Great storm of 1987

"Hurricane of 1987" redirects here. For the hurricane seasons that year, see 1987 Atlantic hurricane season and 1987 Pacific hurricane season.

Great storm of 1987
The storm at peak intensity over the North Sea
Meteorological history
Formed15 October 1987 (1987-10-15)
Dissipated16 October 1987 (1987-10-16)
Extratropical cyclone
Highest winds86 mph (139 km/h)[1]
Highest gusts134 mph (216 km/h)[1]
Lowest pressure953 hPa (mbar); 28.14 inHg[2]
Overall effects
Fatalities22[3]
Damage£2 billion (7.106 today), 23 billion francs (9.841 billion euro today)[citation needed]
Areas affectedUnited Kingdom, France, Spain, Belgium, Norway
Part of the 1987–1988 European windstorm season

The great storm of 1987 was a violent extratropical cyclone that occurred on the night of 15–16 October, with hurricane-force winds causing casualties in the United Kingdom, France, and the Channel Islands as a severe depression in the Bay of Biscay moved northeast. Among the most damaged areas were Greater London, Kent, the East Anglian coast, the Home Counties, the west of Brittany, and the Cotentin Peninsula of Normandy, all of which weathered gusts typically with a return period of 1 in 200 years.[4][5]

Forests, parks, roads, and railways were strewn with fallen trees and schools were closed. The British National Grid suffered heavy damage, leaving thousands without power. At least 22 people were killed in England and France.[6][3] The highest measured gust of 135 miles per hour; 217 kilometres per hour (117 kn) was recorded at Pointe Du Roc, Granville, France and the highest gust in the UK of 120 mph; 190 km/h (100 kn) was recorded at Shoreham, West Sussex.[7] The storm has been termed a weather bomb due to its rapid development.[8]

That day's weather reports had failed to indicate a storm of such severity, an earlier, correct forecast having been negated by later projections. The apparent suggestion by the BBC's Michael Fish of a false alarm is celebrated as a classic gaffe, though he claims he was misquoted.[9] As a result of this storm, major improvements were later implemented in atmospheric observation, relevant computer models, and the training of forecasters.[10]

  1. ^ a b David Braine (28 October 2014). "The 1987 Great Storm". BBC Cornwall. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  2. ^ United Kingdom Met Office (2007). "The Great Storm of 1987" (PDF). Risk Management Solutions. Retrieved 2 August 2009.
  3. ^ a b "The Great Storm of 1987". Wayback Machine: Met Office. Archived from the original on 7 September 2008. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  4. ^ Vidal, John (16 October 2012). "Sting jet technology means no more hurricane mishaps for Michael Fish". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 December 2012.
  5. ^ "How did the 'Great Storm' of 1987 develop?". Met Office News Blog. 10 October 2012. Retrieved 8 December 2012.
  6. ^ Lennon, Sam (15 October 2022). "The Great Storm of 1987: Remembering devastating impact on Kent on 35th anniversary". www.kentonline.co.uk. KM Group. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  7. ^ "The Great Storm of 1987". Met Office. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  8. ^ "Ophelia's strange path". The Economist. 16 October 2017.
  9. ^ "Great Storm of 1987: Michael Fish's 'white lie'". BBC News. 15 October 2012. Retrieved 8 December 2012.
  10. ^ "Lessons learned from Great Storm". BBC News. 14 October 2007. Retrieved 4 May 2010.