winter storm preparations

i am old enough to remember I think they were called linesmen, So these were council employees responsible for the drains and roads in their specific area. So they kept drains sorted and knew the problem areas and would be on the ball to alter and check them. No computer will know this information! Also years ago I lived between Nottingham and Derby and they wanted to build houses in what was the flood plain areas. We campaigned against it but they said their had been no flooding of the Trent etc for about 15 years and were allowed to build. About 2 years later there was a major flood and the water could not go onto the fields it used to go to. Houses in the area that had never been flooded before, and I remember a particular friend had just put their house up for sale and were in a small dip. The water came so high that we took a dinghy over the top of standard roses and were pasing food and drinks into the first floor windows!Result much more expensive damage of homes and surrounds and where were the builders? Oh disappeared and so all the houses then had major addition to insurance and all because they only wanted to look at a year or two. So what are we doing now? Building more and more , with very little common sense in looking at possible flooding , and not even building houses that were well set up to deal with flooding!

karmalady

Right now, storm centre is tracking a bit further south and will hit the channel isles and Brittany hard. Keep fingers crossed we won`t know where it is heading until tomorrow morning

I hope it stays South, we have to make a journey tomorrow.

I was teaching in 1987 and the wind blew one of the classroom windows in. Luckily all the children were sitting on the carpet at the other end of the room. The whole school then went to sit in the hall which was the safest place.

It’s the fierce unpredictability of high winds that frighten us all.

I always think of the late Gorden Kaye (who played René in ‘Allo ‘Allo) when these winds are forecast. He suffered serious head injuries when a piece of wood smashed through the windscreen of his car during a storm in 1990, according to reports at the time. I never forgot that. It was such a shock to read. The randomness of it all. Wrong place, wrong time. That’s what scares me. I shan’t be going out.

I remember the storms of 1987 affecting Hampshire where my in-laws lived but not us. We were in West Oxfordshire but storms came our way in 1990. I was at home, heavily pregnant and waiting to go into labour, when tiles started flying off my roof! I took my life in my hands and went outside to move my car off the drive and onto the field nearby to prevent it being hit by flying roof tiles. It was a pretty scary experience. I then went back indoors to watch further tiles embedding themselves in the lawn! In retrospect it was a rather foolish thing to do!

I’m grateful we live in a second storey apartment! No garden, no fences, nothing to batten down. High winds scare me. The terrifying force of Nature unleashed.

You sound super organised though karmalady! Well done.

Our builder recently installed a 'flood barrier' to the garage in our new build house for which we were very grateful.

I am in Cornwall and after a wet and blustery morning it is now peaceful with blue skies and sunshine. I expect it will be different tomorrow. Stay safe everyone.

We slept through the storm of 1987 😄 Woke in the night briefly and noticed the power was off but went straight back to sleep. When we got up in the morning the power was back and we dressed and drove to the station to commute to work. We were very surprised to see trees down in the roads and no trains. It wasn't until we saw the news we knew what was going on 😄 Finally got to work two days later and nearly got killed in Long Acre by an advertising board that had worked loose and crashed to the ground.

We have a drain sink at the bottom of our garden. The previous owner didn't clear it and a house opposite flooded, as the water went straight down and in to there front door. We check it weekly and clear it as necessary.

karmalady

Right now, storm centre is tracking a bit further south and will hit the channel isles and Brittany hard. Keep fingers crossed we won`t know where it is heading until tomorrow morning

Yes, Brittany Ferries sailings have been cancelled and in Jersey schools closed. The tidal ranges in this area are some of the highest in the world.

Not looking forward to it for sure I live in the southeast and as I get older the more scared I get!

The Met Office is showing a yellow weather warning for parts of the UK, low-level impact.

How can the weather sites have such different forecasts?

Right now, storm centre is tracking a bit further south and will hit the channel isles and Brittany hard. Keep fingers crossed we won`t know where it is heading until tomorrow morning

I live fairly high up with fields around and dense forest opposite, and even a light wind sounds as if it is worse. Last winter one of the huge cattle barns was demolished and the sheets of galvanised metal strewn around the fields. The hay barn roof was raised on one corner and folded back. Always worried when really high winds are forecast - never sure what else will be damaged/ruined!!

grannytotwins, don`t worry too much, it will sound frightening but new builds are built to stand 100 mph winds. I am in a new build

I’m absolutely terrified. In the hurricane I lost my roof and my car was damaged by part of a school’s sports hall roof blowing on to it. Later it rained and the ceilings came down. My neighbour’s side of the house and chimney wiped out my garden. I left the children to sleep as I didn’t want them frightened. Luckily they were safe, but a neighbouring house had the chimney fall through two floors to the cellar. If it had happened in my house, the children wouldn’t have survived.

I’m now in a small new build and my husband has cleared anything loose from the garden. I really hope there’s less damage and no loss of life this time.

karmalady

www.xcweather.co.uk/

wind observation map

It seems to have just started here!

The council road sweeper came yesterday, people have swept up leaves but it's just as bad again now.

www.xcweather.co.uk/

wind observation map

My coastal town in south Hants is protected by the Isle of Wight at the front and Portsdown hill at the back but we still get some viscous gusty storms.

Fingers crossed!

I was at work and remember someone being called home because her windows had blown out, also last village I lived, some roofs were torn off. We have better modelling these days and met have a super-computer at exeter but still not precise as to where will be worst hit

Jaxjacky, yes power lines could come down esp when trees fall. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best

The jetstream is gathering a huge amount of energy and moving fast hence the uncertainty of where will be worst hit

We’re in South Hampshire, so expecting it later overnight and tomorrow. Garden furniture will be weighted down later, no garage so bins will be moved into a corner, torch ready, phones charged.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202311/medium-92524-20231101-100240.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202311/medium-740707-20231101-100230.jpg

I'm doing a record of the lull before the storm today, and then again tomorrow. It's already moving fast here on the South West coast.

You mean tumbleweed Mizuma. I often think the dust in my hallway looks like that when I open the front door. 🙄
What I remember about the 1987 storm is that the wind seemed somehow to have got under the carpets - strange.

How terrifying, Mizuna!