Ascension : Met Office Ascension Island Base
Submitted by The Islander (Met Office) 19.11.2009 (Article Archived on 03.12.2009)
The Met Office Weather Report
Statistics for the week ending Monday 22-Nov-09
|
|
Max (Celsius) |
Min (Celsius) |
Rainfall (mm) |
|
AIRHEAD |
28.3 |
22.1 |
4.9 |
|
TRAVELLERS |
28.6 |
20.5 |
1.8 |
|
GEORGETOWN |
29.5 |
21.4 |
NIL |
|
ST. HELENA |
20.4 |
15.0 |
3.8 |
|
FALKLANDS |
9.6 |
-4.5 |
22.9 |
|
UK (Brize Norton) |
14.6 |
3.1 |
30.8 |
Autumn storms batter Southern Britain
Last week saw a very unsettled spell of weather develop across the UK, as Atlantic lows ran up from the Southwest to bring spells of heavy rain and strong winds. Saturday was a particularly stormy day across the south, with winds gusting in excess of 70mph along parts of the south coast. A gust of 59mph was recorded at Heathrow, while 79mph was felt at Langdon Bay on the Kent coast. A mighty 100mph was clocked at the Needles on the Isle of Wight, and the Port of Dover was forced to close due to the wind and rough seas. Parts of the southeast saw damage due to lighting as well as the strong winds. Heavy rain has also caused problems, with the Environment agency issuing dozens of flood warnings over the weekend; west Wales and southern England appear to have been worst affected. The outlook for the next week is for the very unsettled weather to continue.
The Great Storm of 1703
Last week may have been stormy across the UK, but there have been worse events in the past. Late November 1703, from around the 19th, saw frequent gales howling across the British Isles. On the 27th, a very deep depression described as a ‘perfect hurricane’ ran from South Wales up to Humberside. The damage caused by the tempest was great, especially to the south side of the storm where winds have been estimated to have reached 120mph. The Royal Navy saw thirteen vessels wrecked, with the loss of thousands of lives; many of these ships were returning home after aiding the King of Spain in the War of the Spanish Succession. Over 100 merchant ships were destroyed along the south coast, and the first Eddystone Lighthouse was destroyed by wind and sea. Many trees were lost, and the number of oak trees uprooted in the New Forest alone was around 4000. The writer Daniel Defoe described the event in his book ‘The Storm’. He said “no pen could describe it, nor tongue express it unless by one in the extremity of it”.
Compiled by Wayne Bow
Crown Copyright 2009
Met Office Ascension Island Base
|
