The Great Gale Of October 1877

[Weather-history]

On the night of the 14th and 15th October 1877, a severe gale struck the British Isles.

Here are some reports of this storm.

Arle Bury: Violent storm on this day, much damage to trees and buildings

Oxford: High wind in night, several trees blown down and other damage done.

Northampton: Heavy gale from SW in night, doing much damage.

Diss: Violent SW gale all night, most intense at 3am on 15th.

Alderbury: Great strom after 9pm; several large trees blown down

Holt: Night of 14th and morning of 15th, heaviest gale known here for years, doing immense damage to buildings and trees.

Bishops Cannings: Tremendous gale; many elms blown down and ricks unroofed.

Compton Bassett: Hurricane at night doing much damage to buildings and uprooting many large trees.

Beaminster: SW gale sprung up about 8 pm and increased to hurricane at about midnight doing much damage to church tower.

Landscore Villa: Great hurricane or cyclone, much damage at Teignmouth and neighbourhood. Remarkable blasting of foliage.

Court Barn: Most severe SW gale, great injury to trees, ricks and much general damage.

Langtree Wick: Very heavy gale in night, uprooting trees.

Meshaw: The most remarkable incident in the year was the gale of this night which I believe was the most severe since 1834.

St John's: Fearful gale, SSW, 10.30pm to 3.30am, trees and ricks blown down and great damage done.

Bincombe: Heavy gale, doing much damage; four people killed by the fall of a chimney.

Saul Lodge: A gale, the most violent of any for many years; trees were thrown in every direction in the valley and several had their tops twisted off.

Hagley Rectory: Violent hurricane in the night blowing down chimney stacks, uprooting trees and doing great damage.

Hodsock: The gale of these dates blew down a great many trees hereabouts.

Enfield Chase: A gale of extraordinary violence swept over this district this morning. The gale was most violent that has been experienced here for years and though in this exposed position, little damage was done but many trees blown down at Winchmore Hill. At 6pm the thermometer was 61F, at 9pm at 63.2F and during the night it rose to 64.8F as the storm passed off.

St Lawrence, Isle of Wight: Gale in the early morning. A wonderful whirlwind passed along the sea from W to E at 2.30pm and drew the water up into a column of considerable height. It was seen by many persons.

One notable feature of the gale was the lack of rain that was associated with it over England and Wales but the tremendous downpours that fell over parts of Scotland.

Torquay: Almost a hurricane from 11pm to 12.15am. Enormous quantities of dust and gravel were blown about, rattling against the windows, about a load of gravel was blown away from this garden. Trees have been wrecked, houses unroofed and vegetation scorched up in every direction; plate glass windows blown in at Torquay and a yacht ashore.

Barnstaple: About 12.45am, it was blowing a real hurricane. Very great damage has been done to the roofs of houses, my observatory had its roof lifted clean off and deposited 80 yards and from 200 to 300 trees have been blown down. I measured one with a 18ft girth.

Shifnal: A fearful hurricane from S to W and NW beginning at 9pm. The severest since the memorable one of January 7th 1839.

Orleton: Great hurricane from 12am to 3.30am. The hurricane was most destructive to the timber trees an buildings; all the roads were blocked up by fallen timber trees, or strewed with boughs and branches. No wind of equal violence has occurred since the hurricane in the night between 6th and 7th of January 1839.

Stoke-on-Trent: A tremendous gale in the night, some of the gusts terrific, so that even this solidly-built house swayed perceptibly under the pressure. A tree in the field just below this house had its top snapped off.

Leicester: Many trees uprooted.

Melton Mowbray: Very severe gale at night, unparalled in the memory of the inhabitants.

Haverfordwest: Tremendous gusts at 12am, much damage done to roofs, slates lying in heaps. Near Rosebeach Precelly Slate Quarries, a new roof just slated and firmly nailed down was forcibly lifted entire and carried 50 yeards

Whilst little rain fell over England and Wales, here are rainfall totals due to this storm further north.

Braemar: 1.95"

Strome Ferry: 2.19"

Tralee: 2.25"

Buncrana: 1.84"

At Portree: 4.98"

The rain poured down in torrents, raising the rivers and streams to an extent never seen before. Bridges and roads were swept to the sea. At Uig, the whole burial ground, except six graves, were carried completely away; coffins were put ashore by the sea 10 and 20 miles distant.

Kilmarnock: Great storm from WNW, reaching Beaufort 11

Auchnasheen Station: Heavy rain and snow 2.03 inches

Culloden: Constant heavy rain from ENE, 967mb.

Sandwick: Storm velocity 69mph from 7 to 8 pm. Mean from 5 to 9pm of 65 miles. One of the strongest gales for many years.

From the Times of 16th October 1877

Edited October 7, 2008 by Mr_Data

[JRMcLeod]

Does anyone seem to know how badly affected Aberdeen was during this storm? Just curious if it would have felt like a bad autumn storm of it would have felt like a hurricane on the east coast?

[Rustynailer]

"St Lawrence, Isle of Wight: Gale in the early morning. A wonderful whirlwind passed along the sea from W to E at 2.30pm and drew the water up into a column of considerable height. It was seen by many persons."

Any chance of a 2008 repeat of that bit Mr Data

Probably would have had a problem getting a half decent photo, with a Glass plate camera.

I took this picture on Sunday, the area referred to is just around the back of the cliffs in the distance, the waterspout would have traveled within this view IMO. Just.

Kind regards,

Russ