Where were you on the night of the Great Storm in 1987?
Does Storm Eunice remind you of that fateful night?
I was living in rented accommodation in North London, and was out and about near my college in Bloomsbury, and went home when the wind started to pick up.
The upstairs room I was in had a huge sash window.
During the night when the wind was really strong, I thought the window would cave in and I hardly slept a wink, except to dozed off towards the morning.
Next morning, there was not no power, and when I took the bus to work, it was eerily quiet, with much debris on the roads such as broken branches, and I could see a few fallen trees from a distance.
It then slowly sank in the amount of destruction and damages that were caused by the storm, with many trees being fell, including 6 of the Sevenoaks in Kent!
Sitting at home now hearing the winds howling outside brings back memories of that fateful night.
For the first time since I had moved to Wiltshire, we have a Red weather warning as in risk to life!!! And worse is yet to come later this afternoon!
Luckily, we have more warnings about the potential devastating effects of this storm so that we could be better prepared.
I doubt if I would be going out later this evening.
However, this is Bean, snoozing merrily next to me, storm? What storm, he says?!
For all the chewy toys, treats, bones, antlers etc., that I had bought him, he prefers a length of discarded hosepipe he found in the garden!
Stay safe everyone, it will blow over soon, literally!
DK
------------- Apple The Campervan - A Van For Work, Rest & Play!
- 2027: ? NL+DE+FR
- 2026: FR+DE
- 2025: 17/77
'24: 10/49; '23: 9/47;'22: 8/46; '21: 9/34
* Ex-tenter
* Treat life events like a dog: if you can't eat it, play with it or hump it, p1$$ on it and walk away!
15th October 1987 was my 40th, so I nearly had that storm for my birthday. No trains running on 16th, went to the station and had to walk home with my neighbour. 2 big trees came down en route, luckily fell away from us. Got home and took the dog out to look at the floods. OH went to work and was told to go to Kent to help with the clear up.
I was living in a village in Norfolk at the time, and slept through the whole thing. Got up the following morning and went out to the coach depot next door and got in my coach to go and pick up the students for Kings Lynn College. Set off up the road and found a tree right across it, so I managed to turn round in a farm gateway to try an alternative route. Didn't get very far before I came to another felled tree. I was starting to wonder by now what was going on, as it wasn't particularly windy then. One last try to get out of the village, a bit of a long way round to get to my first pick-up point, but it was the only option left. However, that way was blocked too so I went back to the depot. Nobody about at the depot at that time of the morning so I phoned the boss at home and she told me about the storm. I had no idea it had been so bad until I set out in the morning. It was 3 days before we could get out of the village.
Nothing to compare it with here. We’re north of Eunice, not much wind at all, just a dusting of snow. More snow on the east side - Soutra Brae (A68 into Edinburgh) was blocked earlier this morning.
Quote: Originally posted by Fiona W on 18/2/2022
Nothing to compare it with here. We’re north of Eunice, not much wind at all, just a dusting of snow. More snow on the east side - Soutra Brae (A68 into Edinburgh) was blocked earlier this morning.
Seems like we are getting it worse than the North this time round. No snow here as it's about 12 degrees outside, but certainly the worst winds that I have seen in years. We also had a light rain shower earlier, and it seems to have rained overnight as the ground was wet when we got up. A bit cloudy now but it was sunny a little while ago.
I was alerted just before the storm hit to organise my teams to be ready to restore supplies (electricity).
During the height of the storm I was in a 33/11 Kv substation in Dorset, there were 6 main circuits feeding the area, all had tripped, as fast as I closed them they tripped again, I spent the next 2 days isolating the damage on the High voltage network in my area then the next four weeks assisting in the supply restoration all along the south coast as far as Brighton.
saxo1
I was at home in the house I still live in now watching my back garden fence blow down. I only replaced the panels I replaced in ‘87 a couple of years ago & they are holding out ok so far.
Remember the Great Storm of '87 well, biggest memory of it was great difficulty getting to work as so many of the trees on my estate had come down or shed huge boughs and blocked roads, it was like negotiating a maze to find a way through. Walked the dog around the estate the next day after much had been cleared up, it was really sad to see so many lovely mature trees lining the avenues either missing or mangled.
Not long back from a very brief walk in the park with the dog, reckoned it was safer than letting her in the garden where all sorts of debris just appeared without warning over hedges and fences, like cruise missiles below the radar, at least the park is open and I can see what's coming from some way off, and only 100yds from home, only did a quick 'essentials' dash and avoided the trees! Dog, being daft as she is, loved the wind, I DIDN'T!
