The Great Storm - 25 years on

On the 16th of October 1987 hurricane-force winds battered the South East corner of England. Gusts reached more than 100 miles per hour, destroying buildings, uprooting trees and killing eighteen people.

It was the worst storm for hundreds of years, and forecasters had not seen it coming. 25 years on the weather is still unpredictable, but forecasts are more accurate than ever.

Twenty-five years ago today, people in our region were waking up to the devastation caused by the Great Storm. Eighteen people died in hurricane-force gales which tore through the south and east of England.

Wind speeds topped more than a hundred miles an hour and ripped fifteen million trees from the ground, bringing roads and railways to a standstill.

You can find out how forecasting has improved since the Great Storm in part two of our special report on Anglia Tonight at 6pm.

It was a storm the like of which hadn't been seen for three hundred years - trees uprooted, power lines torn down and roofs ripped off.

It's been 25 years since the Great Storm of 1987 struck in the dead of night catching out everyone - including the weather forecasters.

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