Col wrote:
"Freddie" wrote in message
.. .
On Sat, 27 Aug 2011 12:02:48 +0100, Fonzy wrote:
cool, but what number was it?
Just about scraped a 1 for a short time.

Yes, that has long been my understanding of it.
A few very exposed south coast locations managed a 10-minute
mean of 72 mph..

But that's a *mean* wind speed of course. A gust to hurricane
strength is nothing unusual and ocurrs around coasts & hills every
year in winter, and isn't particualrly unusual in many inland areas
either.

This is the basis of much angst amoung metereologists when
people think a gust of around 30 mph constitutes a 'gale' when
in fact it's nothing of the sort, you need an average wind speed
of that to be classed as a gale, which is a whole different exprerience.
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What I do know is that storm was by a margin the most fearsome weather
experience I recall at home or abroad. (No doubt the 1953 floods near
here would have had more impact if I had been older than 3) We had gusts
of 120mph here and to see metal dustbins flying down the road like paper
cups and tiles crashing off your roof was pretty scary. The number of
massive trees across all the roads and woods completely flattened in
rows was a sight to behold. I still get nervous if I hear a strong wind
buffeting the house.
Dave, S.Essex