1968 Scotland storm

1968 Hurricane
Synoptic chart of storm by Met Office
TypeEuropean windstorm
Extratropical cyclone
Formed12 January 1968
Dissipated18 January 1968
Highest gust134 mph (216 km/h)[1]
Lowest pressure956 mb (28.2 inHg)
Fatalities28 dead (56 injured)[3][4][5]
Damage£30 million (1968 GBP)[2]
Areas affectedScotland, England, Northern Ireland, Denmark

The 1968 Hurricane (or Hurricane Low Q)[1][2] was a deadly storm that moved through the Central Belt of Scotland during mid January 1968. It was described as Central Scotland's worst natural disaster since records began and the worst gale in the United Kingdom.[2][3][6] Some said that the damage resembled what happened during the Clydebank Blitz in 1941.[4] 20 people died from the storm, with 9 dead in Glasgow.[7] 700 people were left homeless.[8] Such high wind speeds in an urban area were equivalent to those witnessed in Paris during Cyclone Lothar in 1999.[9]

A 134 mph (216 km/h) wind gust was recorded at Great Dun Fell in Cumbria, England.[citation needed] At the time this was the strongest wind gust ever recorded in the United Kingdom,[10] though this was superseded in 1986 when a 173 mph (278 km/h) gust was recorded at Cairn Gorm.[11]

  1. ^ a b "Destroyed by a devastating blow EVENT: Hurricane Low Q, January 1968". Herald Scotland. 5 January 2002. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
  2. ^ a b c "The Great Storm of 1968". SunnyGovan. Archived from the original on 15 April 2009. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
  3. ^ a b "The Glasgow 'Hurricane'". Weatheronline. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
  4. ^ a b "New Killer Gusts Rush Britain". The Milwaukee Journal. 16 January 1968. Retrieved 20 March 2012. [dead link‍]
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference montreal gazette was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "20 dead: Scots start mop-up". The Age. 17 January 1968. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
  7. ^ "Great Glasgow Storm – Monday 15 January 1968" (PDF). Met Office. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 February 2014. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
  8. ^ "Winds Batter Scotland; Toll Is 20 – Glasgow Hard Hit – Snow Falls in Mideast Storms Lash Europe, Mideast; Scotland Hard Hit". The New York Times. 16 January 1968. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
  9. ^ Cusack, Stephen (12 January 2018). "The "Glasgow Hurricane": A Fifty-year Retrospective". www.rms.com. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
  10. ^ "High Winds Threaten Britain". Reading Eagle. 16 January 1968. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
  11. ^ "Weather extremes". Met Office. Archived from the original on 3 April 2012. Retrieved 20 March 2012.