Factfile: The 1987 Great Storm

  • Anglia
The Great Storm of 1987 caused an estimated £1.4 billions worth of damage Credit: ITV Anglia

The Met Office has compiled a fact file about the Great Storm of 1987.

  • 18 people are killed in Britain, four in France.

  • Devastation costs are reported to be more than £1billion.

  • An estimated 15 million trees were lost.

  • Thousands of homes were without power for several days.

  • Wreckage blocked roads and railways.

  • A ship capsized at Dover, a Channel ferry was driven ashore near Folkestone and a detention ship off Harwich broke its moorings.

  • It was the worst storm since 1703 and was analysed as being a one in 200 year storm for southern Britain.

  • Average wind speeds of 50 mph were observed across south east England with a peak gust of 115 mph observed at Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex.

  • A public enquiry was announced shortly after the storm and an internal enquiry was conducted by the Met Office.

  • Government funds the Met Office to set up the National Severe Weather Warning Service.

  • The Royal Sovereign lightship on the south coast recorded an average wind speed of 86 mph.

  • Temperatures rose by up to 10C for a short period overnight as the storm pushed north.

  • Storm centre pressure fell to 951mb over the English Channel.

  • A pressure rise of more than 20mb was observed in just three hours as the low moved away to the north.