into the North Sea. 1989 storm was feeble by comparison & only affected the far west of Wales & Ireland I'm not expecting any big storms this winter, by the way, lol.

I thought this thread was about worst storms YOU had experienced, and therefore I gave my experience, maybe there have been worse storms in the UK than I have experienced.

Callie

Edited November 11, 2007 by Callie

[matt_in_dudley]

I dunno about the worst wind, rain storm, they all seem the same to me. The worst thunderstorm i've ever experienced (loved every second of it though) was sometime in the Summer just gone (2007). I wish i could remember the exact date. It was totally unexpected though but extremely spectacular. Lightning strike after lightning strike. I saw one hit one tree about 1000 yrds away and then hit another one close by near the Wyley and Essington Canal at Silver Street Bridge. They were so close it was unbelieveable. My Dad was coming home from work and he went from the car to the house and was soaked to the skin it was raining that heavily. The lightning was purple and so was the sky. maginificent.

Matt_in_Walsall xx

[dogs32]

I wonder if anyone can confirm my experience of a very unusual storm in the year of 2000.....between july to september.

The area Bristol channel/south Wales/Bristol areas.

The storm was nothing else Ive ever seen since....one lightning or sheet lightning PER SECOND...would love to know of this..

The main core was over Cardiff way...anyone know of this truely spectacular display...lasting for hrs

Or as anyone got any charts of it

Edited November 12, 2007 by dogs32

[Harry]

I'm glad this thread has got a little less fiesty now

What is certain however is the fact that, certainly in my own experience as well as reading other peoples', is that you dont have to go abroad to get a good storm!

I have experienced several severe depressions packing 100mph gusts. Loads of severe thunderstorms producing amazing green skies, spider/forked/anvil crawler lightning, 2 tornadoes, host of wall clouds, amazing cumulonimbus structures ( I remember one of last years which was VERY reminscent of Independence Day, huge dark Cb hanging over London), as well as the more memorable ones mentioned in a post previous.

Just the agonising wait now for Spring '08 and our next round of thunderstorms (far prefer these to depressions!)

[lightningfan]

This was in 2006 I think. Moved up from the south (The lights you can see in the very background are on the Isle of Wight) and this photo was taken about 9pm. An epic storm with constant lightning. By far the most spectacular storm I have ever seen in this country. Oh and if anyone else remembers this storm and has any pictures it would be great to see them, although I know i was a bit sketchy on the details but if you saw the storm I think you would remember it

Edited November 28, 2007 by lightningfan

[rossco89]

August 2005 was probably the best. THe whole day there was thunder constantly rumbling away in the distance. Just after 5 O`clock the sky was near completely black and was really churning overhead. The lightning was amizing crawler lighting and forked ligthing was striking everywhere. THere was a flash ever second or so for about 3 hours and the rain was torrential and the thunder was just amazing, it shook everything and you could hear it echoing right up the valley. What a day that was, i have never experiencec anything like that again. Words cant describe it and i was daft enough to stand at the top of a hill to watch it.

[MP-R]

I wonder if anyone can confirm my experience of a very unusual storm in the year of 2000.....between july to september.

The area Bristol channel/south Wales/Bristol areas.

The storm was nothing else Ive ever seen since....one lightning or sheet lightning PER SECOND...would love to know of this..

The main core was over Cardiff way...anyone know of this truely spectacular display...lasting for hrs

Or as anyone got any charts of it

I may be wrong but it could have been Thursday 27th July. I just remember arriving back from a holiday in Portugal at Bristol Airport. It was chucking it down and thunder was booming away to the west.