On Sun, 14 Nov 2004 13:08:17 -0000, "Philip Eden"
philipATweatherHYPHENukDOTcom wrote:

"Dave Ludlow" wrote in message

Do you (or does anyone) happen to know if the 10 minute mean wind
speed of 70 knots at Lee-on-the-Solent, mentioned in the Met Office
article, has been accepted officially and if it is in fact the
highest mainland 10 minute mean wind speed recorded in this event?

Thanks Philip. So, leaving aside the station(s) well offshore,

Highest hourly means and gusts (in knots) we
Shoreham-by-Sea 74/98
Langdon Bay 56/94

Highest 10-minute winds (not a complete list):
Royal Sovereign 75kn
Lee-on-Solent 70
Langdon Bay 62.

It looks like the highest 10 minute mean wind speeds probably occurred
on the Sussex coast and at least two places on the mainland recorded
mean wind speeds of hurricane force.

If we convert 10 minute means to to 1 minute mean wind speeds
("sustained" winds as used by the US National Hurricane Center) and
apply the 0.88 conversion factor used in the US (65kn -- 57kn), at
least one inland place (Herstmonceux) and most of the South Coast from
the Isle of Wight and Portsmouth eastwards probably experienced
hurricane force winds that night. That, for me, settles the
"hurricane" debate. From the layman's point of view, The Great Storm
was a hurricane.

Source: Burt & Mansfield, The Great Storm of 15-16
October 1987, Weather 43 (3), 1988.

Belatedly, I must try to get a copy...

--
Dave