Storm Eunice - 18th February

[GSP]

I had no problems with the red warnings. If it saved one life by them staying in, that’s good enough for me.

[sunnijim]

2 hours ago, Nick L said:

Really good graphic by Dan Holley that pours cold water over the "just a normal windy day" nonsense posts we've seen...Very much a once in 20-30 year storm for the south.

Unless i'm reading it wrong,hardly anywhere is it 20-30 years?

An inland station in Sussex there at Herstmonceux with its highest gust for 32 years at 72mph.

I conceeded yesterday that gusts 30 miles or so inland of the coast were the thing that made this storm notable.

It was a very windy day on the coasts,but not a 20-30 year event!

A similar wind event in 2016 equaled gusts and duration on the Sussex coast.

[Convergence]

1 hour ago, Man With Beard said:

Great graphic but it's odd our posters from Sussex seemed to think it had been no big deal!

That's a great graphic. I live slap in the middle of the "32" on that map and can assure you it really was a big deal.

It didn't seem that bad indoors and just looking out the window, lots of noise and trees moving around but nothing particularly dramatic. However, right at the peak of the storm I ended up having  to take an elderly relative to hospital. Having lived and worked in various mountain regions and driven through blizzards and storms galore, driving 36 miles through the peak of Eunice was easily the scariest drive of my life.

Debris everywhere, lots of it hitting the car including the windscreen. Trees, large branches and power lines falling all around at times and having to swerve and slalom around everything from Estate Agent "For Sale" signs, fence panels, corrugated roof panels, branches, wheelie bins and even people. One poor woman staggering along the pavement got literally blown off the pavement and right into the middle of the road. She was young and agile, knew we were coming but literally couldn't fight the gust and much to her horror ended up right in our path. We were going slowly and managed to stop just in time but it was a very dodgy moment. The journey took much longer than expected as we had to make so many detours due to roads blocked by fallen trees and power lines.

It was a hell of an experience but very scary and not something I have any desire to repeat.

[Nick L]

9 minutes ago, sunnijim said:

Unless i'm reading it wrong,hardly anywhere is it 20-30 years?

An inland station in Sussex there at Herstmonceux with its highest gust for 32 years at 72mph.

I conceeded yesterday that gusts 30 miles or so inland of the coast were the thing that made this storm notable.

It was a very windy day on the coasts,but not a 20-30 year event!

A similar wind event in 2016 equaled gusts and duration on the Sussex coast.

I've counted 15 stations in the 20+ years range?

When a large swathe of southern England has seen the strongest gusts for 20-30 years, it's fair to say by definition it's the strongest storm for 20-30 years.

Edited February 20, 2022 by Nick L

[sunnijim]

6 minutes ago, Nick L said:

I've counted 15 stations in the 20+ years range?

When a large swathe of southern England has seen the strongest gusts for 20-30 years, it's fair to say by definition it's the strongest storm for 20-30 years.

I certainly won't be arguing against facts here,it is clear for some ( not a majority) it was the highest gust achieved for 20 + years.

For many it wasn't as the map shows.

I am of the opinion that a storm of yesterday's vigour is not somthing we will be waiting 30 or 50 years for again over England.

It is not in the same ball park as 87 or 90.

In fact,I would bet a large sum on it happening again within 4 years.

[Nick L]

Just now, sunnijim said:

I certainly won't be arguing against facts here,it is clear for some ( not a majority) it was the highest gust achieved for 20 + years.

For many it wasn't as the map shows.

I am of the opinion that a storm of yesterday's vigour is not somthing we will be waiting 30 or 50 years for again over England.

It is not in the same ball park as 87 or 90.

In fact,I would bet a large sum on it happening again within 4 years.

To be fair, I did say "in the south" as opposed to the UK as a whole.

I'm almost 30 and can never remember seeing such widespread 70-75mph gusts inland, it's a very unusual event.

[sunnijim]

Just now, Nick L said:

To be fair, I did say "in the south" as opposed to the UK as a whole.

I'm almost 30 and can never remember seeing such widespread 70-75mph gusts inland, it's a very unusual event.

I would agree with evey word there.

It is very unusual to see that INLAND.

Although those speeds tailed off toward the Capital.

My views on this and past data have been coastal.

The issue I have is the 'broad brush' media approach that it was the worst in a lifetime for the whole of England!

[alexisj9]

2 hours ago, sunnijim said:

Unless i'm reading it wrong,hardly anywhere is it 20-30 years?

An inland station in Sussex there at Herstmonceux with its highest gust for 32 years at 72mph.

