Winds hit 134mph and caused billions of pounds worth of damage in 1987 (Picture: Getty / Mirroxpix)
Brits ‘haven’t learnt lesson’ on climate change and could face weather worse than Great Storm of 1987, experts have claimed.
Despite it being more than three decades since the powerful storm ravaged across the UK in October 1987 people still haven’t changed and need to sit up and listen to climate change, experts have claimed.
The storm killed 18 people as gusts of winds measuring 100 mph blasted across the country.
There were major transport delays due to the fallen debris on roads and train tracks, while some electricity and telephone lines were ripped down leaving thousands without power for more than 24 hours.
During the storm, there were average wind speeds of 50 mph across South East England.
Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex experienced the maximum gust of 115 mph.
Former chief scientific advisor to the government, Sir David King told Metro.co.uk: ‘We’ve witnessed extreme weather events, of an extreme form that’s never been observed before. Extreme heat, and cold weather that we’ve never had before, but that’s because we’ve not learnt our lesson.
Former scientific advisor to the government Sir David King has warned Brits they haven’t yet learnt their lesson from climate change, 35 years on from the Great Storm (Picture: Gov.co.uk)
A Sealink ferry ran aground during the Great Storm of 1987 (Picture: Rex)
Many cars were destroyed by falling trees during the storm that cost £2 billion (over £5bn in today’s money) (Picture: Getty)
The top picture shows the aftermath of the 1987 storm while the bottom one shows how the woodland has recovered (Picture: MHMVR)
This car in Reading, Berkshire, was badly damaged when a wall collapsed in the wind (Picture: Mirrorpix)
As well as strong winds, the Great Storm brought flooding to some parts of Wales (Picture: Mirrorpix)
MORE : What damage did the Great Storm of 1987 cause?
MORE : Great Storm of 1987: How Eunice compares to one of UK’s worst ever
‘We’re not doing nearly enough to be able to make sure we don’t have these extreme weather conditions again in the future.’
Sir David was the permanent Special Representative for Climate Change from September 2013 until March 2017.
He was previously the Government’s Chief Scientific Advisor from 2000 to 2007, during which time he raised awareness of the need for governments to act on climate change and was instrumental in creating the Energy Technologies Institute.
He said: ‘I think people haven’t quite learnt their lesson just yet, but are learning it quite rapidly now. But we still aren’t doing enough.
‘Information is being given out on a much better scale today, and the shocking events we are seeing now are all learning curves.
‘I think the temperatures we saw this summer; people have to start to sit up and make even more of a difference.
‘Generations wouldn’t have seen weather like they had seen in the UK last year, and it is the younger generation that is really fighting to take on the baton and make changes.’
In October 1987 many buildings were damaged because of falling trees, while on the coast many small boats were blown away, a ship at Dover was blown over and the Channel Ferry was blown ashore near Folkestone.
The storm hit during the night, and it is believed that the number of fatalities of 18 would have been larger had the storm hit during the day.
The 18 people who lost their lives were in a number of places across the country, some being killed by falling chimneys and trees, whilst others were at sea.
The severe weather was somewhat predicted, but as the storm got nearer to the UK, weather forecasters were less sure of what it would look like and whether it would hit the country at all.
The country received warnings for severe gales on the morning of October 15, 1987.
During the night of October 15 the storm grew more aggressive with winds of gale force 10 on the way, by 1:35 am on October 16 warnings for winds of force 11 were issued.
One of the many fallen trees – this one in Soho Square which caused damage to a bar (Picture: Rex)
Some people were without power for more than two weeks following the storm (Picture: Rex)
The storm killed 22 people in England and France (Picture: Getty)
Dr Hannah Cloke has also spoken about what has changed over the last 30 years (Picture: Reading University)
It was at this time that the Met Office issued a warning to the Ministry of Defence which warned that the consequences of the storm may be such that civil authorities might need help from the military.
People continually blamed the Met Office for their lack of foresight about the severe storm, but now there is more scrutiny associated with weather forecasts in order to properly prepare the population if there is a severe storm on the way.
Last year the UK was rocked by Storm Eunice, and one expert has explained the preparation in place shows how far weather forecasters have come since 1987.
Weather expert, Dr Hannah Cloke, from Reading University, has warned Brits will see the shocking weather again, but we will now be more prepared for it.
She told Metro.co.uk: ‘In 1987, the BBC weather forecaster Michael Fish was famously caught out by the severity of the Great Storm.
‘What has really changed since the late 1980s is the quality of our forecasting and warnings.
‘The steady improvement in weather and climate forecasting has been caused by unimaginably more powerful supercomputers, much better scientific understanding of the earth’s natural processes, and better communication of risks and early warnings.’
She added: ‘The improvement in the forecast is partly because of the hugely improved resolution of the supercomputer models.
‘We can now simulate the earth in great detail, in four dimensions (including time). We also just have a better understanding of the science, and how conditions in the sea and air combine to create our weather.
‘Communication has also improved significantly in the past 30 years in the UK, thanks in a great part due to the establishment of the National Severe Weather Warning Service – the system that sets of yellow, amber and red warnings.’
‘There is still much more we can do to improve warning systems, but let’s realise how far we have come.
‘For now, the best advice is to take the warnings seriously, don’t take risks, and keep yourself and your family safe.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].
For more stories like this, check our news page.
The government’s former scientific advisor is among the experts we spoke to 35 years on since the Great Storm.