Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 13K views

    1987 Great Storm Case Study Sheet

    Uploaded by

    cccgeog
    A powerful low pressure system developed over the Bay of Biscay on October 15, 1987 and moved northward towards southern England, bringing intense winds over 100 km/h that caused severe damage. The storm left 19 dead, knocked down 15 million trees, downed power lines for 5 million homes, damaged vehicles and buildings, blocked roads and railways, and resulted in £15 billion in insurance claims. Both people and the environment experienced significant effects from the strong winds and fallen debris.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    1987 Great Storm Case Study Sheet

    Uploaded by

    cccgeog
    13K views2 pages
    A powerful low pressure system developed over the Bay of Biscay on October 15, 1987 and moved northward towards southern England, bringing intense winds over 100 km/h that caused severe damage. The storm left 19 dead, knocked down 15 million trees, downed power lines for 5 million homes, damaged vehicles and buildings, blocked roads and railways, and resulted in £15 billion in insurance claims. Both people and the environment experienced significant effects from the strong winds and fallen debris.

    Original Description:

    A case study of the Great Storm of October 1987

    Copyright

    © Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)

    Available Formats

    DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    A powerful low pressure system developed over the Bay of Biscay on October 15, 1987 and moved northward towards southern England, bringing intense winds over 100 km/h that caused severe damage. The storm left 19 dead, knocked down 15 million trees, downed power lines for 5 million homes, damaged vehicles and buildings, blocked roads and railways, and resulted in £15 billion in insurance claims. Both people and the environment experienced significant effects from the strong winds and fallen debris.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    13K views2 pages

    1987 Great Storm Case Study Sheet

    Uploaded by

    cccgeog
    A powerful low pressure system developed over the Bay of Biscay on October 15, 1987 and moved northward towards southern England, bringing intense winds over 100 km/h that caused severe damage. The storm left 19 dead, knocked down 15 million trees, downed power lines for 5 million homes, damaged vehicles and buildings, blocked roads and railways, and resulted in £15 billion in insurance claims. Both people and the environment experienced significant effects from the strong winds and fallen debris.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    of 2

    Climate, environment and people case study

    A low pressure weather system


    Depression over Southern England, 15-16th October 1987

    When to use this case study:

    • A weather event
    • A severe weather event
    • A weather event caused by a low pressure system
    • A weather event and its effect on different groups of people and the
    environment

    What happened?

    • Warm air from Africa met cold air from the Atlantic
    Ocean, causing an intense depression
    • The depression developed over the Bay of Biscay on
    15th October and moved northwards
    • Weather forecasters thought it wouldn’t reach England,
    but by midnight it had changed course and moved
    towards the south coast – most people went to bed
    without knowing that there would be very severe winds
    overnight
    • Winds were over 100 km/hour and on the coast in
    Hampshire, Sussex and Kent winds reached gale force
    11
    • The central pressure was 953 mb
    • There were rapid changes in temperature as the warm front passed over eg. in Farnborough
    8.5°C to 17.6°C in 20 minutes! (see map)
    • By 9am the storm had passed over land and reached the North Sea

    What were the effects of the storm?

    • 19 people died in England


    • 15 million trees were knocked down, including 6 of the famous oaks trees in Sevenoaks
    • Trees blocked roads and railways
    • Power lines were taken down and 5 million homes were without electricity
    • Caravan parks were wrecked
    • Falling masonry and trees damaged and destroyed cars and
    houses
    • Fire brigade had 6000 calls in 24 hours
    • Buildings collapsed
    • A cross-channel ferry, the MV Hengist, was blown aground at
    Folkestone
    • A ship capsized at Dover
    • Roads and railway lines were blocked with fallen trees
    • Cost £15 billion in insurance claims, so premiums went up for everyone next year
    • Fallen trees provided new habitats for some animals
    • Some plants benefited as there was more light on the forest floor
    allowing them to grow
    • The photo shows council workers clearing the A28 at Wye
    Michael Fish's famous line that there wouldn't be a hurricane was actually correct. He was referring
    to a tropical cyclone in the West Atlantic.

    You might also like