I conceeded yesterday that gusts 30 miles or so inland of the coast were the thing that made this storm notable.

It was a very windy day on the coasts,but not a 20-30 year event!

A similar wind event in 2016 equaled gusts and duration on the Sussex coast.

Down here, east Kent and east Anglia, st Jude was stronger, but only for the last half hour of the storm. Which is why it's a six. Otherwise Kent at least would be the same as Sussex.

[Nick L]

2 minutes ago, alexisj9 said:

Down here, east Kent and east Anglia, st Jude was stronger, but only for the last half hour of the storm. Which is why it's a six. Otherwise Kent at least would be the same as Sussex.

The St Jude max gusts affected a rather more localised area but probably packed more of a punch where it did, I remember living in Reading and being underwhelmed by it.

[Derbyshire_snow]

Thanking my lucky stars after this came off my roof as I came out the house if that had hit me I dont think I would he here today.

The tiles on my roof were flapping in the wind I hope these forecasted gales stay away tomorrow don't want anymore damage.

Saw the news too and saw that people had lost their lives due to falling trees if just goes to show you can be in the wrong place at the wrong time a clue of feet the other way and that could have been me.

I love a good storm like the rest of us on here but it is a stark reminder of the unforgiving power of mother nature that takes no prisoners.

My heart goes out to the families of those that sadly lost their lives to Storm Eunice too ❤

 

[Derbyshire_snow]

4 hours ago, GSP said:

I had no problems with the red warnings. If it saved one life by them staying in, that’s good enough for me.

These people that question these warnings need to get a grip they were forecast 80-90mph down south.

The winds were not that strong here and it brought trees down and ripped tiles off 1 of which came within  couple of foot of potentially killing me.

So if these warnings save lives I am all for them what would these people rather have a warning or no warning at all and end up potentially getting seriously injured or worse .

[Nick L]

3 minutes ago, Derbyshire_snow said:

These people that question these warnings need to get a grip they were forecast 80-90mph down south.

The winds were not that strong here and it brought trees down and ripped tiles off 1 of which came within  couple of foot of potentially killing me.

So if these warnings save lives I am all for them what would these people rather have a warning or no warning at all and end up potentially getting seriously injured or worse .

In fairness, I don't think many are questioning the red warning being issued, there's absolutely no question that it was warranted. Most of the discussion is whether it should have been issued sooner.

I was worried the death toll was going to be much worse.

[alexisj9]

1 hour ago, Nick L said:

The St Jude max gusts affected a rather more localised area but probably packed more of a punch where it did, I remember living in Reading and being underwhelmed by it.

It was a strange finish, thought it was over, went to the shops, and then woosh, I'd never felt a gust like it, about two minutes later another one, and then it was all gone. Got to admit, I'm glad it didn't get to that stage sooner.

[rabbit butty]

I'm glad the boss decided to let us stay home l would have been working in this 

[sunnijim]

6 hours ago, alexisj9 said:

Down here, east Kent and east Anglia, st Jude was stronger, but only for the last half hour of the storm. Which is why it's a six. Otherwise Kent at least would be the same as Sussex.

I think that is the crux of the issue.

There is certainly merit in saying that for some towns the gusts have been stronger than anything over the last 20 to 30 years.

The graphic that Nick posted last night also makes it clear that for many the gusts were more a 1 in 5 year or less event.

The broad brush approach that we have just experienced a 1 in 30 year event for England as a whole is wrong imo.

I would say to get gusts to the degree seen 10 or 20 miles inland of the coast is bordering on that type of event.

Clear to see that a few coastal spots in the South also noted gusts that were highest for 20 odd years.

However,'just down the road' no such extremes were noted in terms of gusts,and for this reason I only have to go back to 2016 to equal it.

I would say we were all borderline for a widespread event that broke 30+ year gust records,but probably 5-10mph off it in many spots.

Edited February 20, 2022 by sunnijim

[Ice Day]

10 hours ago, Nick L said:

Really good graphic by Dan Holley that pours cold water over the "just a normal windy day" nonsense posts we've seen...Very much a once in 20-30 year storm for the south.

That's a superb graphic, right up my street! A 1 in 20 year event for my location, feels about right. Hopefully at least 20 years until we see another as strong!

[SnowBear]

For most places it was a 1 in 10 year event. 

For some places it was a 1 in 15-20 year event. 

For some places it was a 1 in 30 year event. 

Such is the varied wind field Eunice had and shows how our islands can cause variation as well. Quite an odd storm when you look at it with the elongated low, the speed of cyclogenesis, proximity of the jet stream etc. 

