On 16th October 1987, southern Britain was hit by hurricane force winds, the worst storm to occur in Britain since 1703.

Twenty years on, Britain is remembering the devastation¹ caused by what came to be known as 'The Great Storm.' 15 million trees across the region were uprooted² due to the wind, as well as the fact that a wet autumn in general had made the ground very muddy.

The falling trees caused destruction to buildings and vehicles and blocked roads and railway lines, causing everyone from commuters to school-children to stay at home.

There were also black-outs across the area, as power lines were damaged by falling trees and flying debris³. People resorted to candles and torches for light, and gas stoves and open fires to cook food.

The storm raged for 4 hours before dawn, and claimed 18 lives. The effects of the bad weather were heightened⁴ by the fact that most people were completely unprepared, because the weather forecasters were caught out.

Earlier that week, weather forecasts had predicted severe weather. But forecasters thought it would miss Britain, and only affect the English Channel. A weatherman, Michael Fish is infamous⁵ for saying the storm wouldn’t happen, though in fact he was talking about a hurricane in Florida at the time.

The freak storm caused damage of more than £1billion pounds (15 billion RMB), and hundreds of people sustained⁶ injuries.

But could the same thing happen today in Britain? Well, as a result of climate change many people think that sudden and severe weather changes are more likely. However, meteorological technology has improved, and now uses satellites to get a much more accurate picture of future weather. So if another Great Storm comes along, the British public should be better warned and prepared!