On Sep 14, 5:45*pm, "Will Hand" wrote:
"Ken Cook" wrote in message

...

The local man killed by a falling tree in Monday's gale was well known to
me. It certainly brings home another side of severe weather when something
like this happens. Was the Met Office right to issue gale warnings? Ask
ordinary folk here and you will be told in no uncertain terms. They don't
know what the official terms of a gale are and aren't particularly
interested, but they do know that a gale warning means damage, strong
winds and danger.
The warnings were well in advance and spot on, they usually are here.
Imagine the repercussions in these parts if there had been no warnings.
Most of our population are not weather nuts and welcome warnings of gales,
snow, ice etc.

Ken
Copley, Teesdale

Well said Ken.

If the temperature inversion had been lower and close to the summits the lee
gusts would have been even stronger!

It's alway hard for us enthusiasts to put ourselves in the mindset of the
general public, so to get feedback is always good.

Cheers,

Will
--

Heh! To get good feedback always seems good for the MetO and its
employees. You and your colleagues often don't quite say the same when
feedback is not so good!

In this case, I think the warnings for high winds were certainly
merited. It's very easy to tip a high sided vehicle, or in this case,
tragically, a full-leaved tree. It must have been a case of the
warning not being seen, or, perhaps more likely the warning not being
heeded - really it is just very sad and was probably one of those
hugely unlucky things; to be in entirely the wrong place at entirely
the wrong time. IMO, no fault could be attributed to the MetO for
issuing the warning.