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.