U.S.The UK is now in the throes of Hurricane Nis. And the sting jet, a weather phenomenon The warning is that Younis will be with you. StingJet was also present at the Great Storm that shook the UK in 1987. 18 deaths were confirmed in the UK that day. Today, 35 years later, Hurricane Eunice has left a nation in the throes of total terror.
1987 October 15. For a week the people of Britain were in a state of panic over strong winds and unfavorable weather. The news spread relief that there would be no strong winds in the evening news. Only heavy rain was forecast. That same afternoon, low pressure formed in the Bay of Biscay, Spain. It was only the beginning of the Great Storm of 1987, which shook England and France. However, the Meteorological Department said in a late-day warning to the Ministry of Defense that it would seek the help of the Army.
South-eastern England was the worst hit. The storm raged for four hours in a row. Even those who have lived in the area for years have never witnessed such a severe storm before. The Great Storm was born in 1703. A phenomenon that has been going on for 200 years. But the Great Storm of October is considered one of the worst in 40 years. The disaster was exacerbated by inaccuracies in the UK’s Met Office’s weather forecast.
The 1987 hurricane caused about 230 billion rupees ($ 2.3 billion) in damage in the UK alone. The storm also caused extensive damage. 1.5 crore trees were uprooted by the strong winds. In Britain alone, 18 people died. The storm was just before dawn. If it had been daylight, the damage and death would have doubled. The wind was blowing at a speed of 130 kilometers per hour in England. If the storm had traveled ten kilometers north, it would have been similar to what happened in Greater London in 1703.
The air, road and rail transport networks in southeastern England came to a standstill on Friday morning, October 16, 1987. Power outages at Gatwick Airport Debris from the wind on roads and railways disrupted transportation. There was a strong wind in Britain that could overturn even the trains. In Spain, a train derailed due to the impact of a storm. It also took a long time to remove the fallen trees from the rails and make them passable.
The ‘Sting Jet’ weather phenomenon also contributed to the 1987 Great Storm. Sting jets are very strong winds and unpredictable areas within a hurricane. They can extend 10 to 20 km. Sting jets are the only feature of extreme storms. Prior to 1987, the weather phenomenon of sting jets was unknown. A detailed study of the StingJet was published in 2004. In the last few days, another warning has been issued for the UK, which is now in the throes of Hurricane Eunice.
Eunice warns of the possibility of a dangerous sting jet with the storm. Extreme speeds make them unpredictable. Eunice is the strongest wind in Britain in 15 years. Sting jets have been included in weather forecasting systems since the 1987 hurricane. The sting jet was also involved in the 2011 Scotland storm. The Met Office currently uses state-of-the-art supercomputing technology for weather forecasting. 1987 was a lesson we should definitely learn from natural disasters.
Source: Met Office, RMS Special Report
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