HERE we are again in that certain week in October that sees the anniversary of one of the most memorable weather events of the last thirty years.

The great storm of 1987 occurred 28 years ago this week, on the night of October 15/16.

For those living in the south east of England at the time, it is a night most people will never forget. For the media of course, it was a field day, especially after Michael Fish gave his weather forecast after the 1pm news. He stated that he had a call from a lady in Plymouth who had heard that there was a hurricane on the way and said don’t worry there isn’t!

He did go on to say that it would be an exceptionally windy night, but of course that bit is conveniently edited out by programme makers now.

In the end of course it did turn out to be an exceptionally windy and stormy night that caused severe structural damage. To be fair to Mr Fish, he was speaking as a meteorologist not a lay man. To the man or woman in the street it may well have seemed as if a hurricane had blasted its way across the southeast of England.

But in meteorological terms it was a severe storm, not a hurricane. Indeed if it had actually been a hurricane the level of damage would have been far higher. (Hard though that may be to believe) It was however, most probably the worst storm in southern England since 1703!

A bit earlier in 1987 there was another exceptional weather event that pretty much slipped in under the radar at the time, unless that is you’re a weather geek like me.

This event was unparalleled since the 1700’s as well.

Between theJanuary 7 and 20, 1987 there was an exceptional cold spell with heavy snow in the east and southwest of England and the week of January 7 -14 saw temperatures remain well below freezing especially across southern England. On January 12 in particular maximum temperatures range between minus 6 and minus 8 degrees centigrade.

Up to two and a half feet of level snow fell in parts of the southeast and well over a foot fell in Cornwall. Even the Scilly isles got a good covering!

That week proved to be the coldest week of weather in southern England since the Frostfair winter of 1740 which was the second coldest winter ever recorded in the UK.