That elongated low I feel had something to do with the top being cut off the highest winds by that 10-15mph. 

We also had the uncertainty of the sting jet, which having lived through the centre of 87's believe me is a blessing it didn't happen. 

So, a severe storm, lots of damage, severe damage in some areas, and a storm which went on to cause quite a bit of damage in Europe too. 

Storm Eunice carves deadly trail across Europe

WWW.BBC.CO.UK

---

At least 16 people have died as high winds leave homes without power and transport systems in disarray.

Edited February 20, 2022 by SnowBear
Spelling

[Nick F]

Right, here's a comparison of peak gusts between Great Storm Oct 1987, Burns Day Storm  Jan 1990 and Storm Eunice. 1987 & 1990 storms a notch above with gusts, the Needles gusts of 122mph during Eunice may skew perceptions of Friday's storm as being stronger, but Needles appears not have been reporting during 1987 or 1990.

Great Storm Oct 1987

Burns Day Storm 1990

Storm Eunice

 

Black box figures 90mph+ gusts, these appear most widespread during 1990 storm, in 1987 90mph+ gusts concentrated to far SE and eastern East Anglia, though 100mph+ were the most numerous of all 3 storms. Fewest 90mph+ gusts on Friday of all 3 storms.

Peak gust charts of all 3 years courtesy of Dan Harris (Met Office) on twitter

https://twitter.com/RoostWeather

 

Edited February 20, 2022 by Nick F

[Frosty hollows]

11 hours ago, Nick L said:

Really good graphic by Dan Holley that pours cold water over the "just a normal windy day" nonsense posts we've seen...Very much a once in 20-30 year storm for the south.

Great graphic! Post 1987, I can count 2 storms of similar ferocity in my area- one valentines 2014 and one in 2008/09 when part of the school roof blew off! The gusts in those storms were in the 60s, but much shorter lived. Friday saw sustained winds in the upper 30s and gusts of 60+ for 6 hours. Once in 20 yr event is probably a fair enough assessment 

[sunnijim]

A very interesting graphic from Nick.

I think we were only a few mph above in areas that recorded the 1 in 30 years gusts and only just below for many others with 1 in 2 to 1 in 5.

Random made up examples.

Highest gust for 30 years 78mph, but 76mph in 2014.

Highest gust for two years 75mph but 77mph in 2014.

As I said earlier,I think we were 5mph to 10mph away from smashing records more widely.

It looked for many days that the system may produce widespread 80mph to 90mph with a few locations getting 90mph to 100mph.

The fact it didn't happen could be seen as a bullet dodged or an opportunity missed depending on the type of personality you are.

The extreme weather nut in me goes for the latter!

[Snowyowl9]

8 hours ago, Nick L said:

In fairness, I don't think many are questioning the red warning being issued, there's absolutely no question that it was warranted. Most of the discussion is whether it should have been issued sooner.

I was worried the death toll was going to be much worse.

Across europe its wrecking havoc..

Storm Eunice: At least 16 dead after gales sweep across northern Europe

WWW.INDEPENDENT.CO.UK

---

Thousands of lives have been affected by the wrath of Storm Eunice, and many lives have been lost.Across all of Europe, the death toll as a result of the weather conditions is still growing, with the storm having taken a...

See Someone else has beat me,never mind worth the reply after those great maps...

The great storm of 1993 map would look interesting in comparison..By far the highest gusts I saw on an archive map in shawbury..

Edited February 20, 2022 by Snowyowl9

[Thunder and Lightning]

Well Storm Eunice was definitely quite a noteworthy event here. Here is all my footage from the event, if anyone is interested. 

 

[Man With Beard]

I dug out my Met Office leaflet on 1987. I think it was even worse around London than the source Nick F suggested!

And the Burns Day storm

So while Storm Eunice was probably the strongest storm in my area since then ... it was actually miles behind even Burns Day. 

A bit like comparing Federer/Nadal/Djokovic to Andy Murray - in theory, Murray was the next best player, in reality, he was still miles behind

[southern_softie]

So Finally got our power back late last night..   1st job was to inspect the freezers, throw out all the stuff that handn't survived.  Thankfully most stuff was still frozen.

We've been here 10 years and the worst power cut we've had prior to this was 3 or 4 hours.  This one was 58hours.

Glad its all over.

[southern_softie]

23 hours ago, Nick F said:

"but Needles appears not have been reporting during 1987 or 1990."

 

I remember the needles famously had their anemometer destroyed in 1987.  I beleive it recorded 106mph before breaking.