Only after I got back did I find out that overnight the Met Office had upped the Amber warning to a Red warning for the South East, and it's the first time ever that they have issued a Red wind warning for London! That accounts for why the wind gusts were nearly taking me off feet! I saw on the news that a record breaking 122mph wind had been recorded at the Needles on the Isle of Wight!
I think the worst of it is supposed to be passing now at around mid-day for London, but take care folks, it's bad out there.
i was sitting on a tiny little 9km square place in the south atlantic called Sea Lion Island.
The wind was the usual from Antarctica that brought it`s usual blizzard.
we were staying in a peat
and corrugated iron "house". we took turns making sure the peat burner was stocked.
we couldnt go out to clear the sheep and sea lions from the grass airstrip, as the snow was so deep we couldn`t find it.
so we had to stay a little longer than planned.
Didnt know about the storm till we got off the island as there was no outside communication. we ended up leaving in a Chinook as the airstrip was still under a few feet of snow.
More or less slept through it in "87. The only thing that disturbed me was our dog running into the bedroom and leaping into our bed. Bearing in mind she was a crossed Great Dane she took up more than her fare share. Realised there must be something wrong, oh yes, a bit breezy out there and went back to sleep.
In the morning, no power but started the drive to work along the A24. Took a couple of hours to cover the 12 mile journey. Interesting thing was, several other staff whose houses we had to pass on the journey, did not turn up. The reason they gave later was, road was impassable. Even the old sour faced boss chuckled with me on that one. Because of our terms of contract, everyone had to be paid for that day, present or not, but those who had made the effort got paid extra. All due credit to him for that.
Since then we have been watching the slow re growth of Chanctonbury Ring
I was living in Hampshire. The houses in my street were oriented N-S and suffered little or no damage. Houses that sat E-W did suffer quite a bit of damage, mainly to roofs. I lost one fence panel - otherwise OK.
So far storm Eunice has brought us rain, sleet and snow, but little wind.
------------- Two drifters off to see the world.
I'm tired of reality, so I'm off to look for a good fantasy.
Guy ropes have many uses and not just for camping!
Good job I have them to hand, otherwise I would have lost this fence, and it might even cause damage to other properties had it flown off!
Keeping an eye on it as I type, so far it is holding.
The fence is due to be replaced, however, not got round to getting it done yet for various reason(s).
The height of the last section will be lowered to reduce wind resistance. That was the original intention, however, one way or another, a full height section was being put in instead and not by my choice.
I shan't go into details, however, the middle bolt is not able to hold the boards in place, hence the need to find a way to strap the middle to the post etc...
I believe I have done quite a good job myself.
Stay safe everyone!
DK
------------- Apple The Campervan - A Van For Work, Rest & Play!
- 2027: ? NL+DE+FR
- 2026: FR+DE
- 2025: 17/77
'24: 10/49; '23: 9/47;'22: 8/46; '21: 9/34
* Ex-tenter
* Treat life events like a dog: if you can't eat it, play with it or hump it, p1$$ on it and walk away!
It was very windy - well,gusty - on Wirral, and it's given me another big hint that my back fence really needs replacing. Later, when the rain goes off, I'll be out there lashing it together to keep it reasonably stable until the rush for fencing jobs dies down a bit! Haven't seen any other damage locally, but I haven't been to the park yet. Storm Arwen dealt with quite a lot of trees, mostly shallow-rooted pines; I hope more haven't been lost. It's very sad to see trees destroyed, they take so long to grow.
The overgrown conifers in the mostly-absent neighbour's garden at the back of me, right against my boundary, didn't lose a single branch. Such is life! I wouldn't have been sad to see a couple of those go; they could have done with thinning out a bit, they're between me and the sun. It's due to be windy again on Sunday apparently, but not as bad.
Forgot to mention 1987! To be honest I don't have any vivid memories of the storm itself, as I don't think it was very ferocious up here; just watching tv afterwards and seeing all the devastation.
------------- Always edited for sloppy typing - when I spot it!
Bright and sunny today with a moderate breeze. What we experienced yesterday was nothing unusual for this area and years ago it would have been normal for February. It is more unusual that we haven't had much wind and snow in recent years.
Outside my house 19/2/2022
------------- Two drifters off to see the world.
I'm tired of reality, so I'm off to look for a good fantasy.
In 1987, i was in Yorkshire, and didnt know of the damage till it appeared on the telly. As we had nothing.
As for yesterday, the only local damage ive seen is what i predicted to the Mrs the other week. Which is a fence put up by someone with little experience - which is obvious to anyone who knows what they are doing, which is now at 45 degrees. They may have got it cheap, but now they will pay twice.
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Topic: Storm Eunice
And worse is yet to come later this afternoon! 
via mobile 18/2/2022 at 11:27am
